I've posted before on how my cat is constantly bringing in dead slugs matted into his fur. He currently has one under his chin, a massive lump on his side and one underneath very close to his penis. He used to be a lot better at grooming himself but doesnt' seem to bother so much now.

Fine teeth combs don't work. I'm reluctant to try scissors because it's easy to nick the skin. The trouble is that he doesn't want to let me stroke him now because nearly every time he comes in I am trying to get them off him. Do these lumps grow out eventually or are they going to get worse? The on on his side is several inches across now. I've only ever had short haired cats in the past. Trust me to adopt a long hair who likes to go out and get mucky lol.

It tends to just get worse, more so in the coming months when they start moulting. They can be painful too when the matts become quite tight.

We've finally given in with our very uncooperative long haired cat and booked him into the vet on Wednesday to get sedated and shaved. (£70!) He's going to look ridiculous, but at least he won't have the matts tugging at his skin any more. I hope after that we can gradually get him used to being groomed and stop it happening again. (he's an ex-stray and was in this state when we found him)

I personally would not leave it and I would persevere with getting the mats out somehow - even if it means getting the cat to the vet as has already been suggested.

I agree with what the others have said ~ it's not an option to leave the matts as they can get tighter & tighter & cause the cat pain by pulling at its skin. Plus all sorts of muck can get caught in the matted fur & could cause infection.

If your cat won't let you groom it or cut the matts out, then your only option may be to get them removed under sedation at the vets. BUT most vets are reluctant to keep sedating cats for matted fur because of the risks associated with sedatives & anaesthetics.

Your cat really needs to undergo a desensitisation programme to allow you to groom & handle him. Can your vet help with this? Is there a qualified feline behaviourist in your area that could help?

In the meantime, & to avoid the situation getting worse, you'd be better to avoid any handling or grooming attempts that cause your cat to show aggression towards you or to run away. In preparation for a desensitisation programme you need to build up trust with your cat by avoiding anything that causes him pain so that you become the "bringer of all things good" & he learns that everytime you approach him something nice happens, e.g. tasty treat, cat greeting chirrups, game with a toy etc.

If you are still stuck please PM me & I'll try to help.

A friend of ours had a very reluctant to be groomed long hair she eventually found a groomer who was a wonder. Now Suki (the cat) can be groomed by anyone she really loves it. Perhaps try and find a groomer who can help you.

One of my long haired cats hates being groomed. As such, she gets very knotty.

I used to take her to the vets to be shaved, but now i cut them out - one by one.

I have bought a lovely paid of short hairdressing scissors from Boots, and i literally put her on my lap upstairs (peace and quiet and away from the dogs) and cut them off. I find if i snip the heads off, they unravel enough to allow you to cut them off.

Its takes patience and about a month ... but you get there in the end.

I certainly wouldn't leave them. Their skin gets caught up in the knot, and it makes it painful when they move.

As long as you feel for the 'skin margin' before you snip, you should be OK. Just a bit each day on a bad one and it comes out. We bought a dog grooming wire brush, just from Tescos I think, which ours (3 legged Harley) loves. As long as you alternate between brushing the side of his head and cheeks, with a quick brush elsewhere, he will tolerate it for a bit although he does look suspiciously when we approach wielding the scissors and brush.

Ours got the sedation and shaving treatment yesterday. The sedation didn't work, he was still far too wild, so he ended up getting a general anaesthetic too.

He looks so funny now bless him, he's completely bald on the stomach, half way up his sides and behind his ears. And they just cut and groomed the rest out.

The vet recommended we get a 'zoom groom'. Apparently they make grooming less stressful for cats because it feels more like you're just stroking them. I'll let you know how we get on with it once it arrives. Unfortunately Arwyn's not madly keen on being stroked either, but even if we can give him a few short brushes a day with it we should hopefully prevent him getting in such a state again.

i have one of these its excellent

http://www.furminator.com/

If Layla gets a matt I use the dogs' stripping comb and blades on her.

