Clipping cats’ fur for beginners

[ThierryEnnui]

My older two are long haired and with age, getting less effective at keeping themselves free of matting. I’d like to buy a pair of clippers to use at home, but have no idea where to start or if it’s too ambitious a thought.

do any of you clip your cats’ fur and if so, can you recommend clippers? Did it take a lot of practice to get right?

Mine’s a shorthair but I can’t for one minute imagine him tolerating this, let alone what he’d look like!

I've only had one longhaired cat. I used to brush his fur regularly to avoid matting and give him a hygiene cut as well. Every now & then he'd get a matt and I just used to get hold of it and separate it. You can get dematting combs, but I'm not sure about clipping a cat. Maybe your vet can offer some help.

I don't think clipping is really recommended for cats unless they have specific health needs.

If they're already matted then clipping is okay out of necessity, but it should only be done by a professional otherwise you could easily clip the skin and hurt them or give them an infection.

I would speak to the vet about it and make sure they're brushed daily once you've gotten rid of the current matts.

I agree with coffee. We had an elderly long haired cat. Brushed her twice daily and used a furminator to thin the coat.

I have a set to do Magics tummy and trousers in between professional grooms. But she is very placid, so it's easy!

I use thinning scissors for tidy ups round the face and any knots as they are less likely to cut her.

Despite regularly brushing our cat she frequently has matts. We bought a pair of pet specific clippers from Amazon and clip matts out. Normal they’re just small but they end up so close to her skin and scissors are too risky and would cut her skin. I wouldn’t say she loves it but I hold her and my husband gets the Matt. She gets a couple of dreamies afterwards. I think she now realises the clippers stop the pulling of fur (and pain) and she just lets us get on with it.

Meant to say, she once had to go to the vets for clipping which she hated and needed to be anaesthetised so I think this was a better option for us