Long haired cat owners: I NEED SOME ADVICE!!!!

[CatWoman]

Female is Turkish Angora. She has a huge plumed tail, and lots of fur on her rear end.

The other day I was petting her, and noticed a lot of matting on her backside.

I guess when she goes to the "box", litter gets impacted back there.

Today I bought some clippers.

Help me perform this operation!!!!

Any and all advice (except smart ass comments from the likes of DrWeird, Fenris and Namenotneeded) is appreciated :D

[flamingyouth]

1. Actually, believe it or not, Fenris is your go-to guy here

He really cleaned up Papa (looks similar to Female - same ruff and everything...) when he was visiting last month. :D

I have taken my cats to the groomer before for a bath and a shave when they get messy like that.

[CatWoman]

4. How is Papa?

He's so purty :D

:hi:

[flamingyouth]

15. Papa got beat up by Gus, the evil cat next door

He had his nose scratched and part of a claw stuck in his head. :( He seems better now, but still...

I guess he's just a lover, not a fighter. :D :hi:

[CatWoman]

16. you really need to keep him in the house

I don't let any of my brood out.

[flamingyouth]

18. It's easier said than done with him

He's like a juvenile delinquent - climbing out windows even. It's crazy. Plus, I've had someone working in my house for the past few weeks, and he keeps sneaking out with him. Short of locking him in the bathroom, there's not much I can do.

Fortunately, the others are terrified of the outdoors. Papa still has some tomcat in him, I'm afraid.

[Kahuna]

2. Ugh. My mother has the same problem with her cat...

Good luck. My mother's cat doesn't like to be touch on his clumps. So it's hard to maintain him and get him clump free.

[Lauri16]

3. We have along haired cat with the same problem

My best advice is take her to the Vet & let them do it. As soon as we turned the clippers on, he was outta there! The Vet took care of it in 5 minutes and it only cost 25 bucks.

Granted, our long haired cat is male and there's alot more to damage down there! :)

[chillynurse]

5. I have been there to

I have a long hair cat also. When this problems comes up, I put her in her basket and take her to the groomers right away.

[Maddy McCall]

6. CW, just out of curiosity, what kind of clippers did you buy?

I'm in the market. I have some el-cheapo Wahls that SUCK. I want some Andises or some Osters.

How much'd they run ya? I'm not ready to shuck out $100+ for professional clippers.

[CatWoman]

8. It's a Sunbeam 14 pc with instructional video

cost 16 bucks.

[Maddy McCall]

31. Please let me know how they work.

I'll have to go pick some up, if you say they work well.

:-)

[CatWoman]

39. will most certainly do!!!

[gristy]

7. I occassionally have a groomer trim the long hair on my cat's back legs

She can get kind of, ahem, messy back there... But I do brush her every other day, which really cuts down on the matting, and the trims are needed only every 6 months or so.

[MADem]

34. If you comb them out every few days

...you can usually avoid this problem. After a trip to the groomer, get into a routine where you comb out the cat with a wide toothed comb. The cat will like it, usually, once he or she gets used to the routine.

[tnlefty]

9. I have no advice....just wishing you LOTS OF LUCK!

I've had cats that required long, thick gloves just to give a pill to and these cats were very sweet natured until it came to pill time. Let me know how it goes. I have a long haired tom who doesn't like to be brushed and I can't imagine going after him with clippers. Have you tried scissors first. I can sometimes get more accomplished with scissors in short sessions 'cause no feline here likes the noise of any gadget.

[CatWoman]

10. I've tried scissors

but this one clump is huge, and I didn't want to cut her skin trying to get it out.

[tnlefty]

12. Well then, uh, uh GOOD LUCK

I hope it goes well.

[barb162]

37. My long hair gets those and you have to work from the outside

edges very carefully while holding the comb as close to the skin as possible. ANd/or work from the top down of the clump, whichever is easier (haha). Sometimes I have to work several minutes on one clump. He is an old cat who doesn't like combing anymore so once every few weeks he gets his clumps clipped out. He looks like hell but I don't care anymore than he'd care if I look like hell. He also gets matting beterrn his back legs and stomach and I do those too. WHen he starts crying I stop and start again the next day. It is so important for them to not be traumatized.

