How To Groom A Cat With Matted Fur

Take your feline to the vet or groomer if you can t untangle the stubborn mats.

How to groom a cat with matted fur.

Dental issues the easiest place to start your investigation into why a senior cat isn t autogrooming as often is their mouth. When your cat notices this change they start to groom more which could increase the amount of hair they ingest and cause other health problems. Regular brushing is recommended for your cat s coat health and most knots and mats can be removed this way. Usually grooming keeps the fur clean and prevents fleas from taking hold.

This can lead to dry scaly and sometimes irritated skin. While a lack of grooming sometimes is just part of old age many times there may be a medical cause for it in your elderly feline. Dubswede how to remove mats from a longhaired cat 1. How to safely remove matts and how to prevent future matts from occurring.

Really stubborn mats can be broken up with specialized mat rakes or by cutting the mat out with a pair of scissors. If her fur is bad enough that the mat is just one giant stretch of knotted hair that s a situation that probably calls for a professional as shaving her fur might be necessary. Matted cat fur on the other hand damages tissue by preventing oxygen and moisture from reaching it. These clumps of fur can be painful for the cat.

If you have a longhaired cat brush it at least once and possibly twice per day. Matting can affect both longhaired and shorthaired cats and it s important that all cats get frequent grooming from their owners. Using a wide toothed comb. If you cannot untangle everything that way use a brush to gently break up the ends of the mat working inward.

If your cat has sections of matted fur you can probably take care of the problem yourself. Brush your cat s fur frequently. To detangle cat fur examine the whole cat for matted fur and try to break it up with your fingers. Certain breeds of cats persians maine coons and other long haired breeds are more likely to develop mats.

When a cat no longer shows an interest in grooming it s important to look for the underlying causes as an old cat with matted fur may be indicative of an underlying health issue. Illnesses such as hypothyroidism hyperthyroidism hypertension and kidney problems can cause dandruff and matted fur and these conditions are common in older kitties. But sometimes if something becomes stuck in its fur or a cat neglects its grooming mats may form.