Severely Matted Cat Help

[Paulmolive]

Beautiful girl she is, like my Sybil...Syb was part Norwegian Forest cat part Siberian, ( see my profile pic) which your girl looks like too. Forest cats have two layers of thick fur and tend to have matt issues. Syb also hated brushing but she let me shave her so I recommend trying that, if the mats are very bad you may need to take her to the dvm to remove them. Be very, very careful if you try to cut them, use some vegetable oil, make sure a comb is placed against the skin and cut out what you can. If you have it done get someone experienced to do it. Don’t ever cut the fur without a comb against the skin you risk cutting the skin and it is too risky.

Even if she seems ok, I guarantee those mats are uncomfortable if not painful and she will be very glad they are gone however it happens.


I shaved Syb every spring and it controlled the mats and fleas. I gave her a lion cut leaving her poof end of tail, boots and face fluff. She let me brush her a bit with a slicker once a week but her fav was the furminator in later years. It removes the undercoat very well which is what causes the matting. The outer coat in nfc, guard coat long hairs, are oily and act as a waterproofing, so they can run around in snow etc and not get wet and cold, Syb loved snow

Norwegian Forest Cat - zooplus Magazine

Appearance
Like the Maine Coon and Ragdoll, the Norwegian Forest cat has semi-long fur. Its two-layer fur consists of water-repellent top hair with longer guard hairs and a thick undercoat. As with the Siberian cat, the Norwegian Forest cat changes its coat with the seasons: the winter coat with the thick underlayer is incredibly plushy and keeps the cat warm during the bitterly cold winter months in its homeland. As is the case with many long-haired cat breeds, there are even tufts of hair between the toes. The crown around the neck is prominently developed and very fluffy. In summer, the Norwegian Forest cat loses a significant amount of its undercoat, but maintains its bushy tail and “snowshoes”, or the tufts of hair between the paw pads.

By the way, the Norwegian's fur texture differs greatly compared to the Maine Coon, even though the two breeds look similar at first glance. The Norwegian Forest cat's water-repellent top hairs are often slightly oily and heavy, making the fur a little shaggy and less silky than the American wildcat's coat. The Norwegians are quite simply perfectly adapted to temperatures below 30 degrees Celsius and heavy rain!

How to Remove Mats From a Longhaired Cat (Vet-Approved Advice)

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Aww! Syb was gorgeous. Thank you for the information! I thought Alice might be a Norwegian Forest Cat but wasn't sure. We live in the Toronto area and last winter was pretty cold. We first saw Alice last January, and at various times through the winter walking on our lawn and through the fields etc. We would put food out but she was too scared to come near us. She was so skinny and I'm pretty sure her dense fur coat is the only reason she survived. Finally we were able to secure her in our garage, and took her in for much needed vet care. Now she lives the good life with our other 3 male cats. Which by the way she started bossing around almost immediately lol

 

[Meowmee]

Aww! Syb was gorgeous. Thank you for the information! I thought Alice might be a Norwegian Forest Cat but wasn't sure. We live in the Toronto area and last winter was pretty cold. We first saw Alice last January, and at various times through the winter walking on our lawn and through the fields etc. We would put food out but she was too scared to come near us. She was so skinny and I'm pretty sure her dense fur coat is the only reason she survived. Finally we were able to secure her in our garage, and took her in for much needed vet care. Now she lives the good life with our other 3 male cats. Which by the way she started bossing around almost immediately lol

Thanks I miss my Syb sooo much and all my others.. I am sure your kitty is at least part nfc too. Another trait is that their hind legs are very long allowing them to jump like no other cats... Syb could jump up like a helicopter, 4-5 ft to a dresser top and look for her landing, landing gracefully and silently.

I have never seen a cat leap and move so gracefully and majestically as Syb did. They also have a tendency due to the hind legs etc to run up and straight down trees which she did. She was also skinny but naturally so under all her fluff, she looked like a cheeta. I will try to find a pic of her with her lion cut.

