Mats...help :(

[auntie]

hi cat friends
My Siberian cat Ruby has long, fine, fluffy fur. It has been a humid, hot summer, and seemingly overnight she developed big mats under her arms and legs. I just brought her to the vet to have the mats chopped out, since they seemed to be bothering her.

However, when I got Ruby home I saw that she still had the mats under her arms, although her back legs had been nicely cleared. It’s expensive to have the vets do it, so I got a set of clippers to do it myself. They are Wahl U-Clips which have a #10 blade and several attachments. It’s the kind that are dark blue, and come in a red box. I figured I could save money since I have 2 long-haired cats to keep groomed.

So as you have guessed, I couldn’t get the mats off. Ruby was patient and good (to a point), but I only managed to get a small amount of mat material off, and the clippers didn’t even seem to be able to cut the non-matted fur. It’s almost like it’s too downy and fine. I didn’t use any attachments, and I oiled the blade. Also, I later saw I cut a tiny nick in her skin. I’ll try again later but I did call it quits as soon as she began to struggle (my husband was holding her).

Before I started, I watched videos about cat clipping online and made sure to read the directions in the U-Clip box, but I’m doing something wrong. Does anyone have any tips? Thanks!!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! I have the same clippers I think, and had a certain amount of luck with my boys belly fur (which is VERY cottony) but the nooks and crannies were beyond me.
I use blunt end scissors when he's asleep, cut the mats down to a certain point, and pull the rest of the matted fur apart with my fingers.

Also, I've read but haven't had a chance to try this yet, that cornstarch rubbed into the fur will help the individual strands to come apart. Rub it in, and leave it for several hours...
If you try that one, let me know if it works

 

[neely]

Most of our cats have been longhaired so I feel your pain. I can also relate to the hot, humid weather magically making mats appear overnight.

I really like the Geib Stainless Steel Greyhound Comb: PetEdge - Wholesale Dog Grooming Products & Pet Supplies
But when all else fails every now and then I have to take our present Persian cat to the groomer. Fortunately our vet has a cat groomer come to the office twice a month. Best of luck!

 

[Furballsmom]

...ummm. Maybe try one of the attachments next time?

 

[auntie]

Thanks for the replies! At first, I was so afraid of cutting my cat that I did try the most appropriate attachment, but unfortunately I needed to cut shorter than it would allow. Anyway I tried again with the clippers and had a little more success, I think I still need to figure out the angle if I really want to be able to clip my cats. I also used a greyhound comb to lift some of the mats, then with the comb in place I scissored them out with embroidery scissors (since the comb was there, I didn't risk chopping her). So, that was a good suggestion too...I have a greyhound comb that a friend gave me when I first got the cats. It's a little rusty but does the job. Poor cats in this heat!
Last question, if anyone knows, is Wahl an okay brand? Should I have gotten Andis? It's just so hard to saw through the endless fluff, I don't know how the vet does it smoothly!

 

[Furballsmom]

I was given to understand from reviews etc that Wahl is a good brand, when I was looking last year, and I even asked my vet. This is their clippers, although it's the red handled Deluxe version.
My boy has cottony belly fur, and it handled that ok.
Maybe you could ask your vet tech to give you a run through of it?

 

[jclark]

Brush them daily or every other and make sure they're not sleeping in sinks.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Wahl is a good brand. I use a Wahl clipper set to cut DH's hair. I've been doing that for about 12 years now. DH is responsible for keeping them oiled and all that though. That makes a difference in the cutting.

 

[silkenpaw]

I got an Andis because it had a removable head and with several long-haired cats, I need to change the hot blade to a cool one during the haircutting session. Plus, I feel I can clean the blade better when it's off the clipper.