Preventing mats on long haired cats

Fluff15

Hi all,

I'm booking one of my cat's into the vets this week as she's developed some small mats on her hind legs, sort of in the groin area, so she needs to be shaved by a professional. She's very placid so I'm hoping sedation won't be necessary, just somebody who knows what they're doing with the clippers while I hold her down! They're very close to the skin too, and no matter how much I tease them with the brush, they're not coming free.

I brush her thoroughly everyday, but she mats really easily as she's half maine coon and I think it's worsened by her love of sitting in the water once I've showered. Apart from carrying on with regular grooming, has anybody got any tools or tips to help prevent these mats? I feel really terrible that she's got any at all.

Thank you!

flossy_splodge

Have you tried brushing her through with talcum powder? You need to ensure you get a totally unperfumed one - I think Boots used to stock one or google it.
I had Persians for years and this was the solution that worked best.
Good luck.

Arlandria606

We had some issues with mats and knots in our Maine Coon a while ago.

She wasn't a huge fan of being brushed, especially on her tummy and around her bum, which is where most of hers show up.

What worked for us was getting a flea comb and "inserting" that between the mat and her fur, then cutting through the knot. What was left could be brushed out easily.

We did them one at a time with a general brush-over when she was at her most docile, and always rewarded her with treats afterwards.

It took about 4 days to get through all of them but she's now a happy knot-free kitty again. She's also much happier to be brushed in general (sometimes even asks for it, shocking!) so I make a point of checking her every day or so and continuing to reward any knot-maintenance with treats.

I also brush her regularly with a furminator (brush designed to remove loose hairs), as they seem to contribute to knots.

I've never tried talc myself but the logic there is sound as moisture makes it worse.

Don't feel bad about it though - long hair and fur will knot, especially in places with friction ("armpits" and the same around the back legs).

Fluff15

Thanks guys, I'll look in to purchasing some talc this week when I pop to Boots.

The flea comb is a great idea, I wanted to try cutting them away myself but I didn't trust I could hold them away from the skin without risk of snipping her. I suppose the flea comb would act like a barrier, I might give it a go tomorrow.