Mary Allen
Cats with longer coats are cute and super fluffy, but they’re also prone to matting. With a few tricks and little helpers, even stubborn felt plates can be removed. The cat does not always have to be shaved directly.
Our cuddly tomcats and cats usually shine with their soft, silky fur. This not only makes them nice to look at, it also gives cuddling together that extra feel-good factor. For the cat itself, however, its fur is an important protection against heat, cold, rain and injuries. However, only if it is not matted.
Why does my cat’s fur become matted?
Owners of long-haired cats, like Persians, or medium-haired breeds, like Main Coons, know what we’re talking about. Because their loved ones are particularly at risk.
Tangles tend to form where body parts rub against each other. Leftover food and moisture often make things worse in the collar. Leftovers from the litter box are often the culprits on the hind legs and tail. Knots form at these points, which become tighter and felt over time. In the case of heavy parasite infestations (e.g. fleas or mites), constant scratching combined with neglected grooming leads to the same problem.
In addition to these mechanical causes, a lack of vitamins and minerals can also lead to clumped cat fur. Because bad food with an unbalanced supply of nutrients often leads to bad fur, which is particularly vulnerable. Diseases that impair the optimal supply (such as kidney damage) also have this effect. A typical cat problem is the so-called fat tail. In this condition, the skin glands around the tail produce too much sebum. This leads to adhesions that become matted.
There are both mechanical and organic causes of tangles. However, the immediate cause of hair tangling is always the same: whenever grooming is compromised, tangling is never far away!
Prevent tangles
If you want to prevent your darling from getting tangled, you have to take precautions. And with regular grooming. You can find out why you shouldn’t leave these long-haired roommates alone and how best to support your cat with grooming in our article “Grooming a cat – how to care for your cat’s fur”. In a nutshell: Depending on the hair length, you should brush your cat weekly to daily.
Tip: It is best to remove all loose hair that is still on the coat after the grooming session. Otherwise, these hairs themselves will become the cause of new knots. The best way to do this is to stroke the fur with a damp hand. Loose hair then gets caught on your hand and can be disposed of. In addition, you reward your cat with the extra stroking unit for your cooperation in brushing. By the way, when the fur changes, i.e. in spring and autumn, you have to brush it more often than usual. Because then a lot of hair grows.
With regular grooming, you get to the root of the problem and ideally loosen knots before they become matted. If a clump of fur does occur, a *detangling spray will help. Simply spray on and the problematic area can still be combed out. If, despite regular grooming, tangles keep forming and spreading, you need to let the vet take a look at your cat. He can diagnose deficiency symptoms and diseases with certainty and determine the treatment.
“During the period of shedding, brushing should be done more often to prevent tangles.”
Remove matted fur from cats
If, despite all precautions, matted areas do occur, they must be removed immediately. As I said, tangles are not only visually disturbing. V. a. they affect the well-being and health of your cat. Because of the caking of the hair, it cannot follow the movement of the body. Any slight tension in the muscles in this area causes the skin to tug. In addition, it cannot breathe under the tangles. The result: dandruff, inflammation, and sometimes even bloody spots form. Apart from the associated pain, the protective function of the skin and coat is also disturbed. Parasites find a nest made in the truest sense of the word, and in summer there is a risk of heat stroke. So what do you do if your cat has matted fur?
Here’s how you do it:
Follow this simple step-by-step guide.
- Try to brush out the matted area. If the brush fails, go to step 2.
- Use your fingers to pluck the matted fur apart. If you manage to untangle the tangle, simply brush out the area and you’re done. For a stubborn tangle, skip to step 3.
- Cut out clumped fur with scissors and then comb out. To do this, carefully lift the spot with your hand. If you pinch them at the base between your thumb and forefinger or between your index and middle fingers, your cat’s skin is protected from being injured by the scissors.
Note: Please do not use household scissors!
