Thread: De-mating without injury

I went to my niece's wedding on Saturday and someone asked me what happened to my hands (they are covered in bite and scratch marks) I told her that I had a long haired cat that doesn't appreciate being groomed. I try and groom Simba 2 or 3 times a week. He has a very thick coat and just grooming him on top doesn't get through the thick undercoat. I've noticed just recently that he started to get matting around and under his front legs and a few days ago had a good go at getting rid of them with comb, brush, furminator and scissors. Half an hour later and covered in bites and scratches I had got all but a couple out. I am waiting for my wounds to heal before I have another go

Has anyone any advice for an easier method of getting these out or getting Simba to actually enjoy being groomed. I have always been as gentle as possible and given him treats while grooming him but it doesn't seem to make the slightest difference. At first he treats it as a game but after a while he gets quite cross with me. I'm worried that I won't be able to keep up with the matting if he carries on like this and it will get worse.

I have thought about bathing him but think my injuries might be worse!

Hi Karena
Our old Persian cat hated the brush, so I'm very familiar with your battles.
It sounds that, despite your best efforts, Simba is just not having it.
So you're going to have to bug him in short,frequent bursts.
Get prepared with all the tools and equipment, then ask a friend to help you.
One of you gets hold of Simba, hangs on tight to the mighty paws, and the other has a go at the belly. You may only have a few minutes' window of opportunity.
Ignore the first few complaints and talk lovingly to him, but let go when he's REALLY pissed off. Then give him a treat and a big fuss (if he hasn't legged it).

If you manage this every 2 or 3 days, hopefully you won't get big knots.
If you do find a knot, my tip is forget the comb and scissors, and use some cordless beard trimmers. It's a bit like shearing a sheep, but usually they prefer it because it doesn't pull as much and it's quick.

Good luck!

Thank you both for your replies.

Candes - the sharp scissors scare me a bit because he figits so much - i use rounded end ones but the aren't very good at getting at the mats so I can understand why you use sharp scissors.

Howlinbob - The beard trimmers sound like a good idea. Having short bursts is what I am doing at the moment. He never used to get matts and doing it twice a week seemed ok but I think maybe now he is older I will have to grrom him more often like you say and keep on top of it. I can still feel a couple of largish mats under is left leg and so that is what I need to do next.

Has anyone used one of those de-matting tools bit like this one: Mikki Matt Breaker - Pet Supplies from PET SUPERMARKET the uk's #1 Online pet store

It has little blades on it to get through mats. Just wondered if it was worth ordering one. I going to look at beard trimmers now though!

I have always used a dematting comb on a couple of mine,luckily the ones that I show have never had any problems.Mine is a mikki one but I couldn't find one like it when I just looked but if you go into the pet section on Amazon there is one made by Trixie & another one by Salon,I find that because of how they hook to the side they are very easy to use,I did buy a ferminator but didn't have such good results & the coat didn't feel so good either.My daughters black cat had become a s** to groom & when you are battling with 10kg + you don't stand much chance so we got a cat Mikki muzzle put that on & with her just holding his feet gently & me with dematting comb we got on brilliantly,done it in several goes,stopped every time before he thought he had enough,done as someone else suggested & gave him treats & as he was such a good boy he had a special game as well,by the time she moved with him he was sorted but I did wonder how she would get on but she still used to muzzle him to start with & he would just lay & let her do it,now he is absolutely fine & mostly she can just groom him as normal,if he looks as if he is going to play up,muzzle on & no problems.....Good luck !

[QUOTE=jckkerrison;7734]I have always used a dematting comb on a couple of mine,luckily the ones that I show have never had any problems.Mine is a mikki one but I couldn't find one like it when I just looked but if you go into the pet section on Amazon there is one made by Trixie & another one by Salon,I find that because of how they hook to the side they are very easy to use,QUOTE]

Thanks for that - is this the one you use Mikki De-Matting Comb - Pet Supplies from PET SUPERMARKET the uk's #1 Online pet store

Hi Karena,just got mine out to compare.....I have to say mine looks slightly more curved,more like the Trixie one but I know someone said that the design had changed a bit,couldn't get them for a little while so I don't know if they came back slightly different,would you be able to see it for yourself ? I find it is the nice rounded curve that seems to give you the dig in that you require !

Originally Posted by Howlinbob

So you're going to have to bug him in short,frequent bursts.

That is also my tactic of choice with El Monto, Lord of the Mats.
I use a large-toothed comb to get hold of the mat and then cut it through with blunt-ended scissors. For mats that are not very thick I sometimes use the Furmaster... this is a different gadget from the Furminator... as far as I know you shouldn't use a Furminator on mats.
Usually after about 5 minutes Monty starts clawing at the comb and trying to bite it. I then try to prolong his ordeal a bit by distracting him with a toy, but at a certain point he simply bolts.
By this method, I usually manage to collect a modest heap of matted fur. The girls love to help by sneaking up on Monty and me, stealing the discarded fur and spreading it all over the living room.