Sybil was a rescue as well from a shelter I volunteered with years ago. I had no idea of her background etc. until years later a dvm thought she was part maine coon. She was polydactyl as well on her front paws. I looked up pics online and saw she looked exactly like nfc calico cats, and then after she passed I joined a siberian cat group who thought her face is more siberian, because it is rounder.

Thanks for saving your baby, she was very lucky to survive and her fur helped for sure. I hope you have many happy years with her and get the mat and grooming problem solved soon. That is cute she bosses the boys around, in our house it was my tortie Angie who bossed everyone Syb was more mild and so gentle too, she was my oldest cat Byron’s best buddy.

 

[Gremlin's Guesthouse]

Hello, My first post on here. Wondering if anyone can help me with my matted female cat. We rescued Alice last spring, she is approximately 2 years old. She was in horrible condition when she showed up at our house, but I'm happy to say she is now in good health. However, since she's been living in the house with us, she is constantly "clumpy". We have tried to stay on top of it, and purchased several different brushes but the mats are far too thick. She is very sweet and friendly but absolutely hates being brushed. I've lived with cats all my life, but have never had this problem. Also, her fur feels and looks different than any other cat I've been around. It's seems like there's 2 different layers? A fuzzy undercoat, plus a smooth longer top coat. I have rarely seen herself clean / groom anything other than her legs, paws, and face. She does not bother with her sides or her belly. I have seen some special de-matting tools online. Can anybody recommend a particular one? Also, possibly a safe & natural way to calm her? She is so sweet and I hate having to hold her down to brush her. Although she's pretty quick to forgive me lol. Thanks for your time

Paul

Hi, Paul. I had the same problem with one of my long hair cats. Poor thing was miserable while I was combing out huge hunks of matted fur, enough to fill a large grocery bag. Only cat I've ever seen with an undercoat thick as lamb's wool. Once she began staying in the house instead of the catio, her fur thinned out and we had no more mat problems. I have several tools that I found particularly helpful:

A long handled rake-style comb with 3/4" long wide set hard teeth. The handle finally fell off, but I don't dare throw the comb away as I have not been able to replace it. I bought one with shorter teeth, but it wasn't as good as the longer teeth. These are made by Safari.

A blade-style comb (made by VIP), with long 2-1/4" cutting blades that would cut into the mat. Need to be careful with this, very sharp.

The last tool I've had luck with is a ShedMonster. The blades are curled under so they really grab the mat. I also have a similar tool with longer blades that I like a bit better, but don't see a name on that one.

I occasionally used a circular metal ring with saw teeth, might be called a shedding blade, with good results. Mine is just a cheapie, and I'm sure they make nicer ones. The Zoom Groom is fabulous and the cats adore it; however, I think it works better on short coats rather than long.

I found that it was best for everyone if I kept up on the grooming before it got to the large solid mat stage. Once the mats are so thick and hard, they will have to be patiently approached from the top or edge down, as you will not be able to comb them out from the scalp without causing severe pain and possible injury. It's the same technique a woman with long hair uses to brush out tangles, beginning at the ends of the hair and working through the tangle from the bottom up. All of these tools are sharp and should be used with extreme care and caution to avoid injuring your kitty, or yourself. Hope this helps.

Ruth

 

[Gremlin's Guesthouse]

Hello, My first post on here. Wondering if anyone can help me with my matted female cat. We rescued Alice last spring, she is approximately 2 years old. She was in horrible condition when she showed up at our house, but I'm happy to say she is now in good health. However, since she's been living in the house with us, she is constantly "clumpy". We have tried to stay on top of it, and purchased several different brushes but the mats are far too thick. She is very sweet and friendly but absolutely hates being brushed. I've lived with cats all my life, but have never had this problem. Also, her fur feels and looks different than any other cat I've been around. It's seems like there's 2 different layers? A fuzzy undercoat, plus a smooth longer top coat. I have rarely seen herself clean / groom anything other than her legs, paws, and face. She does not bother with her sides or her belly. I have seen some special de-matting tools online. Can anybody recommend a particular one? Also, possibly a safe & natural way to calm her? She is so sweet and I hate having to hold her down to brush her. Although she's pretty quick to forgive me lol. Thanks for your time

