Sylvester Is Getting Matted Again Despite My Combing Him!

[les26]

Well that didn't last long....I came home tonight and tried to use that razor dematter on him and he absolutely refused to let me do anything with it!!! I got down on the floor and he would come up to me and head butt my hand but as soon as I tried that on him he jogged away; Deb said Sebastian hated that brush, and she doesn't like it either, so I guess it is back to that V shaped one that is pictured, either that or as I told him "well then you are going to get drugged and go to the vet", then we said "maybe he WANTS to go and cut trimmed again, that's why he doesn't let me brush him!" as he did have a sharp looking lion's cut and clearly had some swagger and attitude with it lol!!!

This is exaspirating....

 

[Furballsmom]

He doesn't sleep deeply enough that you'd be able to accomplish something then l take it. Is he really bad enough that you need to try every day? Maybe he's just saying let me have a bit of a break daddy.

 

[les26]

He doesn't sleep deeply enough that you'd be able to accomplish something then l take it. Is he really bad enough that you need to try every day? Maybe he's just saying let me have a bit of a break daddy.

Well, he does have mats on either side of the top of his back, about 3 on the left and 2 on the right, and a few other places. I guess my thinking is that we have to keep working on him so he doesn't get so bad like he was last year that he has to go to the groomer soon especially not in this cold weather. And a woman at work tells me that the mats can be painful, don't know how true that is, he doesn't seem to be having a problem with that, plus I want to get them out for him but we aren't having a whole lot of success; I said to Deb last night "if he would just let us do it we could get them all out and we could be careful not to pull on them", but of course he is a cat and does it on HIS terms lol!

 

[Purr-fect]

Greg and arnold need to be combed a couple times a week if they stay indoors and daily if they go out.

My wife holds one of the cats gently....we do not force them, if they struggle, they are released.......I very carefully cut thru the mat and then tease the rest apart. We usually only do one mat a session and the cat gets a treat immediately afterwards. They tolerate it.

As you can see, we have had to go thru a learning curve.

 

[les26]

Greg and arnold need to be combed a couple times a week if they stay indoors and daily if they go out.

My wife holds one of the cats gently....we do not force them, if they struggle, they are released.......I very carefully cut thru the mat and then tease the rest apart. We usually only do one mat a session and the cat gets a treat immediately afterwards. They tolerate it.

As you can see, we have had to go thru a learning curve.

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You are lucky they tolerate that; Sylvester would rip half my arms off if I tried to hold him like that lol!

 

[Furballsmom]

Sylvester would rip half my arms off if I tried to hold him like that lol!

I think my big guy would too! The mats get uncomfortable and then painful when the area that's involved gets big enough to start pulling the skin. I'll never forget a longhaired cat I met a few years back, hadn't been given any attention other than food/water. Then his owner got sick. I'm visiting, and I'm looking at this poor cat and finally couldn't stand it, grabbed some scissors, had to back the cat into a corner (talking to him all the while) and eventually, bless his little heart, he let me snip away. I could actually feel the skin falling back into place so to speak. Long story short, he was so relieved that after the session was done, he gave me leg rubs for the next half hour. Never mind what I thought of his owner.

 

[les26]

I think my big guy would too! The mats get uncomfortable and then painful when the area that's involved gets big enough to start pulling the skin. I'll never forget a longhaired cat I met a few years back, hadn't been given any attention other than food/water. Then his owner got sick. I'm visiting, and I'm looking at this poor cat and finally couldn't stand it, grabbed some scissors, had to back the cat into a corner (talking to him all the while) and eventually, bless his little heart, he let me snip away. I could actually feel the skin falling back into place so to speak. Long story short, he was so relieved that after the session was done, he gave me leg rubs for the next half hour. Never mind what I thought of his owner.

Bless you for helping him! I can give you my address if you want to try Sylvester lol!!!

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[Purr-fect]

You are lucky they tolerate that; Sylvester would rip half my arms off if I tried to hold him like that lol!

You are right....fortunately greg and arnold are not mean or physical with us. Even a small cat can do alot of physical damge, to say nothing of the damage to the relationship.

 

[les26]

Last night Sylvester and I played more than we have ever played before, he was so happy and had a great time, so we gave him a break from the mat grooming. Tonight, I thought I'd give it a try, so I went in the kitchen with the brush, got the treats out, he came in, but you know he KNEW that I had the brush and stopped dead in his tracks and wouldn't come near me! I followed him around, tried to comb him but he kept moving around, didn't want any part of it, so Deb said "let me try", and he let her do some. I watched what she does and I notice that she sort or "teases" his hair with the brush, pulling it up where as I just gently comb straight down his back, do you think that it is in the way I am combing him that he doesn't want me to do it? I would think teasing it would get him more upset but it is quite the opposite...she gave him some treats while she was doing it to keep him distracted, she didn't get any knots out but at least she did something. Do you think it is the way I comb him straight down that upsets him?

 

[Furballsmom]

I'd say you're on the right track regarding the method, and yes, they know

 

[les26]

Well, he is back to his "I don't want to be groomed" phase, no matter if it is me or Deb doing it, so tonight I scooped him up and held him while she worked on him and she got a big mat out and he tolerated it for several minutes so maybe being a "tag team" is the way to go lol! And that bugger KNEW what we were up to, he could just sense it no matter how we tried to act naturally, unbelievable how they can sense it.....but we talked and realize he will have to go get trimmed down the line, when it gets warmer out. He still has some mats but we will try to keep working on him but even if we would by some miracle get them all out his fur is long and needs to be trimmed, especially by his rear end.

What fun lol!!!

 

[Furballsmom]

Good for you!

 

[Furballsmom]

And yes, they do know.

 

[lavishsqualor]

Every time I see this thread listed on the forms page I mis-read it as Sylvester is Getting Married, so I click on here expecting to see two cute cats dressed up in wedding gowns and tuxedos and what do I get?

MATS!

 

[les26]

And yes, they do know.

I said to her "if I set the brush out here on the kitchen table and try to hold him could you work on him?" and she said "sure, I'll try"; he didn't see me get the brush at all yet he KNEW when I was trying to coax him in for treats so I could get close enough to pick him up he kept backing away, any other time he stands there and lets me get right next to him, usually stands on his hind legs to rub against my hand which I say is his "pony" trick but not this time, unreal!!!

 

[les26]

Every time I see this thread listed on the forms page I mis-read it as Sylvester is Getting Married, so I click on here expecting to see two cute cats dressed up in wedding gowns and tuxedos and what do I get?

MATS!

Well he sure is ready for the wedding, look at his tuxedo lol!!

 

[Furballsmom]

lavishsqualor too funny
les26 I think every whisker is an antenna for human intent LOL

 

[les26]

I also want to add that everytime after we are done "hassling" him he gets treats and then we play string toys just to calm him down and distract him and within a short while we were right next to each other on the floor "best buddies" again; just as he knows when we are going to try to brush him he knows we are just trying to help him and all is forgiven until the next time lol! And tonight I gave him catnip as a treat, he eats it and rolls a bit so that distracts him too....

 

[Furballsmom]