My cats coat is VERY matted. what do i do?

Question

he doesn't let me brush him, and when he does - it's only for a short time.

it's gotten so bad that pretty much all underneath him is matted.

do i call a pet groomer, or a vet or what?

coz i'm pretty sure he would have to be sedated for them to do it.

And roughly how much will it cost? etc.

Answer 1

I would call a vet's office and see if they will do this. If the cat needs to be sedated, have a professional do it. If he is so matted that they cannot remove them without injuring the skin, the cat will need to be shaved. These mat's tighten on the skin and are very painful to the cat.  

Answer 2

Talk to your local groomer (make sure they have cat experience and not just dogs).  Let them know that he will probably give them a hard time.  I was sure ours would, but they are experts and handled him just fine.  No sedation was needed.  (turns out some cats are so freaked out by the new environment they actually behave.)

They will bathe him and try to comb him out, but they may need to cut and shave the mats off if they are severe enough.

Unless you want to do this on a regular basis, you are going to have to get him used to your brushing him.  Do a little each day, and give him treats and make it fun for him and he will calm down.

The mats can be VERY painful which would also explain why he doesn't like you to mess with them.  Once they are gone he may he more willing to let you brush him for maintenance so they don't get that bad again.

We brush our long haired cat regularly but sometimes some mats still happen, he goes to the groomer for a bath every few months and it's about $40 each time.  I hope that helps!

Take him now, let them help him (they have the equipment and the know-how) and go from there.  it really is not something you will be able to do yourself, and you might end up hurting him (or he may hurt you in the process.)

Answer 3

well depending on how bad the matting is depends on what you should do.

We have a cat who frequently gets mats in her coat, she is kind of a slob.

what we do is cut them out and it seems to work pretty well.

you should probably take him to a groomer though, or maybe the vet to get some advice because it sounds that it is a bit to harsh for you to cut the mats out.

the cost depends on what kind of groomer you go to.

i would probably go to a groomer though because the vet is really expensive, and they might not even be able to do anything for it.

Answer 4

Find a groomer who will work on cats and have him shaved. He can get skin infections and it is very painful for him. I am going to guess the groomer will charge between $30 and $40. Get a kitty cream rinse spray and use it when his coat grows out to reduce the tangles.  

Answer 5

If the cat will need sedation (and it sounds like it will) she MUST go to a vet, NOT a groomer. If it were just a normal clip and she was used to it a groomer would be OK but for severe matting a vet is best as cat skin is very thin and they can be easily cut, especially when removing tight matts. Believe me, I've been there myself with my own Maine C* (yahoo won't let me publish her full breed as part if it is a dirty word!!). I pay around AUD$90 for a clip with sedation at my local vet. I would not allow a groomer to sedate any animal, they're not qualified, especially if something goes wrong.

Answer 6

if you believe that he will need sedation you will need to bring him to the vet, and depending on the vet it could cost anywhere from 50 to 200 dollars