Having a difficult time dematting Sylvester!

[les26]

I bought a dematting brush at Petsmart in hopes of dematting Sylvester who is a longhaired tuxedo, you can see him in the "terrific tuxedos" post on the "Fur and videos only" thread if you want to, but it is not going too well! He is not pleased with having us try to do this, he is not used to it as he was pretty much an outside cat who came inside at times with his previous owner, so he has only been to the vet twice in his whole life, not used to a lot of handling or brushing although I can usually pick him up pretty much whenever I want to, but he isn't keen on having us try to demat him. We tried giving him treats and trying it while he was "distracted", I also held him and let Deb work on him, but the results aren't good, he wriggles and moves away, and we don't want to keep agitating him, but I REALLY don't want to have to take him to the vet and have him slightly sedated and have him shaved, Sebastian freaked out when we did that to him near the end of his life, and I NEVER like them being put under no matter how "light" it is.

Any helpful suggestions? 

 

[Kat0121]

 
I bought a dematting brush at Petsmart in hopes of dematting Sylvester who is a longhaired tuxedo, you can see him in the "terrific tuxedos" post on the "Fur and videos only" thread if you want to, but it is not going too well! He is not pleased with having us try to do this, he is not used to it as he was pretty much an outside cat who came inside at times with his previous owner, so he has only been to the vet twice in his whole life, not used to a lot of handling or brushing although I can usually pick him up pretty much whenever I want to, but he isn't keen on having us try to demat him. We tried giving him treats and trying it while he was "distracted", I also held him and let Deb work on him, but the results aren't good, he wriggles and moves away, and we don't want to keep agitating him, but I REALLY don't want to have to take him to the vet and have him slightly sedated and have him shaved, Sebastian freaked out when we did that to him near the end of his life, and I NEVER like them being put under no matter how "light" it is.

Any helpful suggestions? 

I can sympathize with you on this. I have 2 Persians so I know all about the fun that comes with having a longhaired cat. What you might want to do is see if there is a groomer in your area who specializes in cats. Many do NOT. Many groomers won't even touch cats. 

If you do find one who does specialize in cats, have him shaved. That will get rid of the mats and he can start fresh. Once he starts fresh, get him used to being groomed slowly. This article is very helpful. 

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-properly-care-for-your-cats-coat

How long have you had him? I noticed with Sophie that the closer she and I became, the better she became about grooming. At first she wanted nothing to do with it. Now she's better and tolerates more. Lily on the other hand is still not a fan and it's a struggle to get her done. I bathe them in the stall shower because the tub was an epic fail. Lily got us banned from a local groomer. It took 3 grown men to give her the sanitary shave. She weighs a little over 5 pounds. 

This is the tool that I use when I find a mat and it works better than anything else I have tried and I have tried A LOT of things. 


If you cannot find a groomer or you don't think he is ready for one, you'll have to do it yourself. You can try playing classical or harp music in the room you will be in. Many cats find it calming. You can also try Feliway diffusers or sprays or calming treats that they sell on Amazon or in the big box pet stores. Some people also swear by calming treatments like Bach's Rescue Remedy

 https://www.amazon.com/Bach-Rescue-Remedy-Pet10/dp/B0030NWZUC/ref=sr_1_9?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1480364238&sr=1-9&keywords=cat+calming+products

These did not work for me, but they do for many others. You'll have to go slowly and let him check out the comb or tool that you are going to use before you start. When he lets you comb him, reward him with praise and a yummy treat. Short sessions until he gets more used to it. 

ETA: I also use this detangling spray and it works. I spray it on the tool I am using or on my hands and not directly on the cat. 

 

[les26]

THANK YOU for taking the time out to not only respond but list all that GREAT info! The tool you use we do have one like that, I tried that one first but I didn't have much success with it and probably went about it wrong; I told a woman at work and she told me to get one that has more like "blades" on it and I did get one, but he is leery to say the least! We've had him 9 months now, he is still skittish about a lot of things but has come an awfully long way since we adopted him from a bad situation.

Thanks again, I think like you said it will just take more time to get him more used to it, we will keep working on him as I don't want to even subject him to a ride to the vet since he has only been there twice in his 4 year-old life, a year ago when the people who had him had him neutured, and this past February when I adopted him he had to get checked out and de flead so he actually was boarded for 4 days, I don't want to get him all riled up thinking he is going somewhere again!

Thank you!!!!

 

[les26]

I just saw there is a thread called "cat care and grooming", I should have put this there I would think? If anyone knows how please feel free to move it there!

Thanks!

 

[Kat0121]

 
I just saw there is a thread called "cat care and grooming", I should have put this there I would think? If anyone knows how please feel free to move it there!

Thanks!

I flagged the thread and asked a mod to move it for you. You can do it that way or send one of the mods or Anne a PM and ask them to move it.

 

[les26]

 
I flagged the thread and asked a mod to move it for you. You can do it that way or send one of the mods or Anne a PM and ask them to move it.

Okay great thank you! 

I just held him and Deb worked on some of his mats using the tool that you showed a link to, the original one that we had used before I bought this new one; he stayed pretty long for us, I was hugging him and kissing his little head and scratching his neck and talking to him while she worked on it and he was purring, so he was either happy or mad lol! But she did get it loosened up, not all the way but better than it was! We'll keep at it like that, a little every night, so he doesn't get overwhelmed and maybe he will get used to it! And then of course lots of treats ha ha!

Thanks much!!!

 

[sophie1]

Sounds like you're making progress with Sylvester, but I just had to post about this...

