Cat Won't Groom Herself

[Winter&willow]

Hello everyone,
My British long-hair cat struggles to lick herself as she is really fluffy around her neck area. This means whenever she tries to lick her paws or her belly etc, she gets a mouthful of her beard. I have uploaded a picture so you can see how fluffy she is.
I was wondering if there was anything anyone can suggest to prevent this from happening.
It's causing problems as she is getting knots in her fur and when she goes outside we have to clean her when she comes back in.
I'm not sure what there is to help (maybe a bib...?) so I would be grateful for any ideas.
Thank you.

 

[abyeb]

Why don't you keep her inside? That would not only keep her clean, but keep her safe from other dangers that outdoor cats face including: contracting FIV, FIP, FeLV, heartworm, getting into fights with other cats, (or dogs, wolves, foxes), getting hit by a car, or even poisoned or shot at.

 

[Winter&willow]

Why don't you keep her inside? That would not only keep her clean, but keep her safe from other dangers that outdoor cats face including: contracting FIV, FIP, FeLV, heartworm, getting into fights with other cats, (or dogs, wolves, foxes), getting hit by a car, or even poisoned or shot at.

She stays inside most of the time but when it's a nice day I let her out into the garden. She can't leave the garden so she is very safe and it's very unlikely there will be any other animals around. My main problem is her getting knots in her fur because she can't brush them out herself.

 

[abyeb]

Her fur is very long, so I think that ther really isn't anything she that you can do other than giving her a daily brushing. A comb like this should help remove tangles: Safari Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush for Cats

 

[Winter&willow]

That's what I thought, thank you anyways. Also I have a furminatior brush but that looks more appropriate so I might get one. Thank you again!

 

[abyeb]

Furminator is a decent brush, but I've found that it doesn't really work through tangles as much as simply removing hair from the undercoat. Charlie (a shorthaired cat), hated the furminator, and I think that is because it tends to pull on the fur, so I'd imagine that would be even more painful for a longhaired cat.

 

[Winter&willow]

Furminator is a decent brush, but I've found that it doesn't really work through tangles as much as simply removing hair from the undercoat. Charlie (a shorthaired cat), hated the furminator, and I think that is because it tends to pull on the fur, so I'd imagine that would be even more painful for a longhaired cat.

Yes I usually just use it for her top coat and then a wide tooth comb for the more dense areas and tangles... Thank you for your help though.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

This is a fairly common problem for long haired cats. I've seen my mother's get her mane stuck in her mouth! And I've seen pictures here of the same thing.

Some people trim the mane a bit so it's not quite so long. In warmer months they can be given a lion cut to help control matting. They do require regular brushing/combing.

 

[Winter&willow]

This is a fairly common problem for long haired cats. I've seen my mother's get her mane stuck in her mouth! And I've seen pictures here of the same thing.

Some people trim the mane a bit so it's not quite so long. In warmer months they can be given a lion cut to help control matting. They do require regular brushing/combing.

A lion cut would definitely look interesting on her! I agree about the brushing it's just quite difficult when she's not wanting to be brushed (which is all the time) so I was wanting her to join in...

 

[MoochNNoodles]

My mothers cat isn't a fan either. You can see shes at "super floof" this time of year. Shes thin and lanky under all that fur. Some people will have them given a cut to "start fresh" and work them into grooming since it will be easier when the fur is short.

 

[Winter&willow]

View attachment 176849 My mothers cat isn't a fan either. You can see shes at "super floof" this time of year. Shes thin and lanky under all that fur. Some people will have them given a cut to "start fresh" and work them into grooming since it will be easier when the fur is short.

She is beautiful! I was thinking of maybe cutting her but I'm worried it wont grow back the same. When we got her spayed she had an area shaved and it's grown back thicker and darker... Would this be the same if she got all of her fur cut?

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Is she one of the cats in your profile picture? I think its normal for that coat coloring to darken and change over time. I know one kitten that looked white at birth but her points came in and she looks more cream with brown points as an adult cat. Someone else may know better than I do though.