How to help kitty with hair clumps?

by Anonymous

My kitty has recently developed hair clumps. She won't let me brush her because they hurt her. Kayleigh is an 8 year old long hair kitty and otherwise healthy and loving.

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Apr 18, 2018
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starstarstarstarstar 		Be careful not to tear the skin if you try to cut them out
by: Kurt (Admin)

Some long haired cats, notably Persians or Persian mixes, need frequent grooming in order to prevent matting.

Cats have relatively thin skin. It can be cut or torn if you're not careful, but if the matting is not too bad, you can usually work out the tangles if you do it gently.

Detangling products can help, such as those from Eqyss, which you can buy at Amazon.

But... don't use water as it can make the matting worse. The fur should be dry.

You can use the long end of a rat tail comb to help gently work out the tightest mats.

If the matting gets bad enough, however, the hair can be shaved with electric clippers. Again, you have to be careful not to cut or rip the thin skin. A professional groomer or a veterinarian can shave the mats for you.

I explain more about all this in my comments here. There are some videos on how to groom a cat that may be helpful as well.

For regular maintenance and to prevent future matting, daily grooming is recommended, along with using a rake tool like a Furminator to remove loose hairs that your cat can't manage on her own.

If your cat isn't grooming herself as well as she used to, that may be something you want to discuss with your vet to find out why.
Apr 18, 2018
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starstarstarstarstar 		Fur clumps
by: Lora W. Georgetown, Ohio

We had a long haired cat some years ago, and we tried to brush the mats/clumps out. That didn't work. We tried a ' flea comb '...that was a no-go.
So, it came down to cutting it. We did, but in tiny increments. We used a very small pair of scissors and snipped just a little each day. Please watch and do not get close to the skin.This should be done over several days. It makes for less nervousness on kitty's part.
Don't worry, it will definitely grow back ! Our kitty was his handsome self in no time and was so much more comfortable to boot.
After the offending clumps are gone, Please brush/groom her every day. That will keep the clumps away and you and the kitty will really enjoy the time together.

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