Cat Removed Own Mats?

[susanm9006]

Willow is a shorthair but has always developed mats in her fur ever since I adopted her over nine years ago. She doesn’t like being picked up and won’t allow regular grooming so I only corner her a couple times a year to groom her and remove her mats. This year as always I have been keeping an eye on her fur and since she had four good sized ones growing on her back and haunches I was planning on catching her soon to remove them. Today though when she came up for some pets I was shocked to feel that every one of her mats were totally completely gone.

I just wouldn’t think she would be capable of it. Has anyone ever had their cat remove their own mats?

 

[StefanZ]

Is there any possibility someone else could do this? Hubby? A visitor used to cats?

 

[Willowy]

Yes, they can remove their own mats, or the mats can fall out on their own, especially around now when their coats are changing.

 

[susanm9006]

Is there any possibility someone else could do this? Hubby? A visitor used to cats?

I live alone and no one else could get near her.

 

[susanm9006]

Yes, they can remove their own mats, or the mats can fall out on their own, especially around now when their coats are changing.

Well, I hope she continues. Most of my cats allowed grooming and never developed mats but Willow freaks at the touch of a brush. Catching her to get it done is such an ordeal. She has lost a tad bit of weight so maybe she can reach her back better now.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

My mom has an elderly (16-17) medium-haired kitty whose poor fur was one giant mat. Lots of contributing factors contributed to how bad they got- arthritis, outside/inside (lots of dirt and debris in the mats), hyperthyroid (super sticky saliva), etc. She smelled awful and was unable to groom them out. She finally talked the vet into doing a sedated, complete shave, and it's been life changing for Whiskers. She can actually groom herself now and so far has kept her mats at bay, and mom got one of those fur remover glove things to bush her instead of an actual brush. . Maybe that is worth looking into for Willow?

 

[fionasmom]

I have an indoor only tortie, Camilla, short haired but has always developed mats on her back over time. She was a "miscalculation" when it came to trying to keep her as a pet as she is basically a feral who would have been happier TNRed but it is a little late now at 9 years to let her go out. From year to year we had the mat problems. It usually ended with me locking both of us in a bathroom, after having shooed her inside using various means. I used a mat breaker comb which was very effective, often used as she stood against a wall hissing at me. This year the mats returned and as I geared up mentally for the confrontation they fell off. One was lower back, one middle and I found them both on the floor and her back is clean and normal looking....so,yes, they do fall off if you are lucky but if there were a suspected skin issue I would definitely try for a vet visit.

 

[susanm9006]

Yes, I,

I have an indoor only tortie, Camilla, short haired but has always developed mats on her back over time. She was a "miscalculation" when it came to trying to keep her as a pet as she is basically a feral who would have been happier TNRed but it is a little late now at 9 years to let her go out. From year to year we had the mat problems. It usually ended with me locking both of us in a bathroom, after having shooed her inside using various means. I used a mat breaker comb which was very effective, often used as she stood against a wall hissing at me. This year the mats returned and as I geared up mentally for the confrontation they fell off. One was lower back, one middle and I found them both on the floor and her back is clean and normal looking....so,yes, they do fall off if you are lucky but if there were a suspected skin issue I would definitely try for a vet visit.

Yes, I have always had to capture her, take her into the shower stall and use several brushes and tools to remover her mats. And we were just about at the point where I needed to do that when all her mats mysteriously disappeared. No skin issues, no bald spots or anything abnormal. She just apparently for the first time in nine years, took care of her mats herself. I’ve not had a lot of cats before that matted - one long hair and a couple sick senior fosters and they, like Willow did prior, required long gentle grooming sessions to clean them up. I am just dumbfounded that she did it all herself. Fingers crossed she continues.

 

[daftcat75]

An easy way to remove mats is to fill a needle-less syringe with olive oil and then apply a small amount of oil to the top and bottom of the mat. Squirt it down to the base (e.g. skin.) I don’t know how it works. But you should see the mat just fall right out over the next 24 hours. Google or YouTube search it if you want to see a demo. I did this for two different mats on Krista and both times it worked like magic!

 

[tarasgirl06]

Willow is a shorthair but has always developed mats in her fur ever since I adopted her over nine years ago. She doesn’t like being picked up and won’t allow regular grooming so I only corner her a couple times a year to groom her and remove her mats. This year as always I have been keeping an eye on her fur and since she had four good sized ones growing on her back and haunches I was planning on catching her soon to remove them. Today though when she came up for some pets I was shocked to feel that every one of her mats were totally completely gone.

I just wouldn’t think she would be capable of it. Has anyone ever had their cat remove their own mats?

I don't know about every one, but yes, I've had experience of cats grasping mats with their teeth and removing them. They can pull the skin and cause discomfort, so it's entirely logical that a cat would want them gone.

 

[Purr-fect]

Greg and arnold have never removed any matts by themselves. Wish they could/would.

We do it for them and we have had loooots of practice.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Greg and arnold have never removed any matts by themselves. Wish they could/would.

We do it for them and we have had loooots of practice.

View attachment 354351

They're so well groomed! VERY handsome. *Kind of looks like one big, lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng cat with a head in the middle*

 

[tarasgirl06]

 

[fionasmom]

You have your work cut out for you with Greg and Arnold! They know they are gorgeous.

Camilla cannot reach where these mats are and I think that they fell off; at least I have never seen a cat remove mats personally but I am sure that some do.

 

[tarasgirl06]

One of our ferals two locations ago was a big, beautiful black longhair. Sometimes he looked a bit like a musk ox, with the dreads hanging off of him. But I couldn't even dream of brushing him! and somehow, those mats would come off, too.

Kikko II *The Magnificent*

 

[Willowy]

An easy way to remove mats is to fill a needle-less syringe with olive oil and then apply a small amount of oil to the top and bottom of the mat. Squirt it down to the base (e.g. skin.) I don’t know how it works. But you should see the mat just fall right out over the next 24 hours. Google or YouTube search it if you want to see a demo. I did this for two different mats on Krista and both times it worked like magic!

That's interesting! I'll have to try that. My guess about how it works is that the oil probably softens the fur, and the mat pulls on the fur, so once it's softened, the fur breaks from the pulling. But that's just a guess of course.