Matted hair on a Maine Coon?

Question

Our Maine Coon has some pretty bad matting. He wont let us near the mats and wont allow us to brush him on that side. Is this a job for a groomer or a vet? I'm thinking he might need to be sedated.

Answer 1

Go for the vet.

If he's got them super bad then sedation will be the key.

My maine-coon mix got really bad matting despite the fact we brushed him everyday. We brought him to the vet and she ended up just shaving him completely.

It helped for the heat and she said that it would cause less matting in the long run if we continued to brush thoroughly as the hair grew back.

Needless to say, Bubba has had no bigger than quarter sized matting since then and all of those have easily come out with a pair of scissor and minor scratches to our arms. =p

.... I think groomers are more expensive, too.

Answer 2

We had a Maine Coon and another cat with the same problem. Fortunately, the Maine would let us cut the knots out. The other..well, lets just say Sigfreid and Roy took less chances. We found that the vet, during checkups (especially in the Spring when he was shedding) could give him a mild sedative, clean his teeth, and give him a "Lion" cut that would keep him cool in the Summer but would be grown out by Fall. Then regular brushing would keep him neat until shedding season then the mats would come back. Some years, I would be able to cut them out and trim him so sedation was only used twice in about 6 years.

But talk to a groomer first.