Their sharp ends pose too great a risk of injury for your pet. After all, there is no guarantee that the cat will endure the whole thing without objection, i.e. without physical resistance. That is why there are special scissors for pets with rounded tips in specialist shops. Should it come into contact with the skin, an accident does not happen immediately.
If the fur is not only matted, but also sticky due to dirt, you should try to clean the fur with a warm, damp cloth before doing anything else. Please only bathe in an absolute emergency. You want to spare both your cat and yourself the traumatic experience. After all, regular grooming is still important! On the contrary, so that your furry friend associates it with something positive, you absolutely have to reward it after the ordeal. With a treat, for example, or an extra helping of attention when playing with your favorite toy.
Remove stubborn felt pads in cats
Felt sheets next to the skin are extremely uncomfortable for cats. The closer to the skin, the more it pulls, and the more moisture and heat build up. The consequential damage is even worse. The good news: such a tangle is often only superficial. If you manage to tear the felt plate, the clumped fur will open up and can usually be brushed out. If your fingers are no longer sufficient and the affected area is too large for the scissors, you can use special brushes. We present three models that have been specially developed for scribing felt sheets:
- De-matting knife: A de-matting knife removes knots and tangles, loose fur and dirt down to the undercoat with minimal effort.
- Undercoat Comb: An undercoat comb removes loose undercoat and breaks up tangles. With the integrated trimmer, you save yourself having to reach for the clippers.
- De-matting Comb: A de-matting comb effectively removes tangles, loose fur, and dirt.
Note: Good products are characterized by the fact that the safety of your animal is paramount. Look out for features such as rounded tines, serrated edges, safety blades, stainless steel and a non-slip and ergonomic handle for safe working. In addition to removing tangles, they also remove loose hair and undercoat, helping to prevent tangles. Also note the manufacturer’s instructions. Some products are specifically designed for a specific size or coat length.
Anyone who is surprised, so to speak, by a tangle and does not yet have any of the products mentioned above should take a look in their sewing box. A seam ripper can also tear the felt plate. However, you should then be particularly careful, as this is of course not intended for use on squirming pets.
Be careful with large felt plates directly on the skin!
In the case of stubborn and large-area felt plates directly on the skin, you should never reach for the scissors directly. The risk of hurting the cat is too great. It is sufficient if tangles on the skin are only cut or torn. The opened felt plates can then be plucked apart with your fingers and then brushed out. As few sharp objects as possible should be used directly on the skin. This way you minimize the risk of injury.
If neither the above steps nor the products described help, you will have to clip the cat or have it clipped in an emergency. Which brings us to the next point.
Where can you get help?
Ideally, if the cat absolutely refuses to be brushed, you should seek help before matting occurs. A pet hairdresser usually knows how to deal with unruly customers. With extremely matted fur or stubborn felt plates very close to the skin, you probably cannot avoid clipping your cat. We have summarized more on the subject of scissors in the following article: “Scissoring a cat – you should definitely pay attention to that beforehand!”.
You can try shaving smaller areas. Like a razor. If you don’t trust yourself to do this, you can also enlist the help of a pet hairdresser. One or the other even makes house calls, which saves the cat the additional stress of the journey and the unfamiliar surroundings. Don’t be afraid to approach dog groomers. Many of them also adopt a cat. If the pet hairdresser doesn’t dare to go any further because the case is too serious or the animal is too stubborn, the only option is to go to the vet. As a last resort, he will shear your cat under general anesthesia.
Shooting sparrows with cannons? It may look like this. Before your cat loses any quality of life due to permanent pain and suffers a heat stroke in summer, but certainly justifiable.
Conclusion
The same applies to tangles: prevention is the best medicine. Regular grooming with a comb and detangling spray will remove knots from your cat’s fur before it becomes matted. You can also remove the first tangles by brushing, untangling or, if necessary, using scissors. With larger felt plates close to the skin, special brushes from specialist shops can still save the situation. If not, the specialist has to come in, if necessary under general anesthesia. Because a well-groomed coat is a basic requirement for the well-being and health of your cat.