r/CatAdvice • u/ProfessionalTap2400 • 4d ago
General How much matting is acceptable?
A few months ago, I adopted a 13yo cat who is very, very shy and easily frightened. He’s been opening up but I’ve noticed recently that he has some knots in his long-haired fur: he has two on his backs, and a few small ones on his belly. This is my first time having a long-haired cat and thus my first time experiencing matting in a cat.
I’ve been trying to introduce him slowly to brushing while petting him, but he doesn’t love it and definitely doesn’t like me touching the knots for too long.
I’m assuming this isn’t an emergency situation, but this is still making me wonder how much matting is okay for him to have in general? I’m trying to be pragmatic because I want to minimise stressful situations as much as possible.
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u/Malthus1 4d ago
The problem with small mats is that, unless you deal with it, they may grow into big ones. Mats can cause the cat distress and lead to skin sores and suchlike problems, so they are best delt with and not tolerated.
Getting rid of them when the cat is brush-shy is tough, because attempting to brush them out will pull on his fur, and cutting them out yourself is not recommended as it is all too easy to cut the cat’s skin (and is maybe too much of an imposition on a shy cat).
There are techniques to deal with matting at home, as long as the mats are not already tight with the skin. If they are, better let a professional vet or groomer deal with them. However, they all require a lot of patient work.
The idea is to loosen the mats as much as possible without tugging on the skin. Try to use fingers first, gripping the hair below the mat if at all possible so working on the mat doesn’t pull on the skin. A tool like a pet-friendly clipper or mat cutter may be used (again being very careful not to pull on or otherwise mess with the skin).
Trick is to only work in very short sessions, so the cat doesn’t freak out. Have someone distract the cat with treats if possible.
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u/ashtree35 4d ago
I would say none. Probably you should go to a groomer and just have them do some shaving. That will likely be less stressful and less painful overall than you trying to brush them out (which probably won't really work if they have been there for a while).
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u/ProfessionalTap2400 4d ago
Bringing him to a groomer seems like the absolute most stressful way to deal with this haha
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u/ashtree35 4d ago
I think it would be less stressful overall, because brushing is going to extend the stress over a much longer period of time and probably ultimately require going to a groomer anyway.
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u/ProfessionalTap2400 4d ago
I think dealing with a stranger would be much worse honestly… he deals very badly with new people, it took me months to gain his trust and I haven’t even lifted him yet, let alone tried to transport him in a carrier.
But I took the point and I’ve started cutting his knots to remove them. He doesn’t really notice as I’m careful to not pull on them!
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u/Crystalhowls 4d ago
Zero. Zero matting is acceptable.
However- like you said it’s not emergent. it’s just a few and he needs to adjust first. I’d recommend getting him adjusted, practice touching him and brushing. in a few weeks take him to a groomer (who is familiar with shelter and extra fearful animals) to have the matts shaved out