Paul

Hi, Paul. I had the same problem with one of my long hair cats. Poor thing was miserable while I was combing out huge hunks of matted fur, enough to fill a large grocery bag. Only cat I've ever seen with an undercoat thick as lamb's wool. Once she began staying in the house instead of the catio, her fur thinned out and we had no more matView attachment 318777 problems. I have several tools that I found particularly helpful:

A long handled rake-style comb with 3/4" long wide set hard teeth. The handle finally fell off, but I don't dare throw the comb away as I have not been able to replace it. I bought one with shorter teeth, but it wasn't as good as the longer teeth. These are made by Safari.

A blade-style comb (made by VIP), with long 2-1/4" cutting blades that would cut into the mat. Need to be careful with this, very sharp.

The last tool I've had luck with is a ShedMonster. The blades are curled under so they really grab the mat. I also have a similar tool with longer blades that I like a bit better, but don't see a name on that one.

I occasionally used a circular metal ring with saw teeth, might be called a shedding blade, with good results. Mine is just a cheapie, and I'm sure they make nicer ones. The Zoom Groom is fabulous and the cats adore it; however, I think it works better on short coats rather than long.

I found that it was best for everyone if I kept up on the grooming before it got to the large solid mat stage. Once the mats are so thick and hard, they will have to be patiently approached from the top or edge down, as you will not be able to comb them out from the scalp without causing severe pain and possible injury. It's the same technique a woman with long hair uses to brush out tangles, beginning at the ends of the hair and working through the tangle from the bottom up. All of these tools are sharp and should be used with extreme care and caution to avoid injuring your kitty, or yourself. Hope this helps.

Ruth

Hello, My first post on here. Wondering if anyone can help me with my matted female cat. We rescued Alice last spring, she is approximately 2 years old. She was in horrible condition when she showed up at our house, but I'm happy to say she is now in good health. However, since she's been living in the house with us, she is constantly "clumpy". We have tried to stay on top of it, and purchased several different brushes but the mats are far too thick. She is very sweet and friendly but absolutely hates being brushed. I've lived with cats all my life, but have never had this problem. Also, her fur feels and looks different than any other cat I've been around. It's seems like there's 2 different layers? A fuzzy undercoat, plus a smooth longer top coat. I have rarely seen herself clean / groom anything other than her legs, paws, and face. She does not bother with her sides or her belly. I have seen some special de-matting tools online. Can anybody recommend a particular one? Also, possibly a safe & natural way to calm her? She is so sweet and I hate having to hold her down to brush her. Although she's pretty quick to forgive me lol. Thanks for your time

Paul

I think I should clarify my statement regarding where to begin cutting the matted fur: "Once the mats are so thick and hard, they will have to be patiently approached from the top or edge down." When I say from the top down, I mean from the top of the mat (side that is facing you) and/or the outer edge of the mat, working your way down toward the scalp.

 

[daftcat75]

Please try the olive oil before you try scissors. There's no risk of drawing blood with olive oil.

 

[Gremlin's Guesthouse]

Thank you everyone for the responses! I have had some success with blunt tip scissors, but I have nightmares about injuring her. The mats are so close to her skin. She will let me work on the mats on her back side. But around her tail and belly no way.