[Bitter Betty]

11. Try scissors

Get the cat on your lap & pet her to calm her down (hide the scissors under a pillow or something because she will know you are up to something "evil"). Then try to get her on her belly & take little snips. If you don't get it all at once, try again later. I have a long-haired cat & all the books say brushing once a week is fine, but she seems to need daily brushings. Good luck!

[sleepyhead]

14. No scissors unless you have very steady hands.

We see scissors "accidents" all the time and usually end up having to suture them up. The worst was a guy who with the best intentions ended up cutting his cat's tail off! Best to use a good set of clippers and go slowly. Wahl makes a nice cordless clipper that is nearly silent - doesn't freak cats out as much as the noisier ones. Do a trim every couple of weeks or so and all should be well.

[CatWoman]

17. I can attest to that

I stabbed myself in the hand with a pair of scissors.

I had left the Saran Wrap on top of the stove, and the over was on. Melted it, and I was trying to cut the melted wrap off.

Next thing I know, the scissors slipped, and blood started gushing.

[Bitter Betty]

21. Ow! Sorry to hear that.

I use very small scissors & my cat is pretty docile, so I've had success w/scissors. Try the clippers, but if I was a cat & my human came at my nether region with a buzzing vibrating implement I'd be running for the cat door with claws out & bushy tail. Let us know how it goes.

[Misunderestimator]

20. Oooh... I take back my advice on scissors then... though I've always

used them.

[borlis]

13. Get ready for a gross one!!!

My cat, Midnight sometimes clumps on his rear end. First of all take care of it or take her to a groomer to have it taken care of before it gets out of control. I neglected to get my cat in quickly and before I knew it he had clumps all over his body and they had to shave him. He looked like one of those "Phyllis Diller Poodles." They left his head, neck, legs and most of his tail alone, but the rest of him was down to the skin. He did have a few open sores which I am sure were very painful for him. Don't let your cat get this bad! Now for the gross part, the one time I checked him back there to see if he had any clumps starting, he squirted anal glands out which I didn't even know cats could do! My vet told me that they will do that if they feel threatened. So now we let the groomer take care of it if it starts. Good Luck!!!

[serryjw]

22. I have been doing that for over 16 years.

Einstein is long hair and lots of it. As he gets older it was tough to keep him clean on his tushy. I use warm water and clean him just like I would clean a baby. he doesn't love it, but he isn't threatened and lets me do it.

[Shakespeare]

46. And that is the NASTIEST odor I've ever encountered!

We get the same thing with mine when we shave him--my husband and I agreed that next time, he goes to the groomer. Besides, he's convinced we're trying to kill him, wails his little kitty head off, and I'm always afraid the neighbors are going to think we're torturing our animals.

[Misunderestimator]

19. I'm a short-haired cat owner, but my cat has semi-long hair...

I would loosen the clump first with scissors... but you MUST have another person for this job. You can usually cut most of the clump away, so that you can see to the skin, in order not to nick it when you trim it.

[jus_the_facts]

23. Ooooh Midori....good luck with all that.....

....I think this little girl has kittens on the way in a few weeks...mercy me...birthin' kittens..will be my first experience... :scared:

[CatWoman]

24. I'm a real wimp when it comes to blood

when I had my daughter, in the olden days, they put you to sleep when the baby came out.

No way was I gonna stay awake -- I grabbed that damn gas!!!!

Can't imagine watching live birth, either.

[jus_the_facts]

25. Me neither....never had children m'self....

...and never had a pregnant pet before...this girl is so tiny too...I was in the process of gettin' some assistance with their spay/neuter surgery expenses and she went into heat waiting for my application to be processed...sigh...looks like we're gonna be first time mommies together! x(

[proud patriot]

26. with my long hair cat, a wet wash cloth helped motivate self cleaning

RIP JAKE :cry: it's been 2 year but still it's hard
I miss him so .

[davsand]

27. Use a seam ripper on matting.

I know it sounds odd, but go to the sewing store and buy a good seam ripper. They are sharp, but what is nice about them is you can use them on a clump--pointing out AWAY from the cat--and you can break up that clump by going up vertically on the clump.

