Cat groomers

[anythinginapinch]

I have had what I'd describe as two awful cat groomers. It may be that I'm too soft hearted, but each one has held cat down (ragdoll) and with a huge wide toothed steel comb just yanked (they'd say "pulled" or "combed") the matts off, behind her ears, between legs, belly.

They say it's dead hair, doesn't hurt her. She seems ok, mixed signals really - purring but scared looking.

I've also been told most absolutely by one, that she gets matts not because I don't groom her but because I feed her the wrong food. Can this be possible? She eats purina. This same woman said I shouldn't groom her anyway because cats in the wild don't get groomed and don't get matted fur.

Cat tax paid in full cos I kno the rulz
So what is your expert view? I don't know what I think and want to do right thing for cat.

My long haired cat gets bad matts so I've started getting him clipped into a Teddy cut so he doesnt get them any more as he hates being brushed/combed. Domestic cats have likely been bred to have stupid long hair that most cats in the wild wouldn't have. If you don't get rid of matting it can end up constricting the skin and causing pain.

You need to groom them at home regularly . We had a Ragdoll and he never got matted , my mum used to do 5/10 minutes a day .

My cat has an undercoat like candyfloss and it matts so easily. It is also incredibly thick and dense. He doesn't tolerate brushing by me for more than a minute or two so for us it makes sense to keep it shorter.

Of course he is not the type of cat who could live happily in the wild without getting matted. I think most cats would prefer their owner to gently groom/remove mats daily than have a stranger come round to remove big mats less often.

Your cat needs to be groomed everyday if possible.

Matts will be incredibly painful - they can cause bruising to the skin and can even restrict their movement if they get too bad.

Are you brushing her at all?

Yes she gets brushed most days but doubles in size in the winter through sheer fluff, so I suspect I'm only tickling the surface as it were.
What's the best tool? To avoid matts.

Full disclosure I have no experience of grooming long haired cats but yanking a comb through sounds hideous, it certainly hurts humans, and if as posters are saying, matted hair can pull the skin and be painful, surely yanking mats out would also hurt?
Would it be worth asking a vet's opinion on whether cats would feel pain from being treated like this?
Or, given your cat looks like a pedigree, is there anyone the breeder would recommend as a groomer or the right product to use to groom her? (Maybe also ask vet ?)
Also regarding the groomer saying 'cats in the wild' don't get matts: sorry but they really sound like they don't know anything about cats and for that reason alone worth avoiding!
Anyway your cat is bloody gorgeous!😻

We have a long haired cat, our previous cats had been short haired and when we had her from the cat rescue we were told she would look after her own coat - we didnt need to do anything 😳. Within a short period she had big matted areas on either hip. She had to be sedated for the vet to shave her. She hated being brushed and was quite aggressive generally and didn't like being stroked even. But we've had her 3 years now and every evening she comes and waits to be brushed. Sometimes only a minute or two but we keep on top of the problems and has not needed shaving since. Occasionally we cut a small matted lump out to avoid stressing out with too much brushing

I used to groom my long haired Persians a couple of times a week. And a professional groom every couple of months. Mine did have very easy coats though. I think you need to find a new groomer. I had a really good mobile one, but she stopped travelling as far as me. So had to get one that insisted on bathing them. I wasn't overly keen. But she was the only one in the area! My friend uses a really good groomer for his cats. If you are in the Merseyside area op.

Also: cats can purr to self-soothe if in pain or frightened so you may not be getting a mixed message after all (edited for spelling mistake)

We've got 2 Maine coons, they were meant to live in the wild I always wonder how as if we don't groom them they end up with huge mats. Believe me when I pull a mat too much they let me know so it does hurt. I trim mats out now rather then try to comb them out less stressful for us both

The best tool for mats really is a comb. I use a double-ended comb, one end has fine plastic teeth for daily loose fur removal, the other end is a wide-tooth metal comb for getting through mats. I use the plastic end daily and the metal end weekly.

Matts can be painful as well as causing skin irritation due to bacteria in the fur. My girl is much more tolerant of me grooming her when she’s asleep. My vet said that even a few swipes with the brush is better than nothing. Also, your cat is gorgeous!

She's absolutely gorgeous!
I'm no expert, but the advice from the groomer about cats living in the wild is a bit strange. Her fur is very different from wild cats' fur. Also, yanking the matts off sounds painful.

This is the tool I use on my long haired cat. It has a bladed edge inside the curve, so it cuts the mats but not the cat. We find it really good. Also use the comb after the mats have been removed

That tool looks suspiciously like the rake I use on my horses mane.

My cat hates that tool BTW
I can sometimes get a comb through him. I tease matts apart with my fingers and snip them out too with small round edges scissors

On my long haired cat I simply use a detangle spray under front legs and across his tummy where he sometimes get a Matt. He's brushed everyday for 3-5 mins and he mostly enjoys it because I've done it every day since he was a tiny kitten so for him it's just normal. He purrs when I do it. If I very occasionally notice a stubborn Matt I simply trim it out, never pull on his fur. 😻

I have three Maine coons. I brush them most days although sometimes they don't want it - they have to be in the right mood.

It's been raining and it's winter so they have a lot of fluff.

Never heard that about food. Mine are on purina and they def get mats.

This all suggests on balance the groomers were as cruddy as I'd felt. I will get that comb thing, and increase grooming to daily. She's certainly happier now the mats have gone! And purina is staying:)