My Siberian cat Charlie is very prone to matting, especially on his rear end & hind legs, and they can develop very quickly. A few days ago I discovered several huge mats that were way too big and entrenched to attack with my usual methods (pulling apart with fingers & combing out). Charlie really fought my attempts to get at these mats - they must have been painful.

In desperation (and no small thanks to posts on this forum) I got some coconut oil and rubbed it all over the biggest mats. Charlie loves the stuff so I let him lick it off my fingers afterwards. I also called a friend who is an expert cat groomer (and finally bought a pet clipper).

She came by last night, but when I got home from work, I found two large, very dense mats lying on the floor!! Each was a little bigger than my thumb. Two days after the coconut oil and the mat just dropped right off. I could not believe it. Never had that happen before so it couldn't have been a coincidence. There were still a couple of smaller mats left, so we shaved those off. The trick is to use a quiet, small clipper and aim the teeth under the mat and upward, gently lifting the mat, not downward. Charlie stayed perfectly still the whole time, bless his soul.

So: clippers and coconut oil, my new favorite grooming tools. Awesome.

 

[les26]

Sounds like you're making progress with Sylvester, but I just had to post about this...

My Siberian cat Charlie is very prone to matting, especially on his rear end & hind legs, and they can develop very quickly. A few days ago I discovered several huge mats that were way too big and entrenched to attack with my usual methods (pulling apart with fingers & combing out). Charlie really fought my attempts to get at these mats - they must have been painful.

In desperation (and no small thanks to posts on this forum) I got some coconut oil and rubbed it all over the biggest mats. Charlie loves the stuff so I let him lick it off my fingers afterwards. I also called a friend who is an expert cat groomer (and finally bought a pet clipper).

She came by last night, but when I got home from work, I found two large, very dense mats lying on the floor!! Each was a little bigger than my thumb. Two days after the coconut oil and the mat just dropped right off. I could not believe it. Never had that happen before so it couldn't have been a coincidence. There were still a couple of smaller mats left, so we shaved those off. The trick is to use a quiet, small clipper and aim the teeth under the mat and upward, gently lifting the mat, not downward. Charlie stayed perfectly still the whole time, bless his soul.

So: clippers and coconut oil, my new favorite grooming tools. Awesome.

Wow, that is very interesting, thanks for the info! So you just rubbed coconut oil onto the mat, not near the skin? I don't think it would hurt if it got on his skin, but just try to keep it on the matted fur? I'll have to try it, maybe lightning will strike twice and I'll also have success!

Thank you!

 

[les26]

Well it is finally nice enough outside and warmer to take the little guy to the vet (only the 3rd time in his life!) to get a checkup and get shaved, Deb and I got some mats out and the last week or so since I guess he is shedding he has been pulling some out on his own, but on his back it is very large, tight mats that will have to be shaved. I wish that I knew that we should have been brushing him, but I didn't, but now we'll get him shaved, he'll feel better, and I will get into a routine of brushing him as to avoid this issue. A woman here at work who has a farm and has about 40 cats (yes, 40!) says he'll be fine and will be grateful as they might be hurting him and also you don't want him to pull any skin off, and I know he'll be okay, it's me I'm worried about lol! I just hate to throw him in the carrier and get him upset, but it has to be done, he's going to the vet who boarded him for 4 days when we first got him, they are nice and will be nice to him and they know what they are doing, I'll drop him off around 8 in the morning and bring him home around 5:30 that night so it won't be bad. Ugh....

Just wanted to update as I promised I would, wish me luck Thursday!

 

[neely]

Another tool that I have found exceptionally useful for our Persian is the Greyhound comb. I know other members on the forum who use if for their longhaired cats also. Here's a link to what it looks like:

 

[posiepurrs]

Greyhound comb is the only thing I use for combing/brushing my Persians. A Persians coat is so thick that a brush will not get all the way down to the skin. I am unfamiliar with a Siberians long coat so can't say if you should or shouldn't use a brush. As for the coconut oil use for mats I have never used it, but wonder if finding the mats on the floor was a result of the cat liking the taste of it and pulling the treated mats out in effort to get the oil?

 

[les26]

Well it's over, it was HORRIBLE trying to catch him and put him in the carrier, he was so stressed as I was driving him to the vets with his eyes glossy and his panting with his tongue out I was afraid he was having a heart attack, but they looked at him and said "he's okay, that's just a normal stress reaction", and when I was scratching his neck he stopped doing it but it almost gave ME a heart attack! They had to sedate him to groom him, but she did such a nice job on him, gave him a "lion cut" so he still has fur on his face, feet and tail but the rest is cut short, he looks cute and the best thing is that he didn't run and hide for weeks like he did when we first got him, he hid a little bit but came out soon and this morning he was the first one in the kitchen like always so he is good! And he is purring louder than we have ever heard him purr, I think he is relieved that those mats aren't pulling on him anymore and also that he came home, who knows what goes through their little heads when you are taking them in a carrier, he might have thought that we were getting rid of him, this was only the 3rd time in his little life that he was at the vet so who knows, but he is good, a little funny yet from the anesthesia and shots as he had a checkup too, but much better than we expected! I don't know how to do pictures or I would post one, but just look at him in the avatar and picture a lion cut and you got it!

Thanks for the replies about brushes, we're going to start with a very soft one to get him used to being brushed, then go to one like someone posted above!

Thank God it is over and he isn't hiding, I was so upset that he would be upset but he seems to understand that this is his forever home!

 

[neely]

Glad Sylvester made it through his grooming session albeit requiring sedation but he is sporting a new lion cut which should make him more comfortable. I believe there are instructions for posting pictures on the forum called Site Help, go to Site Tutorials. This should help: Site Tutorials