Matted fur- what to do?

[Whatamuddleduck]

Hello everyone.
I have two (very gorgeous) rescue cats. One short hair and one long hair. The long haired , known as scardy cat, is quite good about being brushed now, she comes in at 8:30 every night for a brush. But she spends all day running about in the trees and a field and gets in quite a tangle. I've kept on top of it and other than the Poo Disaster in the first couple of weeks of living here (cat had to go in the bathroom sink, it wasn't pretty) I've been able to keep her tangle free. In the last week through, as she is really moulting now, she has got some small matts under her front legs and on her chest. It's the hardest bit to get to as whilst she likes her back and neck being bushed and will lay down for a belly brush, she hates being picked up and is so dinky the only way to get that bit is to pick her up and hold her legs out.
I've had a go at loosening the matts this evening but the poor thing hated it so I let her go. They are worse than a couple of days ago and I want to sort them before they cause her a problem.
She's so timid around people that now that she has her confidence around me (sleeps next to me but is terrified if DP and still runs past him) I don't want her to associate me with hair pulling.
What's the best thing to do? I could take her to the groomer and think that's probably best as hopefully they can sort out her coat quickly and without hurting her.
Or I could maybe try brushing some kind of conditioner into her coat to stop it tangling?
She hates going in the cat carrier but seems to recover fairly quickly after trips to the vet.
How do you all manage with long hair cats?

[Stillyummy]

We have a furminator, removes the loose hair really easily... But I m not shore it will work on existing matts. Have you tryed a razor comb?

[bonzo77]

Cut them out. Use round ended scissors, the ones for babies' nails.

[shaska]

They won't brush out and brushing hurts them. If she'll let you, trim them out as a pp suggested, otherwise vets are often happy to do a quick shave off and then you can start again.

One of mine has chunks shaved off six monthly as she can't deal with any grooming and the vets clippers seem quieter than DHs shaver. Plus if anyone's going to cut her by accident Id rather it was the vet!

[Whatamuddleduck]

Furminator looks good- thank you. Hopefully that will help keep her Matt free once this lots have gone. I'll order one.
I don't dare cut the matts out, that was my first plan but she's a tiny cat (she weighs 4 times what she did when we got her and looks massive but is still mostly fur)and I'm really worried about cutting her by mistake as her coats so ridiculously thick that it's really hard to tell where a mat ends and she starts. The matts are small, all probably less than pea size. I'm wondering whether I can get near her with an electric razor with a guard on it. I suspect she would run off but that would cut the matts without getting her skin caught. Really she needs some kind of thinning out hair cut!

[Whatamuddleduck]

Right- I'll give the vet a ring in the morning. Bless her, I've just woken her up getting into bed and she's doing her best at cleaning herself but its hopeless! The vets lovely so hopefully they may be able to do a quick shave of the worst bits and that might stop her picking up debris. I've ordered a furminator and some detangling lotion so hopefully that will do it in future. It would probably help if she liked straying in like her brother but she really does love running about in the field and getting mucky.

[EnriqueTheRingBearingLizard]

We have a rescue who won't be picked up at all and who got in a real mess with matted fur caused by some kind of sticky sap from the bushes he likes to hide under.

I got him right by trimming with scissors over a long period of time. It worked best late at night, dim light, while he was eating. I could get the odd bit here and there. Took ages and lots of grooming with alternate spikey and soft brushes.

Whatever mess it looks, it does soon grow back.

[Wolfiefan]

Our girl cat is long haired and hated to be groomed. Catnip was our friend! I found I could groom her whilst she wriggled around in a pile of catnip!!
Also worth trying different combs etc. The only ones that didn't upset our girl and worked were combs with wide toothed prongs that were free to rotate as you groomed.