matted fur on me pussy

[markja]

one of my two long haired cats has lumps of matted hair on her belly and around her armpits. they are very solid and won't brush out. i've been trying to trim them with scissors and hair clippers but she really ain't too keen!
any ideas?
veet probably not a good idea.

[toptotty]

Unfortunately this is a price to pay for owning a long haired cat. BUT IT NEEDN'T BE SO. For now try 'gently ' pulling the knots away with your fingers but get as near as possible to the skin so as not to cause pain. In future when you brush and you MUST brush daily put an unscented TALCUM POWDER onto the fur and this prevents matting to a certain extent. Hope this helps as it does work.

Toptotty

[persianlady]

If you can not split the matts with your fingers, you will have to get someone to hold her whilst you cut them or shave them off. You need to comb long haired cats every day to prevent matting. I have 3 persians with very long hair. Its a chore but it has to be done.

[showcatbenga]

My friend had this problem & found a small tool that helped. It was a plastic hook with a captive blade within the hook. It's used to split mats lengthways, which really helps with the removal. I think it's a dog grooming tool made by 'mikki'. You could carry on using the scissors for the same thing - always cut away from the skin down the length of the hair, towards the ends of the hairs. Mats have a tendency to get bigger & bigger, so any part removal is good. The smaller the mat the easier it is to finally remove entirely. The tool had the advantages of being small enough to conceal within the hand, very safe & used one handed, unlike scissors. It would also be a good idea to appeal to her appetite & do your daily gooming before/at feeding time or with the 'help' of a few tasty treats. Good luck.

[markja]

thanks folks, these are top notch clumps and are taking ages to do. my hair clippers can't manage so the little tool & scissors may be the way to go.

[xxsparkerxx]

Why not just go to the vets and get a de-matt done on the cat?
My persian cat had to have this done once, and they told me that in bad circumstances they will put the cat to sleep so not to stress him/her.

[LottieAnne]

I have a pair of sharp pointed embroidery scissors which I have used successfully but you do need to be VERY, VERY careful. Do not try it if your cat struggles a lot. The best thing in future is to feel all over the cat every day and to make sure that if you feel even the tiniest knot you deal with it straight away. Do not just leave it because they will get tighter and tighter and will eventually damage the skin leaving it open to infections.