Do be very careful with the scissors. It's so easy to cut their fragile skin when the mat is so close to the scalp. I used baby scissors with the rounded tips, but you still have to be so very careful. Had a friend who tried using scissors and cut her cat all over quite badly. When you're that close to the scalp, it's virtually impossible not to cut the skin. Better to work a blade through the mat area from the top, at the side farthest away from the skin. You do it in thin layers, inserting the blade or scissor and cutting (this is assuming you're working on big solid mats). Once you get close to the skin, you might want to begin gently brushing or combing. And this might be the point at which you would apply the olive oil. I've heard of this method, but never used it. It takes a lot of patience .. for both of you

 

[Uncled]

I used to groom dogs professionally and went to grooming school,mats in dogs fur and cats fur can be dangerous to remove and you can badly cut your pet or yourself. Please if you can afford it have your cat professional groomed by a groomer who specializes in cats.

 

[Gremlin's Guesthouse]

I used to groom dogs professionally and went to grooming school,mats in dogs fur and cats fur can be dangerous to remove and you can badly cut your pet or yourself. Please if you can afford it have your cat professional groomed by a groomer who specializes in cats.

Yes, this is excellent advice. If it's really bad, even your vet office will shave your cat for you. However, for best results, my money is on a good groomer.

 

[Paulmolive]

Hi, Paul. I had the same problem with one of my long hair cats. Poor thing was miserable while I was combing out huge hunks of matted fur, enough to fill a large grocery bag. Only cat I've ever seen with an undercoat thick as lamb's wool. Once she began staying in the house instead of the catio, her fur thinned out and we had no more mat problems. I have several tools that I found particularly helpful:

A long handled rake-style comb with 3/4" long wide set hard teeth. The handle finally fell off, but I don't dare throw the comb away as I have not been able to replace it. I bought one with shorter teeth, but it wasn't as good as the longer teeth. These are made by Safari.

A blade-style comb (made by VIP), with long 2-1/4" cutting blades that would cut into the mat. Need to be careful with this, very sharp.

The last tool I've had luck with is a ShedMonster. The blades are curled under so they really grab the mat. I also have a similar tool with longer blades that I like a bit better, but don't see a name on that one.

I occasionally used a circular metal ring with saw teeth, might be called a shedding blade, with good results. Mine is just a cheapie, and I'm sure they make nicer ones. The Zoom Groom is fabulous and the cats adore it; however, I think it works better on short coats rather than long.

I found that it was best for everyone if I kept up on the grooming before it got to the large solid mat stage. Once the mats are so thick and hard, they will have to be patiently approached from the top or edge down, as you will not be able to comb them out from the scalp without causing severe pain and possible injury. It's the same technique a woman with long hair uses to brush out tangles, beginning at the ends of the hair and working through the tangle from the bottom up. All of these tools are sharp and should be used with extreme care and caution to avoid injuring your kitty, or yourself. Hope this helps.

Ruth

Thank you Ruth! Great advice

 

[Paulmolive]

This forum has been a great help. Thank you all for your input! I will post an update soon

Paul

 

[Norachan]

This forum has been a great help. Thank you all for your input! I will post an update soon

We'd love to see a before and after picture if she does get a hair cut.

 

[jvmay1703]

Hello, My first post on here. Wondering if anyone can help me with my matted female cat. We rescued Alice last spring, she is approximately 2 years old. She was in horrible condition when she showed up at our house, but I'm happy to say she is now in good health. However, since she's been living in the house with us, she is constantly "clumpy". We have tried to stay on top of it, and purchased several different brushes but the mats are far too thick. She is very sweet and friendly but absolutely hates being brushed. I've lived with cats all my life, but have never had this problem. Also, her fur feels and looks different than any other cat I've been around. It's seems like there's 2 different layers? A fuzzy undercoat, plus a smooth longer top coat. I have rarely seen herself clean / groom anything other than her legs, paws, and face. She does not bother with her sides or her belly. I have seen some special de-matting tools online. Can anybody recommend a particular one? Also, possibly a safe & natural way to calm her? She is so sweet and I hate having to hold her down to brush her. Although she's pretty quick to forgive me lol. Thanks for your time

Paul

Paul your cat looks just like my cat!