My cat has developed knots in her hair on her back, she had never had this before.?

Question

Can someone tell me what could be the cause of and how I can remedy this.

I tried to cut them out but they are so close to the skin that I am afraid of cutting her skin. I was going to take her to the pet groomers to have her shaved but thought I would post this question first.

Thanks for any answer/solution anyone can provide.

Answer 1

You can give the cat a bath to try and wet the hair down which will make it easier to remove the knots. Best is that you take a visit down to the Vet, Vets can easily just take a hair clipper to it or a groomer can help too. A Groomer can shave the cat in the areas because they are better with handling animals and they have assistants to hold the animal also.

You need to brush the cat daily once the knots are out to avoid the same situation.

Answer 2

Your cat may not be grooming herself as well as she should.  If she is a large cat she maybe having problems reaching her back to groom.  Her diet may need to be changed and/or montitored.  If she is not a large cat then you may want to take your cat to your vet to try and figure out what is going on.

You are right in taking your cat to the groomers (or even your local vet may shave the mats out, but rarely do a full grooming).  I have seen people try to cut mats out of their cats hair themselves and by accident cut the cats' skin.  Cats have very thin skin.

Answer 3

Mats can be a very uncomfortable thing -- the hair gets knotted which then pulls on the skin.  If not taken care of properly, they can cause sores, and potential skin infections.

Have a professional groomer shave the cat, then start fresh.  Get her used to being brushed as her hair is growing, then brush your cat EVERY day once her hair grows back.

DO NOT attempt to remove the mats yourself -- this could hurt the cat.

Answer 4

not grooming is the first sign of a cat being unwell.. might be an idea just to get her checked at the vets.. maybe blood tests..

but the groomers is a good idea. get her clipped all over then she will start from scratch and it might make it easier for her

Answer 5

Comb her.That's the solution and also bath her,After having bath,the hair will become smooth and then comb them.Also use some shampoo.Good luck.

Answer 6

It would be best to take your cat to a reputable cat groomer.

If you wet your cat, or try to give it a bath now it will only make the mats tighter and worse.

My mother has a large Persian mix that is a total inside cat whom just doesn't like being brushed.  He is quite healthy, and is fed a proper diet.  On occasion he requires a trip to the vet where a groomer comes in and works on cat there so that the cats can be sedated under the direction of the vet, and the groomer can more easily take care of the cats grooming needs without stressing the cat out.

Meeko is nearly 12 years old now and typically requires 2 trips to the vet per year for grooming.  The sedation is not a strong one and is quite safe for the cat.

That would be my recommendation if these mats are as close to the skin as you report.  It is easy to clip the cats skin when the mats are close to the skin like that.