Matted Cat

[Skitz]

Ok start from the begining ...I was asked to look after a Maine coon for a couple of weeks whilst his owner moved house, I agreed as he;s a lovely cat well 2 months later and the owner has disappeared so it looks like I'm stuck with him ....No problem as he is a beauty !! with a gorgeous name Aslan :)

My issue is this poor cat has matts on his back legs and chest and if I even go near him with a brush I come away scarred!! He hates the brush ! I have also got a Matt splitter and he hates that too !!

Any advice before I give in and get him shaved at the vets?? I can't really afford it but he needs sorting as I'm sure they can't be comfortable for him :( .....This is why I've always stuck to moggys with short hair !!


Here is the lovely Aslan

http://i53.tinypic.com/2dw4wo7.png

[angieh]

I understand the problem - just look at the fur on that boy! He is such a beauty. I have never had long-haired cats for the very same reason. Probably Aslan was never groomed as a kitten and is not used to it. If you have some blunt ended scissors, could you try cutting out the matted areas yourself? They will certainly be pulling and causing this lovely cat discomfort.

[dandysmom]

I've never had a longhair either for precisely that reason; my childhood cat was a semi longhair, and de-matting him was a problem; as I recall my Mom, a retired RN, used bandage scissors ... blunt tips and a funny shape. Are there any professional groomers in your area? That would probably be pricy....

Poor guy, those mats must be so uncomfortable.... goood luck!

[Velvet]

Possibly the best idea is to let vet do it this time & once sorted then start a daily groom session. A stroke of the brush & foodie treat, another stroke & treat & so on, little steps. Ask your vet to show you how its done. Ours hate it too but i still do it. Tim (& Mindy i think) have looser silky coats that need attention. Amber has the typical thick cat coat. You need to get it under comtrol esp round the back end as sometimes long haired pets can get messy round their
bottoms :(

[Shelley123]

Aslan is gorgeous and what a great name.
You could try doing very short grooming sessions to get him used to it.
I managed to cut very carefuly around Jerry's matts with nail scissors, just a bit at a time, i also managed to sort of pull them apart a bit which made it easier to cut. I have a friend who has also used a stitch cutter tool, again with great caution.
As Velvet has said you may need to get him done at the vets and then keep on top of it.