Cat problems: 2 cats with matted fur

[Arazi]

I'm not sure what the solution is but perhaps someone knows an answer. I have two cats that I've owned for 10 years plus. In the past year, both of them are exhibiting some really poor quality coats with a lot of matting near the haunches. They are fed a high quality feed (Iams), dewormed regularly, only allowed out on the deck of our second floor condo (which means they aren't really outdoor cats with access to burrs etc.)

I'm almost embarrassed to take them to the vet looking so poorly. They are due for their annual trip in November and looking them over, I'm a tad bit uncomfortable with their physical appearance.

Otherwise they seem fine: normal exuberant behavior, lots of energy, eating well, drinking well, bright eyed and bushy tailed, and all that.

Any suggestions?

[Haole Girl]

1. I found this:

http://www.ehow.com/how_117317_treat-cat-matted.html

How to Treat a Cat for Matted Fur

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Grooming your cat regularly with a brush or comb will reduce the occurrence of mats in the fur. Unfortunately, many cats wind up with matted fur because they hate to be groomed. Here's how to deal with the problem, which occurs most often in longhairs.

Steps:

1. Attempt to remove the fur mat after the cat has eaten. Cats tend to be more relaxed after meals.

2. Adopt a calm and soothing demeanor as you approach the cat. Have your manicure scissors hidden in your pocket as you pet the cat.

3. Once the cat is relaxed, try to work out the fur mat with your fingers. Pull out the scissors if that doesn't work.

4. Snip down the middle of the fur mat, far from the skin. It's quite easy to snip the skin accidentally on longhaired cats, so work carefully.

5. Slowly work apart the fur mat with your fingers. Snip away a little more if necessary. Reassure the cat in a soothing voice as you snip. If she becomes upset, stop and come back to the task later.

6. Once you've worked apart the fur mat and it's clearly away from the skin, cut it off.

7. Reward the cat's cooperation with a kitty treat.

8. If the cat has several fur mats, remove them at separate times. The cat will quickly lose her patience after you remove the first fur mat. Build trust with a gentle approach and kitty treats to make future encounters easier.

9. Bring the cat to a professional groomer if the cat is unapproachable, if the fur mat is in a delicate area or if the mats are extremely tangled.

10. Purchase a hair-ball treatment at a pet store to help your cat eliminate a troublesome hair ball. Or feed the cat butter or a can of oily sardines.

Overall Tips:

If a cat is vomiting hair balls, it is a sign that he needs more grooming. Comb or brush Kitty at least once a week to remove excess fur, more in shedding season. Cats ingest their fur while they groom themselves.


Overall Warnings:

If a cat is retching for days, stops eating or is constipated, bring him to a veterinarian. It could indicate that a major hair ball is blocking the digestive tract.

If a cat stops grooming, bring him to the veterinarian. This is a common sign of underlying illness.


Tips from eHow Users:

I have 2 cats who never minded being brushed, but would tire quickly and I wouldn't get very far. Until this spring, I take my cats onto the deck to brush them. They love the sun, so it is a perfect opportunity for them to sun themselves, and enjoy the breeze. It's practical for me as well, since the hair and dander is outside rather than indoors.
I let them stand on the railing of our deck and they walk up and down (which works perfectly for getting both sides) then they find a place to settle and I finish their grooming. They absolutely love it, in fact they look forward to being brushed now. The second cat meows and cries at the window until it is her turn.

I also use the brush designed for mats. It has little grooves on the prongs which catches the hair as you brush and pulls it out of her fur. It's almost like thinning out her fur - it's perfect!

[Arazi]

6. Wow. Great site with great advice.

Okay so I need to keep clipping with the scissors followed up with brushing. I was thinking maybe it was some kind of vitamin deficiency that after all these years they are suddenly getting these terrible tangles.

I'll look for the hairball feed but the cats don't have any retching at all, nor any other symptoms of troublesome hairballs. They both just seem to have given up grooming themselves.

All well. I guess it's time to buy a brush or two.

[China_cat]

11. They're getting older

and if they are overweight at all they have problems grooming themselves, especially in those areas. (Spines get a bit stiff, hard to reach, etc)

[MiniMandaRuth]

2. Shave 'em.

Or get a hairless cat.




(I think hairless cats look like Jeff Gannon, but that's just me)

[Arazi]

3. Yeah, I thought about shaving them

Then I decided I valued my life! It's hard enough to get at these darn tangles with a pair of scissors!

I'm guessing it's not a nutritional thing then from the other poster's advice: I just need to get a brush and start brushing them (with the clippers in the other hand - tricky that).

[MiniMandaRuth]

4. Get 'em all nice and purring and relaxed.

Then give them cat-nip afterward.

