Domestic Cat with Knotted Hair!?

Question

Ok...My cat is five years old! I have never ever had to brush her! But recently she has been getting matted hair! Right now she has got like five or six HUGE mats near her tail area! Is there anyway to get rid of and/or prevent them from coming back?? I don't know what I am suppose to do here! Please help!! Thank you!

Answer 1

My fiance's families cat gets huge knots. He gets them because he likes to play in the water (yeah I said likes). The water causes his hair to knot up.

Has your cat been getting into the bathroom or in the kitchen sink?

You could always get him shaved. They get their cat a lion cut in the summer - its great!

Answer 2

Easy solution.

Cut out the matts carefully.

Groom 3-4 times weekly to prevent more from building up.

Prevention is KEY.

Answer 3

You may want to take the cat to the vet. Some diseases can cause cats to be less meticulous when cleaning, because they don't feel well. Their haircoats can become matted and dirty looking. The vet may want to do bloodwork to try to find out what could be wrong.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO CUT THE MATS OFF WITH SCISSORS. I can't tell you how many cats I saw that had to have wounds sewn up because the owners tried to cut them out with scissors and cut the cat.

If the vet finds nothing wrong with the cat, then you should take it to a groomer that handles cats. Or brush the cat daily to keep the fur from matting.  

Answer 4

Well when my cat had mats of fur I cut out the matted hair with scissors trying not to hurt him and I would brush your cat every once and awhile and since I did that he hasn't had any matted fur since then!!!!!

Answer 5

She might have gotten into something that made the hair sticky or tangled.   I would say your best bet is to cut the matted pieces off and brush out the tale.  You can also buy detangling cat wipes and brush her hair since she might have just gotten lazier and decided not to clean as often.

Answer 6

I've been there- my cat had matted hair and I took him to the vet (there's a groomer that works there) and she gave him the "lion cut". That's where they shave the cat and just leave hair in it's head, legs, and tail. He looked so cute! (and probably felt great, too!) I got it done every 3-4 months for about two years. I stopped doing it recently because I moved to a new state, but there has been no matted hair since! I brush him now and then with a comb I got at the vet, that helps. Good luck!

Answer 7

get a brush from pet smart and brush the tail lightly until the knots come out. I have one cat and he is sooo mean.. but he likes to be brushed and i brush him everyday and his coat the very smooth,soft, and not knotted

Answer 8

Matted hair can be a sign of a health issue, so you may want to schedule a checkup with the vet. Meanwhile, you want to get rid of the mats or they can become painful by pulling on the skin.

You could try taking the cat to the groomer and have them shave or cut the knots out. They are experienced and can usually do it very efficiently. If you decide to do it yourself, you must be very careful not to hurt the cat. First, never attempt to 'pull' the knots out with a brush. You could tear the skin. Be very careful with scissors as it is also very easy to cut them unintentionally.

I had this issue once with each of my cats. The first cat I used a combination of electric clippers and a scissors to slowly work on individual mats. I was only able to do a little at a time before the cat got impatient. On my other cat, I was able to break up the knots by grabbing it with both hands and pulling it apart sideways, so as to not pull on the skin. Again, it took a long time, spread out over several days, but worked well.

In both cases, the cat did have a health issue that needed to be treated.

Answer 9

From the first site I found the following information:

Long-haired cats, especially those with the soft, fine, downy fur that Persians are known for need to be groomed daily. Although cats are excellent self-groomers, long-haired cats benefit from extra grooming care by their owners. If your cat has inherited the three types of hair commonly found on Persians; guard hair, awn, and down, without daily grooming, their hair will mat frequently.

Long-haired cats living indoors can shed all year round. During the main shedding season (springtime) when the weather turns warmer, the undercoat will loosen. The loose hairs if not removed by a rake or long-toothed comb will become entwined with the guard hairs. This process is the beginning of a mat. The mat then becomes a cat hair magnet, inviting other hair to join it. By the time all the invitations are issued, the mat can be quite large.

For stray or feral cats it’s common for these mats to accumulate under the tail and on the back legs. The reason is moisture (urine and f***s) acting like glue, holding the hair together.

Removing Mats

Never bathe your cat first before trying to remove mats.  Instead, wait until after kitty has eaten, or after an intensive session of interactive play and kitty is tuckered out, then grab the box of cornstarch from your pantry, a pair of bandage scissors, a seam ripper, a fine tooth comb and a large pair of toenail clippers and sit by your cat.

Put a pinch of cornstarch on the mat and gently work it down into the hairs with your fingers. Pull the mat upward, without pulling the skin and using either the comb or your fingers, grasp the base of the mat above the skin. Helen suggests if the mat is starting to get out of control, to not use scissors, but instead use the seam ripper. Work from side to side (not up and down) to avoid accidentally stabbing kitty and begin to work the hair loose. Once the hair is loosened, use the comb and gently comb the hairs apart. If the mat is stubborn, use the toenail clippers to cut the mat. For smaller mats use a flea comb or a baby comb. Leave your wire bristle brushes in the drawer for mat removal.  

Answer 10

Give her a fresh cut. After you wash her brush her hair till its straight.

If her hair gets long its going to mat up again. So, keep it cut a good length.

Hope I Helped♥

Alexis.