I cut the worst off with scissors if it is a bad matt - I have to have OH or mum hold her. Then I use the stripping comb - sort of six hooked blades. It takes the under coat out as well, which isn't good but sometimes necessary. It cuts through the matt making it easier to remove with the stripping blades or stripping brush.

I also use clippers - I give her a 'sanitary cut' - basically clip off the fur that could matt around her behind.

Murphy dog, my Glen, gets matts a lot these days - probably age related, his fur just seems to matt easily now. Clippers is the easiest way to deal with them. But daily grooming means the matts never get too big.

What about children's scissors? They should be enough for cat hair but less likely to get the skin if you're worried.

Unfortunately they arent strong enough - the best ones we have found (can just see you all cringing!) are the blue ones from Ikea! I think they are kitchen scissors, but they arent sharp at the points plus they are strong enough to cut without pulling.

I have a swiss teddy guinea pig and his fur is horrible.

It's supposed to grow in a fluff around him but it just doesn't, so about every two weeks I just get a pair of scissors and clip all the fur until he looks like a normal short haired guinea pig.

He doesn't particularly like it but he doesn't really bother and he's much more active when he hasn't got this horrible fuzz of fur around his face and bum!

One of my cat's Darcey as soon as I hold up the grooming combe or brush she comes rushing over meowing her head off she just loves it, when I brush her sister Sophie who doesn't rush over, rushing is beneath her, Darcey will come and sit beside me for her turn.

piper

Well I spent £14 on a de matter from the pet shop which didn't work at all. It's really not possible to hold a cat, hold the matt and cut it without enlisting the help of another person. In the end I had to resort to the scissors and fortunately after a couple of attempts this has got rid of the worst of them. He certainly seems a lot more content now so they must have been irritating him.

Thats good

About the holding a cat - tell me about it Layla loves being groomed. I can't get the brush out without her coming for a groom. But matts? No chance - two person job.

Luckily my cat has got used to me grabbing her daily. She just lies across my lap. Only for a few minutes, but its enough to get a few knots out.

I think she knows im doing it for her own good as she isnt a lap cat and doesnt like being petted.

Its strange how her personality changes after a few weeks of 'de knotting'. She becomes friendlier, and over the last weeks she has come into the lounge for a tickle at night - which is unheard of normally.

Hi everyone, I am a new poster and have been waiting for my registration to come through. I just wanted to say that Zoomgroom brushes are brilliant. Every cat I know loves being brushed with one and they remove a lot of loose hair, really helping cut down on furballs.
It would probably not remove the matted fur that was the OP problem, vet might be best in this instance, but if used daily after the mats have been removed, it would get your cat used to being groomed. They cost about £6 and are made by the people who make the Kong dog toys. Worth every penny IMO.

I also use a zoomgroom on my dogs & cats & it's great at removing hair & dust from the cats when they've had a dust bath! I'm not sure if it would pull the fur on long-haired cats as it's made of rubber. Perhaps I should give it a wash & try it on my own hair to see how much it hurts!!

No you shouldn't leave matted fur. It will get worse over time, effect the skin and eventually can cause infection. The best thing to do is to cut the mats out and make sure you groom your cat(s) everyday all over. This not only stops mats happening (because cats don't feel the need to groom as much if you do it for them therefore preventing knots caused by them licking) but it also gets rid of dirt and dead hair

I had a session on my girl last night. She isnt too bad now as i tend to grab her daily. Her knots appear over winter, when the central heating is on.

I removed a massive lump of fur, so she is now bald on one side But oooooohhhh, the freedom. She looked so much happier once it has been removed. I just have a couple of smaller knots on her 'undercarriage' to remove now.

I notice too how dandruffy the skin is when you remove a lump of fur. Her skin must have been really uncomfy, but she can get to it now to have a little lick.

yes it was the same on mine porcupine. very dry and flaky. in fact some of the fur underneath had turned white. He's usually black all over.

Did my cat this morning. It's such a quick and easy painless process now I can almost get her to lie still while I cut her fur. It used to be an ugly drama, but I think she knows what I'm doing and tolerates it now. Bless her little furry feet.