Adopted stray kitty has matted hair

He has already gone to the vet to get fixed and shots, but know I have to help him out with his grooming.

He is a long hair that was living in the alley and under the house next door.
What can I go about the matted hair on his backside?

Can I do it myself or does he need to go to a groomer?

You will probably need an extra pair of hands to help. Wrap the kitten up in a towel to prevent scratching and biting and while one person holds the kitten, the other person can carefully cut away the matted fur.

I wouldn’t use scissors, though. Use an electric hair or beard trimmer, so there’s less risk of cutting the animal.

Thanks gang.
Don’t have any trimmers. The extra hands will help. Any technique hints if I go with the scissors?

I would be leary about using anything electric. The noise might scare the kitten.

I’ve always used something similar to daffyduck’s idea. Pull up gently on the matte until you can slide the scissors underneath it to cut it away. If the hair is to badly matted, you can cut through the matte. Again, pull gently on the matte, but instead of cutting below it, cut up a little ways. This will leave part of the matte there, but often it’s enough to let you brush the rest of it out.

Your kitten is going to have a funny haircut for a while, but both you and he will be happier.

Spend the twenty bucks for a battery operated mustache and beard trimmer from Target (or similar). Otherwise, you will spend twice that amount on band-aids if you don’t.

Trust me on this.
:smiley:

Ah, the old scissors vs. trimmer debate…

I am firmly in the scissors camp. Towel the kitten, as daffyduck so wisely suggested (think kitty burrito), then clip carefully with the scissors, Just be sure the ends aren’t too close to the kitten. Smaller scissors will probably work better. If you cut through them, you can usually brush what is left out.

Why so many ducks in a kitten thread? :dubious:

Oh, and good on you for adopting a stray.

If you don’t have experience cutting away mats, you really, really don’t want to use scissors. It is VERY hard to tell where the skin begins. You can very very easily cut the skin and you’ll be amazed because you thought you weren’t anywhere near it.

You should get a special tool made for detangling mats. You can buy it at the pet store for a few dollars. If the mats won’t come out with that, you’re going to have to get a groomer to do it - either using the mat tool or having the cat shaved.

You’re making a big mistake if you try to save a few dollars and cut them out with scissors. You’ll more than make up for the “saved” money with an emergency vet visit.

Special tool? It is not what I call a brush?

His hair is quite long…I am not sure a mustache trim can handle the work load.

Ducks and a Bunny!

Wouldn’t a professional grooming be more cost-effective? When I had a cat (well OK, when I was staying with my parents who have a cat), we found the professional groomers really know what they’re doing and are well worth the cost.

It’s called a mat splitter. It allows you to safely separate the mat into much smaller “chunks” so that they can be brushed out without horrible pain to the cat. They are cheap.

I bet a groomer wouldn’t charge much though. He probably is going to need a shave if he’s got mats on his back - that is an unusual place and indicates that the poor thing had a very rough time. It might be easier on both you and him to have a professional handle this.

Seconded, thirded, fourthed, and fifthed. You can use scissors (I do on occasion), but unless you know what you’re doing, I would strongly echo missbunny and shelve that idea for now. Cat skin is quite loose and will lift up along with the hair when you tug on it. Unless the cat’s fur is very distinct in color from his skin, it’s almost impossible to see where the hair stops, and he can end up with anything from nasty cuts to a missing slice of skin. Even trimmers can be iffy; a trimmer with widely-spaced teeth will pull up that loose skin and macerate it. I’ve been grooming cats all my life, and the one time I zigged when the cat zagged is something I’ll never forget.

How easy is he to handle? Sometimes you can manually work the mats out, tackling them one at a time. If you tug gently on the side of the mat while holding the main body, you can often separate hairs from the mat and comb them out. A metal grooming comb works wonders here. It depends on how the mat is attached; mats with loose hair underneath are more likely to come out than mats that are flat to the skin.

If the mats are really bad and closely attached to the skin, I’d ask your vet to recommend an experienced cat groomer who can shave the cat down. It shouldn’t be that expensive, and once his hair has been trimmed you can take proper care of his coat as it grows. Another benefit is that you get to introduce him to the idea of being groomed at a time when his hair is easy to manage. Then he’ll be used to it once his coat comes back in.

Mandatory disclaimer repeated for emphasis:

It is very easy for even an experienced groomer to injure your cat with scissors. Don’t try this at home unless you fully understand the risks to you and to your cat.

That said, if you’re absolutely bound and determined to use scissors, you can try cutting straight through the middle of the mat, parallel to the cat’s skin. Take two fingers and lay them against the cat’s skin, pinching the mat between them (as though your fingers were scissors). Leave the skin lying flat and do NOT pull on the hair! Don’t try to get the entire mat above your fingers; just go with whatever pokes up without any pulling. If you keep the skin below your fingers and the mat above, you can cut above your fingers and snip some of the mat away. Whatever’s left will be much easier to break down with a comb.

No, it’s actually more of a comb-thing. It’s usually metal, with long tines that are close together. There is razor along the edge where the tines join the bar of the tool (if that makes any sense).

It works because as you slide the comb beneath the mat, it slices the matted fur above the comb and ensures that you don’t cut any skin while you do it. It worked wonders on our Golden Retriever (who was kind enough to hold still during the process, whereas a kitty likely won’t).

Forgot the link. It looks like this.

IMHO, take him to a groomer. He’s already stressed from being a stray and it might be easier on you both if you let a pro handle it the first time.

Besides, there’s nothing quite like a groomer who knows what they’re doing. I used to take my cat to a groomer 2x a year, and for at least a week after he’d be all love and cuddles.

Oh, and I forgot! Post a pic if you can, I (at least) want to see the kitty :slight_smile:

Exactly. Cat skin (or dog skin) is not the same texture as human skin. It’s really easy to pick it up with the fur and slice right into it. It feels just like fur when you cut it so it’s hard to tell you’re cutting something that you’re not supposed to be cutting.

If he’s that matted, spend $15 on the groomer’s and shave him completely. It’s not worth the stress and aggravation, plus he’ll look funnier with a bunch of patches than with shaved skin.

Henceafter, give him a daily brushing with one of those cat brushes that have many tiny metal bristles.

In the future, if the mats are “soft” (usually comes in a big soft tangled mass) they can be combed out with patience. Don’t pull on it–just work at it–then all of a sudden the hair will start coming out. Use a regular metal-toothed cat comb that has a single row of sturdy teeth. Be sure and give the area a good combing-over to work out any additional loose hairs, or the mat will grow back in a couple of weeks.

However, if the mats are “hard” (usually knotty flattish pieces) you can’t usually comb these out. You should almost never get these types of mats if you brushed this cat regularly. That being said, I use scissors on the occassions I do get these mats–these usually do not tangle all the way to the skin. I use VERY VERY light pressure on the scissors… and cut at a snail’s pace… if I hit skin, I’d know it. Of course, if you can use trimmers, please do.

-dre2xl, owns a himalayan and a ragdoll, knows just a wee bit about cat hair…

And you might want to expect to pay more than $15, depending on your area. I used to work for a groomer, and a whole-body cat shave started at about $35 - $40, depending on the condition of the coat and temperment of the cat. If you just wanted a butt-shave, she might charge around $15. YMMV, of course.