Matted furry cats

[MaudesMum]

Inspired by the other thread, I wanted some advice from others who have cats that get matted. My grumpy furry cat has never allowed me to groom her since I got her as an adult. Until recently she's managed to groom herself which led to a lot of hairballs, but now she's getting a bit arthritic and the mats are building up. She's had a couple of spectacular ones that have ended up like dreadlocks, and I know that can't be comfortable for her. A bit of googling indicates there's a technique whereby you get (olive) oil to the bit between the mat and the skin which then loosens it up so it drops off. I've tried this a couple of times, but it isn't easy, even with a syringe as she shys away from it, but I'd be keen to persevere if it actually works. Has anyone tried this, and ended up with anything better than an oily cross cat??

Get a professional groomer to do it or get the nurses at your vets to shave the knots off.

A quick demat by a veterinary nurse is the best way I’ve ever found. They get it done very quickly and painlessly and it’s far less traumatic for the cat.

The last time I took her to the vet, she was so aggressive that the vet wouldn't even try to touch her, so I'm not sure if they'd be able to de-mat her without sedation!

I acquired a 'semi feral' cat a few years ago that was 'impossible to groom'. Six months later she was a sleek happy lap cat.

My top tips: really put the effort in to getting your cat used to being brushed. With Zozo, I only brushed her jawline at first, 2-3 times a day for 1-3 minutes (start small, build up. Once she was enjoying that (most cats do) I would brush 10 times jaw, once lightly on her back, 10 times jaw, etc etc. Building up very very gradually so she got used to the brush being used all over her body, but always always starting and finishing with a good long jaw session! Once she was used to being groomed, I used nail scissors to cut through the middle of the knot (NOT underneath it! Too risky) Once the knot is cut through, almost all of them brush put really easily.

I have a grumpy fluffy cat. Loves being brushed on the head, back and chin/throat, but all underparts are sacred locations never to be sullied by the hand of human. An improvement upon when I adopted her, as merely looking at her elicited fury, rage and a desire to rip both my eyes out but she failed due to the thick fur between her toes covering her claws.

The only cure was becoming the most hated person in the world. I turned her into a cat burrito (purrito) and gave her arse end a short back and sides to the sweet sound of her growling getting progressively higher and higher in pitch until I assume it exceeded the range of human hearing.

She forgave me about a day later.

The vets will sedate for a demat if they need to. Otherwise the cat is likely to end up biting through and ripping the matted knots, which can then cause an infection on the skin.

I really have tried with the stroking/brushing - she loves head and throat and if I get her in a good mood I can extend down her back, and start to tease some of the (pre-mat) tangles out. But she has an excellent memory (a polite way of saying she bears grudges), and since I've spent time recently trying to get mats out, she's become quite wary. I'll start again, more slowly, and see whether combining it with a regular dreamie snack helps. I would like to avoid the vet if possible, as getting her there is pretty traumatic for both of us. But thank you all for your advice!

Give her dome zylkene for a few days then try, it will relax her and make it less stressful.

One of mine got a couple of dreadlock mats - but he is super sensitive and so I wanted to avoid a trip to the vet unless 100% necessary

I put some pate style cat food on the kitchen cupboard at his height to distract and while he stood there licking it I used an eyebrow safety razor and got them off little by little. A tiny bit every day for a month being extremely careful. Now he lets me brush him properly

I have spent the last few days gradually de-matting my very fluffy Persian. She now looks dreadful but seems much happier. When she’s lying down I gently stroke her then take nail scissors to each mat a bit at a time. I ended up chopping about half her fur off, but after a week I’ve got most of them. Despite much hissing and scratching initially, she always forgives me and let’s me have another go.