Anyone have a miracle cure for matted cat who won't sit still>

[luvwinnie]

Pepper NEVER gets mats, her sister TIgger does (her fur is more coarse)...well, I know I haven't brushed her as often as I should but usually she's fine...now on one side she is so matted. She only lets me work on them for about 3 seconds at a time. She's a Nervous Nellie cat, keeps moving and squirming. I have good scissors, but that doesn't help much if she won't sit still!!

 

[luvwinnie]

Found this and I can say is YEAH, SURE!! lol

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.

 

[Cruisin]

Can you try to work on them while she sleeps

I found that worked fairly well with my cat.

Or have someone else distract her, by petting her maybe, while you work on the mats.

I found I could only work on them a little at a time. I would take tiny snips straight down into the mats and then slowly cut them away from the side or even just work them out with my fingers.

I've heard also the those plastic letter openers, the ones with the protected blades on the bottom, work well too. You just slide the protected blade edge into the mat and slide it thru the mat to loosen it.

Another option is to take the cat to the vet and let them do it. More expensive that way but easier for you

 

[luvwinnie]

double post, sorry

 

[Cruisin]

I see you posted your list of ideas while I was typing mine

I use very small and very sharp little scissors too.

 

[luvwinnie]

Thanks, but she's so jumpy, she'd wake up with a start thinking Jack the Ripper was killing her I bet! And forget the vet...I've had 2 of them say that since she's an indoor cat I'm better off not getting her booster shots because it is SO EXTREMELY STRESSFUL FOR HER...she actually climbed a wooden door when I brought a vet to the house. She is a very sweet loving cat with me and DH though. But she has "issues". She's 10 now by the way.

 

[Mickey527]

No tangle leave in hair rinse for kids.
I have used this on my long haired dogs so I know it works, but I am not sure if spraying it on your cat is such a good idea. Try putting some on your hands and rubbing it onto her hair.
It really works. Peggie

 

[FroggyinArk]

start off by making a few strokes of the brush part of her love time, lightlky s troke her with the brush, away from the mats. continue petting her and loving her if she shys from the brush stop. do it again tommorrow. try and add a few moreseconds of "brush" each day.. also, try and start with a soft hair brush,, yeah one for humans, not the little bristly pet brushes. get her used to you playing with her fur,, run your fingers through it and fluff it then smoth it back,, she will eventually get to where you can brush harder, and trim out thee mats.. or get hubby to hold and pet her, start out by adding your scratching to his petting,, then work the mats loose and snip them out.