Cat doesn't groom himself very well

[PeanutPatty]

As he is hardly ever around or at home I very rarely see him. He usually cruises the neighbours and I see him across the street trotting from house to house.

Today he decided to bless us with his presence and I found a number of knots. Tried to brush out but they are stubborn. What's best method? Keep him in and brush everyday til they are gone?

Have you got a furminator brush? They are brilliant.

How easy is he to groom?

If you break knots up with your fingers they are easier to remove.

I do have a furminator! He will tolerate a bit but then gets very grumpy.

Had a closer inspection and he seems covered from his neck down to his tail.

I can see that this is going to be a looong process.

I can def try and break up with my fingers. My neighbours are going to think he is abandoned based on the state of him!

One of my cats is the same. She's a long haired moggy and ends up with clumps despite getting brushed. We took her to the vets recently and they used their electric shaver to get rid of the worst offenders on her belly. Since then she has got loads on her side which I am trying to brush out when she'll let me.

Bought an electric pet shaver from amazing which we have had some success with but the noise puts her off abit. Wish you could go to grooming places like you can with dogs!

His fur is really dense which makes brushing difficult plus I should imagine that the matts must smart a touch when brushed. I will see how we go with brushing and if its a no go then we will have to go to the vets. I'm already dreading the vet visit as I'm worried they will think we are rubbish owners.

Goodness. Vets are thoroughly used to cats with fur problems. They'll think you're a caring owner for bringing him in - not a rubbish one.

We've got an 18-year old Maine Coon female that has never liked grooming - whether it's doing it herself or us doing it. She has been shaved under anaesthetic several times, but is now too old for that.

We have a dog grooming place that will do her - and she needs a trip there at the moment. It's worth ringing around, as some dog places will also do cats.

Last time, she swore like a trooper, hissed, spat, and then when I was distracted by writing out the cheque to pay, she grabbed my wrist in what's left of her teeth just to remind me that she's the boss.

Might try and take the feliway with me next time......

One of mine I manage with lots of stroking. Sheds like crazy.

my 22 year old showed me how to do this but it really works. We have a 'mid hair' cat who, as a result of a hole in the heart, is very lazy (we approve, it's why she is still here) she has a lot of knots and we tried the furminator and brushes but never really got on top of the knots (unless she went to the vet and got shaved - pretty drastic) Then my eldest just worked out how to do it.

You need to stroke a bit then take a knot and gently tease it apart by pulling it sideways. After you have done this the knot will be a lot easier to pull out. It is kind of an art involving lots of stroking and scratching and talking but she will tolerate it for a knot or two before getting fed up and swiping. if you just keep it up every few days the knottiness really reduces.

Fat Cat has slowly got more & more used to stroking. The more I touch him the more he tolerates it. He's a psycho-kitty who will scratch for no good reason but I am getting better & better at picking bits out.

He's sat here now on the other sofa and I'm tempted to have another stroke and remove what hair I can before he screams and attacks me. He's an old old old boy too so I think the vets may not put him under.

Thanks for all your advice and support. Since discovering his shabby coat yesterday I've been feeling rubbish and guilty.