Do NOT reverse those steps. ;)

[begin_within]

5. Just take them to a groomer who does cats as well as dogs. They can get

rid of all the matting and they can shear their coat to a thinner state which will also let them be cooler in the summer heat.

[Arazi]

7. Have you done this? Is it traumatic for the cats? nt

[begin_within]

10. It depends on how sumbissive your cat is. The people who are groomers

are expert at handling animals, and they usually have a calming effect on the animal and they will submit to things, like getting a bath, that they probably would not submit to at home. My sister recently had to have this done to her 15-year-old cat who had a lot of matting in her fur. She took her to a groomer and they basically shaved her fur to a short coat for the summer, except for a pompom at the end of her tail and also near her paws. She looks like a poodle now, but she's a lot more comfortable with short hair, and getting rid of those heavy, bothersome mats was a godsend for her. This is a cat that is afraid of almost everyone except my sister, and hides under the bed when we or anyone else visits. She wouldn't put up with any handling from any strangers. So I'm sure the groomers had their hands full with her, but they did it. A groomer who is experienced with cats will know how to do it. I don't think it traumatizes the cat, they may be scared while it is being done, but there is no lasting negative effect. And they will be delighted to be clean and cool afterwards - if there is anything cats love, it is being clean. I would just make sure you have someone do it who knows cats very well. Someone who normally does only dogs, but is willing to try doing a cat, would be the wrong person to choose.

[City Lights]

16. I've had one of mine shaved.

We took him to Petsmart. Even with all the barking dogs around him, he did fine. I think he was a little scared, but he never scratched or tried to bite the groomer, nor did he try to wriggle his way out of the harness.

They also have groomers that make house calls. They bring all the supplies they need with them, and groom the animal in their truck in front of your house, apt., etc.

Good luck. :-)

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

8. One of our ragdolls is prone to matting.

He's super docile, so we can cut the mats out ourselves (using the directions posted above). However, we prefer to just take him to the groomer every few months. She'll trim his fur down, but leave him with his bushy tail and mane. He actually looks good with his haircut and no more matting.

As for their diet, I really recommend you switch them off Iams. Iams conducts a lot of animal testing and there are many cat foods that are of Iams quality or higher that do not test on animals. When I found out about the Iams animal testing, I switched my cats over to Nutro Naturals (which all four love). It's about the same price, higher quality food, and cruelty-free.

[Arazi]

9. Wow. Great suggestions. I'll have to look into a feed change.

Thanks for the feed recs.

I've been working on the mats for a month or so but I can only get one or two every time I have time to tackle them. It seems as though another mat "grows" in it's place by the time I get around to the task again.

I'm thinking a trip to a groomer followed by a more rigorous home grooming programme may work.

Thanks!

[Robert of Locksley]

12. 2 cats with matted fur

One question - do you live in a hot climate?

Our cats in San Diego suffered from the same problem - weird, matted fur - even with plenty of water and food, it turned out that they were dehydrated from the dry heat. Subcutaneous fluids administered every few weeks by the vet during the heat spell corrected the problem. I would check with your vet just in case to prevent any kind of permanent renal damage if they are older cats and have their levels checked to make sure their kidneys are working correctly. Renal (kidney) failure is one of the biggest killers of older cats.

[benny05]

13. While You have gotten some good advice

For long haired cats (which I presume you have), it may be time to also switch to a food for senior cats. I've had mine on Hills R/D for years, and they are pretty healthy.

My cats are short hairs, and if anything, one of them overgrooms, and she does have hairballs, but the vet says that's normal--just have to stay after her to encourage her to not overgroom, but she is so fastidious.

[Eurobabe]

14. Food allergies? IAMs is not as great as you'd think

come over to the DU Pet Group and post your question there, you'll get alot of information.

[hyphenate]

15. Shave them with a clipper

I did that at the suggestion of someone, and it worked out well.

[distantearlywarning]

17. Our older cat is arthritic and can't reach to groom anymore

She was getting really awful mats at the beginning of the summer. We tried to trim them out ourselves, and it was a terrible, traumatic process that made a huge mess. The cat hated it and she would squall the whole time and try to bite us.

So we took her to the groomers and left her one afternoon. When we came back, she seemed much happier and wasn't stressed out at all. I think they fussed over her the whole day and told her how beautiful she was, etc. I think if you get a good groomer, they know how to make the animals feel comfortable and happy during the process.

They trimmed her down but left her mane and tail. She actually looks fairly attractive, and has been a much more pleasant cat since getting trimmed. I think the mats were hurting her enough that it was affecting her attitude and personality. Getting rid of all that hair during a hot, humid summer must also have felt very good.

I definitely recommend getting your cats trimmed. It made a huge difference for our cat.