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Cat grooming at vets

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  • Lara44
    Lara44 Posts: 2,961 Forumite
    Our cat will only be groomed in the morning when she is sitting in the bath licking the shower curtain! It took us ages to find this out - we got scratched and bitten trying to do it in the evening.

    Is there a time your cat goes mad head butting and licking things? If so, maybe you can give them a daily brush during this time to avoid the matting stage.
    :A :heartpuls June 2014 / £2014 in 2014 / £735.97 / 36.5%
  • scooby088
    scooby088 Posts: 3,385 Forumite
    My sister is a pet groomer and she has never had a cat that she hasn't had a problem with to be honest. Her advice to anyone is get the cat used to being groomed as quickly as you can. For the scratches she charged more for cats than she does for dogs.
  • kimbyanne
    kimbyanne Posts: 303 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 100 Posts
    Well the vets clipped her claws and gave her a brush and got the worst of it out. However they spotted some odd growths / abscesses in her mouth (inside her lips) so we need to take her back to the vets today. Her back legs are also getting rather stuff / wobbly so I am rather concerned. Nothing is ever straight forward!
  • Bexm
    Bexm Posts: 458 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Ah your poor cat! My cat loves being brushed! The harder the better! Even lets me brush her face and whiskers with the soft side of the brush!
    Although that said she also lets me dry her with kitchen towel if she comes in from outside if it's been tipping it down! She sits and waits now! She's completely daft!

    A suggestion though, our old cat hated the brush, until one day I left it on the floor as I forgot to put it away. He spent ages poking it and playing with it, eventually after a lot of persevering of playing with the brush with him he accepted it and let me brush him. (only on his own terms though!)

    All the above said though, out cats have always been short hair!
  • londonsurrey
    londonsurrey Posts: 2,444 Forumite
    I've got a Tangle Teezer for my cats. It doesn't pull at their fur. I got one for myself too :) (in a different colour).

    When I'm training a cat to a brush, I start by getting it happily distracted (usually eating or purring when having ears scratched) then deliberately stroking the area I would like to eventually brush.

    With a very curious cat, I actually use two brushes. I start brushing, then the cat wants to have a look at the brush and starts mouthing it. I allow the cat to do so, and use the brush in my other hand to start brushing the cat.

    When the cat starts looking at brush #2, I allow the cat to start chewing and rabbit kicking it, and go back to using brush #1 in the other hand! Lol.
  • GlynD
    GlynD Posts: 10,883 Forumite
    OP we have exactly the same problem although our cat is a long hair. Your only answer is to take your to the vet for a "dematting". This can take the form of brushing the knots out, cutting them out, or using clippers to shave them off. Be aware that in some cases this means your moggy will be left with bald patches but these will grow in again quite soon. It is also done under sedation which you will have to agree to.

    I'm speaking from experience. Our little darling (who turns in a shrieking demon if you try to groom her) was dematted under sedation at the start of this month for about the 10th time in her 11 1/2 years. She's a much friendlier cat now and enjoys being stroked instead of having to "guard" her knots and matts. She's half the size because all the dead fur has been brushed out and although she has a bald bit on her bum just above and to the left of her tail it's already growing in again.

    Take the vet's advice.
  • tankgirl1
    tankgirl1 Posts: 4,252 Forumite
    Matts and knots can cause severe discomfort as I'm sure you're aware. Sometimes the vets is the only option as they will attack you if you try with a brush because it hurts!
    I've dematted many cats in my time as a vet nurse, and it is difficult to estimate as until you see and handle the cat, you don't know whether sedation is needed, how deep a sedation, and how much time. Its not unusual for a practice to have a price per half hour, which is set on the premise of one nurse doing it, but in actuality two nurses do the dematt in order to keep the time spent under sedation to a minimum - with no extra charge to the client.
    I always say to owners - I'm not a groomer - you may not get a pretty cat back... but you will get a relieved and comfortable cat back!
    Its a good idea to desensitise all cats and dogs to grooming at a young age, but it often doesn't happen - it can be done later in life but is not as easy.
    I think off the top of my head our dematts range from about 35 - 80 pounds depending on coat, temperament etc
    I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.

    RIP POOCH 5/09/94 - 17/09/07
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