hi
i have an 18 yr old short haired tiger girl, she has a dense undercoat though and with out frequent grooming she gets matted quickly
well she has always taken care of her belly, i have never had to brush her there, pet her there, sure, she loves that, but now she is getting matts on her belly
i did have to have a small area on her flank shaved about two months ago, its the side she sleeps on and being 18 she sleeps a lot, we had a few warm days and she just *blew out* her undercoat so fast, it was a matted mess, and the kindest thing seemed to be to have her shaved there
but now its her belly- and she has been seeking out warmer spots than she usually does, so i am guessing that with her advancing age, she is finding it harder to stay warm? she has less muscle mass and less fat but is maintaining her weight right around what her vet said was good.
so i dont know what to do.
should i try to see if i can cut them out with scissors?
given her age, is it unwise to have her shaved even though summer is coming? we still get some chilly nights here
i can't imagine she will let me try to comb these out, but i will give it a shot anyway, and see how that goes
sometimes i can pull the center tuft of the matt and the loose hair just comes out, other times that does not work
any suggestions welcome, esp from those with older cats
althea
i have an 18 yr old short haired tiger girl, she has a dense undercoat though and with out frequent grooming she gets matted quickly
well she has always taken care of her belly, i have never had to brush her there, pet her there, sure, she loves that, but now she is getting matts on her belly
i did have to have a small area on her flank shaved about two months ago, its the side she sleeps on and being 18 she sleeps a lot, we had a few warm days and she just *blew out* her undercoat so fast, it was a matted mess, and the kindest thing seemed to be to have her shaved there
but now its her belly- and she has been seeking out warmer spots than she usually does, so i am guessing that with her advancing age, she is finding it harder to stay warm? she has less muscle mass and less fat but is maintaining her weight right around what her vet said was good.
so i dont know what to do.
should i try to see if i can cut them out with scissors?
given her age, is it unwise to have her shaved even though summer is coming? we still get some chilly nights here
i can't imagine she will let me try to comb these out, but i will give it a shot anyway, and see how that goes
sometimes i can pull the center tuft of the matt and the loose hair just comes out, other times that does not work
any suggestions welcome, esp from those with older cats
althea