That way it is cut up and can be brushed out--leaving no bald spots.

They don't make noise to freak the cat out, either!

Yes, I lived with a long haired EVIL tempered cat for 17 years. She hated to be groomed, and I had no groomers left in town that would take her. I had to learn!


Laura

[CatWoman]

28. Laura -- that's an EXCELLENT idea

:hi:

thanks!!!!!

[davsand]

29. I can't claim I discovered it.

A buddy of mine was a shelter manager for a Humane Society. She turned me on to it when she came over one night and saw Tillie(you bitch)* with a bunch of bald spots. She said they used one on long haired cats at the shelter...


Laura



*As much as I loved that cat she was a year old before my next door neighbor realized her name was simply Tillie and NOT Tillie(you bitch).

[erinlough]

30. Some advice my vet gave me

I don't know if this will work for you or if your cat will tolerate it. My vet assured me that it doesn't hurt the cat if you lift it's back feet up from the table by holding her tail by the base. Without the back feet on the surface the cat can not wiggle and can not bite you. Once she is calm only cut the clump half way through (so you don't cut the skin) and once that is done you can work out the clump with soap and a wash cloth. A final brushing will remove it. Hope this helps.

[catzies]

32. It will go easiest if you have another person hold the cat, or

maybe you know someone who is good with the new clippers you just bought and YOU hold the cat.

[CatWoman]

33. I'm beginning to accept the fact

that this will have to be a two-person operation.

[madinmaryland]

35. We had a mainecoon that had the same issues.

We would basically take warm water with baby shampoo and a baby washcloth and just wash the whole area until all of the cling-ons (klingons?) came off. One it got wet, they would usually come off. Otherwise, get the scissors out. We would have to do that for his mats in the spring.

http://photobucket.com/albums/v703/jhinderliter/th_60F03-12-2515-40.bmp

[barb162]

36. Have another person have her sit on their lap and restrain

the cat while petting the cat around the neck or chin. After the cat is comfortable and purring away, and still having that person restraining and petting, get those scissors out and MAKE SURE YOU STAY OFF THE SKIN. Use a very fine tooth comb between the skin and mats and hold the comb there so you don't cut the skin. I use a very sharp very small scissors where the cutting part of the scissors are less than an inch in length...it helps me get under the matting better.

[LDS Jock]

38. why do you only want advice from people with long hair who own cats?

People with short hair, or maybe no hair, might also be able to help.

[CatWoman]

40. *grumble, grumble*

my thinking was, as you can see by the responses in this thread, that people with long-haired cats would have more experience in the matter.

[Butterflies]

41. One of my rabbits has that problem

She doesn't have particularly long fur, but she's a little overweight so I think she isn't able to clean herself. I do with her what someone else suggested: sit her in warm soapy water to loosen the clumps, and them pull them off with a paper towel. It's gross, but it works.

I think it would be harder with a cat though - they hate water more, and they have worse tempers (they are more likely to use their teeth and claws on you too.)

Good Luck :-)

[LynneSin]

42. My advice, from another long hair cat owner

Evita gets that from time to time.

Here's how I would solve the problem:

1.) Return the clippers
2.) Take your cat to the local pet groomers and pay them to do the job.

There is no savings by doing it yourself in consideration of the amount of bactine and bandages you'll have to buy to stop the bleeding from all the cat scratches you'll get!

[CatWoman]

45. Female is declawed

However, I do think I'll try to find a groomer. From then on out I should be able to handle it.

My neighbor has a poodle mix, and the groomer service used to come to their house to shave the dog.

[LiberallyInclined]

43. i just used regular scissors on mine...

a smaller-sized pair that are VERY sharp and sturdy.
it's just a matter of cutting the shit-encrusted hair- it's not rocket science.

I don't think my cat would have been too keen on the idea of using any kind of electric shears down there...

[LiberallyInclined]

44. BTW- my cat's problem was magnified because it had a broken tail...

and couldn't lift it- so everytime it used the litterbox, it would drag it's tail thru the poo...you could always tell when he entered a room.
when i later moved to a place where i couldn't take him, "Dangercat" went to my mother, who was not as patient as i, and had his tail surgically removed.