removing matted hair from long haired cat?

TOTALLY agree with Dreamer. I'm guessing your long-haired cat might be a Persian?

If so, or even if not, if your cat mats every day, he needs to be combed every single day using a "Greyhound" comb or similar. Take little bits at a time so as not to pull his tender skin.

I would, however, this time take him to a good groomer who is familiar with shaving a matted cat (especially if Persian or Himmy) because these cats have loose skin in areas that many newer groomers or ones that have never shaved a persian could cause serious damage to.

Ask for a Lion Cut - :o) It's such a cute cut.

Yes, every day grooming is required for any cat that has a double coat and matts easily. Start (with the BIG comb, like a "Greyhound" comb) with the under fur and work your way out, just do small sections at a time.

Good luck, have fun and I'd just recommend he go get a big-time shavin', or if it's sickenly bad where it's stuck to the skin - take him to the vet (very important) so they can carefully, with their knowledge of skin folds, etc. shave him correctly.

When he starts growing out, get into the habit right away of combing him every day.

You need to do more than brush but comb as well. There are different styles and types, and I believe there is one I just found recently for long-haired cats - believe I saw it on Amazon.com. Brushing is fine but it does not remove the bits and small tangles of fur that start clumping together. You need to look at maybe combing every other day and brushing every two days or so. First starting, you may have to do a bit each day until you get all the little tangles and clumps out and then go from there. The teeth in the flea type comb separates the hairs but the brush mostly just smooths down the fur and keeps it together in a packed down way. There is nothing more beautiful than a long-haired cat with all its silky looking hair.

For maintenance, use a slicker brush and a comb.

Be very careful removing mats yourself. Cat skin is very thin and delicate, and if you cut it in the wrong place, it can rip open several inches wide. If you're having trouble, see a professional groomer to have the matter areas shaved out. Do NOT attempt to shave him yourself, and be very careful trying to pull them out with combs or tools. I cannot stress enough how badly you can injure a matted cat if you are not very careful.

Yup. Our older long hair gets mats from time to time. Under the belly no less. I can get the matting out with a comb relatively easy when it's on the back or under the chin. But the ones on the belly? Forget it. So, we let her go to the vet for a shave twice a year.

I presume the areas getting matted are around his bottom, paws and underbelly? Most people cut back these areas a bit shorter to prevent matting -which is worse in winter months. In summer months it's best to keep the bottom area clipped back anyway as these areas are prone to fly strike (yes it affects other animals -not just lambs and rabbits) and this can be deadly! Doing this will mean the other areas can be concentrated on during daily brushing (I'd use a 'furminator' brush) and this means you will spend less time brushing and wont have to cut out chunks of hair. :)

Do you comb him too, like with a flea comb? That gets some of the tangles out.

I use the generic fur buster brush, it works well. I got it at Wal-mart.

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