Removing Cat Mats in the Fur?

Discussion in 'Health & Nutrition' started by Alli, Mar 9, 2012.

  1. Alli

    Alli Well-Known Member

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    What's the best way to remove mats in a cats fur- my parents' outdoor cat has really bad mats and I want to help her. Mine have always been pretty mat-free so I'm not sure if I should get some clippers or just try to cut the mats out or what.
     
    Alli, Mar 9, 2012
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  2. Alli

    SheWolfSilver Well-Known Member

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    It would depend on how bad the mats are. If there is just a few I could try to cut them out with scissors. If it is more wide spread I would use clippers. That is just my opinion of course my cats have never had mats so I'm just telling what I would do.
     
    SheWolfSilver, Mar 9, 2012
    #2
  3. Alli

    steph84 Well-Known Member

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    steph84, Mar 9, 2012
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  4. Alli

    magickat Well-Known Member

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    I've heard of just cutting them out if there aren't too many, but that Furminator brush looks like it could well be worth checking out.
     
    magickat, Mar 9, 2012
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  5. Alli

    Victor Leigh Well-Known Member

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    Worst case, the cats will have to take a lion cut:
    [​IMG]
     
    Victor Leigh, Mar 10, 2012
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  6. Alli

    Alli Well-Known Member

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    Haha...the Lion cut is so cute but the cat is probably embarassed! I think my parent's cat would not appreciate that look! I guess it would be better than uncomfortable mats though.
     
    Alli, Mar 11, 2012
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  7. Alli

    Victor Leigh Well-Known Member

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    Not sure how a cat would feel about a Lion Cut because I haven't had the chance to give any of my cats a Lion Cut. However I did give one of my Shih Tzu mixed breed a Lion Cut. She was relieved to be free of all the extra hair.
     
    Victor Leigh, Mar 11, 2012
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  8. Alli

    Chloe Member

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    I'd go with clippers; I have a cat that gets mats every now and then and clippers make short work of them (they're Wahl...something. Can't remember the model, but it's not very fancy).

    Clippers are a bit safer that scissors if the cat is excitable, too. Much less likely to injure with a random poke, but much more likely to add a random bald spot :)
     
    Chloe, Mar 12, 2012
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  9. Alli

    wils172 Active Member

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    This is great lol.. I may try this on my fat cat.. his whole buddy is matted
     
    wils172, Mar 13, 2012
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  10. Alli

    Victor Leigh Well-Known Member

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    If your cat is really fat, then you might not end up with a Lion Cut. Maybe something more like a Hippo Cut. Be careful when giving your cat a close cut. Don't knick the cat. Otherwise it would not let you come near it with clippers in the future.
     
    Victor Leigh, Mar 13, 2012
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  11. Alli

    steph84 Well-Known Member

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    I just got done brushing my long haired cat and wish I read these tips beforehand:

    http://www.pet-expo.com/trivia/cats-catgroom.htm

    I found 3 areas with matting so I guess I'm going to have to groom him a whole lot more than I thought.
     
    steph84, Mar 14, 2012
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  12. Alli

    Victor Leigh Well-Known Member

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    Three areas? Are those big areas? If they are, then the simplest and most effective solution is to start all over again. Yes, a Lion Cut. If you do it right, you may get something like this:

    [​IMG]
     
    Victor Leigh, Mar 14, 2012
    #12
  13. Alli

    Afishy1 Member

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    It is best to just use a small animal comb to try and gently tease them out. If they are really bad though it would be in your best interest to get the animal clipped. This is an option that a lot of owners of long haired cats take. I see that some others posted pictures of how cute the cat could look with a lions cut. :) Best of luck to you.
     
    Afishy1, Mar 29, 2012
    #13
  14. Alli

    Jessi Well-Known Member

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    Victor, those pictures remind me of this:

    [​IMG]

    Haha!
     
    Jessi, Mar 30, 2012
    #14
  15. Alli

    Victor Leigh Well-Known Member

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    Thanks, Jessi. I am kind of like a connoisseur of cat pictures but I haven't come across this one yet. Did you notice that there seems to be more funny cat pictures than funny dog pictures? Like there's LOLcats but no LOLdogs.
     
    Victor Leigh, Mar 31, 2012
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  16. Alli

    Jessi Well-Known Member

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    Actually there is!

    http://dogs.icanhascheezburger.com/

    But yes, there are way more cats. Cats rule the internet. I don't know what kind of tv shows you have access to where you are, but I highly recommend watching the very latest Southpark episode as they poke fun at how cats have become so intelligent that they've taken over the internet, memes, etc.
     
    Jessi, Mar 31, 2012
    #16
  17. Alli

    Victor Leigh Well-Known Member

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    Where I am living right now, I get direct satellite transmission from Thaicom. So I only get Thai tv. And I am in Malaysia about 500 km from the Thai border.

    As for cats taking over the world, it has already happened. A long time ago. You can see what's actually going on if you watch the movie "Cats and Dogs".
     
    Victor Leigh, Apr 1, 2012
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  18. Alli

    btatro Well-Known Member

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    We used to have an indoor/outdoor cat. She got lots of brushing, but would still end up with mats so bad we would just cut them out with a scissors. Quick and painless.
     
    btatro, Apr 3, 2012
    #18
  19. Alli

    Jenny Heart Well-Known Member

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    Most stores that sell pet food have special combs, that'll help take off the worst of mats. They cost around $30.00, but it's worth it. These special combs takes all the matted hair out, and disposes of it quickly. Once, I did have to take my one cat to the vet and have him take the mats off for me. I must have let it go for too long, and no clippers was working. Now, He he gets brushed on a regular basis, and cat and family are happy again.
     
    Jenny Heart, Apr 6, 2012
    #19
  20. Alli

    Victor Leigh Well-Known Member

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    30usd? That must be a comb made of very good quality material. The ones that I have bought are made of stainless steel and they cost about 3.50usd each.
     
    Victor Leigh, Apr 8, 2012
    #20
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