Question:
One of our cats has recently gained some weight (even though he's on diet food) and as a result, he has trouble reaching around to groom himself. Rye has developed some mats on his side and rear end. Does anyone know a pain-free way to get rid of them? I've tried cutting them out, but he wriggles around so much that I'm afriad I'm going to stab him. We're thinking of taking him to a grooming salon, but A)it's $70 to shave him, and B)they need proof of current vaccinations, which he hasn't had this year. He hasn't had his shots for two years, for several reasons....mainly because of emergency vet bills for Artemis and Fluffy, and now lack of funds. So the grooming salon is out, for now anyway. Anyone know any at-home remedies I could try? I used to use baby oil on my horses mane to get burrs out, but I'm not sure how safe it would be to use on a cat who may lick himself later, or get another cat to bathe him. Any suggestions?


Answer:
Try a metal, wide-tooth comb. You can sometimes "break them up" with the comb and pull them out. Good luck!


Answer:
Try a grooming rake.


Answer:
If you pinch the mat as close to the skin as possible and go in there with scissors, you should be able to safely remove them without stabbing him. I have a wiggly pomeranian that sometimes needs a mat or two removed and this is how I do it. By making sure your fingers are between the cat and the scissors, you should be safe. or, you can try a mat comb made for dogs. It's got sharp teeth that cut through mats.


Answer:
have you tried anything yet Nikki?


Answer:
Once you get the mats out, maybe you could try grooming him every day, or every other day. My cat Max absolutely loves to be groomed. We also bribe him with treats so that he knows that it is a pleasurable experience. We groom him and then give him a small piece of cheese or a cat treat after.


Answer:
Brandy, I haven't tried anything yet. I'm still trying to decide the best way to go about it. I think we're going to buy clippers and shave him ourself. Hopefully that will work.
Candice, I do groom him, but I guess not as often as I need to. He used to be fine before he gained weight. He's still on a diet, but it's not helping much. Silly Rye. But once we get the mats out I'm going to try and groom him every other day. We have a Zoom Groom for him and he's nuts about it. As soon as he sees it in my hand he runs up and flops down beside me.


Answer:
Zoom Groom? Is that a rubber thing with nobbies? If so, I fail to see how they actually help remove the dead hair.....maybe the stuff right on the surface but you need to get right to the skin. Get a good comb and that'll make all the difference!


Answer:
I have a slicker brush and it works great.


Answer:
Yeah, the zoom groom is the rubber thing. All the cats love it but it does only get the hair on the surface. We have another comb that gets down deeper too. Has anyone tried those combs that have a serrated edge to cut through mats? Or is that what neuro means by a grooming rake?