Cat grooming help! Desperate!

[ElizabethMainwaring]

Hello
Please help. My Maine Coon is in a right mess. Loads of mats; hates being groomed.
I know that I've got to be cruel to be kind, but I want it to be as stressless as possible for the pair of us.
She spends a lot of time sitting in puddles in the rain and building nests in long grass which doesn't help matters.
Any tips,advice, recommendations gratefully received.
Thank you!

I have the same problem with one of my cats, and it's a nightmare. She's not a Maine Coon, but she is huge with very long fur and grooming her is impossible. She will allow me to brush her for about 30 seconds, and then she's having none of it. Clearly, that little bit of brushing accomplishes nothing.

The mats in an animals fur can cause a lot of problems and even rip their skin, so it has to be dealt with. We have to take our cat to the vet to be sedated and shaved every 6-8 months or so. It's the only way to manage it.

I know it isn't exactly the advice you were looking for but could you see if there is a cat groomer open near you? My old cat found it much less stressful than me trying to groom her myself (she was long haired).
If not, get some pet detangling spray like this, and spray it all over before brushing. It makes it much easier to get the knots out and so brushing and grooming takes less time.

I know it isn't exactly the advice you were looking for but could you see if there is a cat groomer open near you? My old cat found it much less stressful than me trying to groom her myself (she was long haired).

We tried using a car groomer 3 times and it was a failure each time. She is the sweetest cat normally, but she goes ballistic when anyone tries to groom her, and due to her size and strength, it is impossible to hold her down without risking injury either to her or the humans involved.

*cat groomer, not car

No cat groomers are working it seems.
There is evidence that cats carry covid 19.
I phoned the groomers that is attached to a vet and they are only starting in dogs on Monday.
I will ring my vets and approach it as a medical issue.
I'll let you know how I get on.
Thank you so much for your replies.

Apparently it's due to social distancing too.
Cats need people to work closely together to groom them so it isn't possible.

@Aquamarine1029
When was the last time you had your cat shaved at the vets, and when is her next appointment? Just wandering if it's happening at the moment. Thank you.

The last time she was shaved was back in December, and it's getting near the time to have it done again. Hopefully we can go another month or two. My husband was able to brush her for about 2 minutes yesterday, which is a miracle, but it doesn't come close to what's needed to prevent those awful mats.

Which grooming tool are you using?.

Same problem here OP with my elderly feral, she has huge bear paws and her claws are so long she can no longer retract them, her fur is a mess. I ordered about £30 woth of grooming products off Aamazon and spend each day doing a little bit of her - one claw a day cos any more and she bites and kicks, a little bit of fur cutting with scissors and combing but she is grumpy with age and quick to bite and scratch.
I cannot wait until the vets are up and running again, she takes 2 people to do and a cat mask like Hannibal Lecter I can't manage alone.
I've begged the vet to help but they won't.

I'd just cut the mats out with scissors OP, that's what I do, carefully not too close to the skin. It looks like mange but it's better than painful mats, beard trimmers are good too for the ones you can't cut. Little and often.
We'll both look god awful when we get back to the hairdresser/groomers but needs must.

I'm afraid I take a very tough stand on this

I've got 1 longhaired girl, similar to a Maine Coon and she's combed everyday. At the moment she's got a few knots on her back, not sure how this has happened. I comb her everyday, wherever she happens to be lying, then I give her a few treats after. The combing doesn't even last a minute, but it helps to keep her pretty matt-free.

My shorthaired lad had loads of dirty, heavy matts, from being an old stray, and I combed him everyday, when he was eating his dinner, just a little bit, until I got all of them out. The vet said he'd probably need to be shaved, but I knew that I could eliminate them just from combing them out. I did cut a few off, and that helped.

Good luck.

Some groomers are working. Mine is and a few others are.

Hello again.
Thanks everyone. Interesting that some groomers are working. I'll keep searching.
In the meantime Im sort of teasing out the mats with my fingers.
Ive got two mat splitter thingies coming from Amazon today.
What is the best way to keep her 'restrained' while I attempt to groom her?
She is a terrible drama queen and attacks me and runs off for even the smallest slight.
Thank you again

Oh, and DH is here to assist.

I've also got the best Wahl animal clipper that money can buy.
All the gear and no idea...

I agree the only way, once you have had the cat shaved, is to groom a bit every day while they are eating. That's what I do with our cat who has really thick fur that sheds everywhere. The more you do it (little an often) the more they learn to accept it.

Could dh feed her her favourite treat while you do it?.

Our cat liked his zoom groom and those grooming gloves look good.

Dreamies are your friend!!

I have a furminator (amazing grooming tool) and put a line of frenzies, spread out on the floor.

As the cat is eating and moving along, I hover over her and brush. She doesn't like it and by the end of the dreamies she is definitely wriggling, but the treats keep her at least in the vicinity. A couple of times a week is necessary.

Thank you.
I'll try the line of dreamies idea.
I'd forgotten that I have a furminator.
I'll give that a go too.
It doesn't help that I rarely see her. She's either nesting in the field when it's sunny, or sitting in s puddle under a table on the garden if it's raining.
She's a very odd cat (aren't they all).

I took my boy to be shaved a few months back and the groomer recommended coconut oil worked into the mats to split them easier, and a brush like this
www.amazon.co.uk/Ancol-Ergo-Cat-Moulting-Comb/dp/B003Z7WX14?tag=mumsnetforu03-21
which I've found really useful. Also a tangle teezer may be a less forceful start and get them used to being brushed? Good luck!

Oh thank you!
The coconut oil and tangle teezer are great ideas. And I'll have a look at your link.

I've got that comb!
I told you that I had all the gear and no idea.
Now Ive just got to find the cat and coax her into submission!

Did you survive the attempt?! also a bit of a tip if you only have time for a quick go at any matts, try and trim with scissors straight down the middle of them to basically cut it in half, you may find that helps puss tackle it better themselves

Hello again.
Not really had the chance yet as I hardly ever see the creature.
It's been absolutely throwing it down today and she has spent the day luxuriating under the picnic table in the garden. She loves the rain.
When she does finally come in she will look like stig of the dump.