my cat sheds a ton of hair and has matted clumps of hair all embeded in his coat, i brush and it doesnt help?

Brushing doesn't help with long haired cats as much as combing does. Brushing doesn't get down into the hair, to the skin.

I had to take my Himalayan to have her clipped SHORT last summer, because even with the combing, her mats had gotten too bad. I took her to MY VET......for this procedure. They told me that IF she didn't have to be sedated for the clipping, it would cost me $60, but if she had to be sedated it would be more. FORTUNATELY, she was "good as gold" with them and didn't have to be sedated.

If your vet's "girls" can do a short clip without having to sedate your cat, you should go ahead and do that. Sometimes the "groomers" aren't gentle enough with the cats.......trying to do too many in a day????......I don't know, but my vet's "girls" did a GREAT job, and my cat's fur is back to normal, now. If she starts to "mat up" again, despite my combing, I'll get her done again next summer. It's a lot better than me trying to cut the mats out.....and making her look like a "homeless person"!!

I don't know of anything that you can feed your cat to help eliminate mats. They're usually caused because the cat ( too old, too fat, etc ) can't keep up with the shedding hair.

Hope this helps.........Good luck.

Taking him to the groomers is probably adding stress to his life. But it doesn't have to happen. He may have a bit of arthritis, which makes grooming more difficult. And, while I am not sure, his tongue could be a bit worn down, and not as raspy as it was when he was younger, making grooming harder.

If he is a short haired cat, combing with a flea comb can remove lots of excess fur. If a medium or long haired cat, a brush with prongs on one side is effective. The prongs remove undercoat, and the brush surface fur. For removal of mats, what use is cheap, quick, and you cannot cut your cat. The point pokes through many mats, and you slice it off in portions, if necessary. I have provided a link. If a tight mat, I don't try and get it off at the skin level.

Worry less about how much he sheds, and more about removing the loose fur from him. Regular combing and brushing is a nice way to spend time with him. It is great that you have him for the years he is, and he has many more years of love to give.

You don't actually say if your cat is long haired or short haired, but in my experience even if he is shorthaired, if he tends to get matted then taking the advice for long hairs is a good place to start. You need a comb to give him a good basic going through. If you can find one that has rotating teeth they often work better. And use one with fairly wideley space teeth to start: Not a flea comb.

Though they don't get right through a long hair's coat, slicker brushes (the type that are square with lots of little wire teeth) can be usefull to get a lot of dead stuff out on short coats.

Matt busters are pretty harsh, and not a quick solution for bad mats. They can be useful for tangles that are just starting, but a lot of cats won't tolerate them well.

In general the more you can do on him without restraining him the better. Cats find being restrained if anything more traumatic than being groomed (one reason groomers who are trained for dogs may not be the best choice for cats). Cuddle rather than restrain (or don't restrain at all). Work bit by bit. If he struggles, let him go. You are not doing it to a time limit. If he likes to play, have a quick game. Or tempt him back with a prawn. Then do a bit more.

Try working out mats with your fingers: if there's space between the mat and him, try pulling a few hairs at a time out of the back towards him and gradually loosening it (so you are not pulling on him)

If you are tempted to cut matts out, be very careful. If he's likely to move suddenly, maybe don't do it. And be aware that sometimes matts can pull the skin up into them. Cut the matt and you may cut the skin as well...

Agree with others that if you can, getting him clipped at the vet may be a good way to go. If it's just a few matts, maybe you could get your vet to get the worst off? Maybe even show you how to do it so you can complete the job at home?

If he is shorthaired: matts could be caused because he's elderly. Hopefully in this case once it's sorted a regular groom will keep them away. Another cause is teeth problems. Bad teeth can make their saliva sticky. I should think your vet would have discussed that though. If he does have bad teeth you might want to discuss the possibilities of having a shave and teeth clean with him under. Yes it's riskier with an older cat, but it can be possible, and bad teeth are linked to increased risk of kidney disease. You might want to discuss with your vet whether the risk is worth it for a chance of better quality of life.

You should have been using a COMB on him his entire life for groom. Brushes don't do a darn thing with a longhair cat - you only go over the surface which causes the cat to become matted. Unless the cat is being sedated for grooming, it should not be a problem. Maybe you can locate a groomer that will come to your house and help you out.

My cat is also 19 and i have had the same problem its because of age and they don't clean themselves as much. Keep brushing him but also go to your pet store and maybe ask for their opinion?

Excellent article on the subject.

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Treat-and-Remove-...

Tools Mentioned in article:

Matt Splitter: http://www.amazinganimal.co.uk/matt-splitter-for-s...

Slicker Brush: http://www.antonline.com/p_AL19793-GP_605882.htm

Steel Comb: http://cgi.ebay.com.my/PET-GROOMING-Dog-Cat-Stainl...

I posted the links to sites selling the gear merely for demonstrational purposes, that way you know what to look for. Hope I helped, :)

make sure you have a wire brush and when it gets clumps, cut them off but don't cut his skin! all i can recommend is brushing every to every other day to keep the shedding down.