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RE: My cat has a bad spot on his back.

peppersully — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 02:24:12 GMT

I used to use brushes on my long haired until my vet recommended using a wide tooth metal comb. Works great as it gets through all the fur and you can pick one up at walmart for under 10$. I have had mine for 2 yrs and works perfect. The best way to deal w/ mats is to prevent them by combing your cat as often as needed. Some need daily some every couple of days or longer depending.

RE: My cat has a bad spot on his back.

Ocimom — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:49:41 GMT

Flea combs are better for shorter hair cats or if your cat has fleas. For a longhair cat you need a little wider comb. The flea comb would not get down to the skin very well on the body where the hair is longer.

It would work if you were used to combing cats, but not for a person who is not experienced. There are combs that are split with wider teeth and narrow teeth on the same comb.

Brushes (unless its a pin brush) only go over the surface of the fur - not down to the skin as it should be.

RE: My cat has a bad spot on his back.

SuperCat — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:18:22 GMT

Never cut hair mats with a scissors -- too easy to cut the skin. You are just torturing your cat if you try to comb or brush them out.

Mats that are close to the skin are uncomfortable for kitty and they love it when you shave them off.

I got an electric hair clippers (human hair clippers work too) they are very inexpensive nowadays they don't have to be pet clippers. Like this:

Don't use any of the attachments (they look like this):

Plug your clipper in with an extension cord and put it next to the chair you always sit in. When you cat is sitting on your lap relaxing, or sleeping, turn the clipper on and hold the mat clump with one hand and gently shave it off using the clipper using the other hand holding the shaver.

You might only be able to take one mat off at a time until kitty gets used to having you do this - but believe me -- they love having these clumps removed and you can safely remove them without cutting kitty's skin! Brushing and combing is painful and takes forever!

My cats (especially long-haired Rusty) are now very used to this and comfortable with it.

To prevent clumps from forming in the first place brush daily, but somehow mats always seem able to form very quickly!

RE: My cat has a bad spot on his back.

cats_dolls — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:36:53 GMT

If the mats are real close to the skin, I'd have to say visit the groomer.

One other thing I forgot earlier - if you're going to the pet store, look for a Zoom Groom. It's made of rubber, shaped like a cat, with short rubber "fingers". You can use that in between combings - lots of cats like it, it's like getting massage. Won't break up mats but it may help your cat get accustomed to being combed.

RE: My cat has a bad spot on his back.

Cynthiaa89 — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:13:07 GMT

I have a similar question...What should you do if your cat gets little balls of matted up hair every once in a while that is so bad you have to cut it off? It seems like it would hurt her if I tried to comb it out (if it's too close to the skin I just comb it) but she doesn't like that much. I brush her pretty often, but it just seems like a little ball of matted up hair every once in a while is unavoidable.

RE: My cat has a bad spot on his back.

kitty323 — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:57:11 GMT

Thanks everybody for your advice...much appreciated!!

I don't think I'll be trying the mayo solution...but thanks anyway, I'm gonna go to the store and buy some flea combs.

Btw, Maria, I found the links to be quite useful!

RE: My cat has a bad spot on his back.

Maria3 — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:24:51 GMT

Here you have two links about this in spanish, they tell you what kind of brush you should use and how to do it:

http://www.nestle-petcare.es/mascotas-gatos/higieneYBellPelo.htm

http://www.infomascota.com/articulos/generales/gatos/2005/3/17/peinando_gato_1/

RE: My cat has a bad spot on his back.

cats_dolls — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:56:10 GMT

Laura - when you go to the pet store, look for a flea comb. It's usually a metal comb with very fine teeth. Comb the cat like you would comb your hair, as much as he will let you. Run your fingers all over your cat's body feeling for mats, especially where his front paws meet his body. A brush isn't going to let you get all the way down to the skin and isn't going to be stiff enough to help you get out the mats.

I actually have two flea combs. If I find a mat, I try to wedge one between the mat and his body and use the other comb to work on the mat. The comb against the cat seems to help keep me from pulling his hair.

I have cut mats out but you need to be very very careful not to cut the cat! I never cut unless I do have a comb between the cat and the mat I'm trying to eliminate.

I sympathize, I have a long-haired kitty myself and he doesn't like to be combed! Gentleness and patience are needed.

RE: My cat has a bad spot on his back.

kitty323 — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:37:57 GMT

Okay, I get it. So when you comb, it's like not as much right? Brushing means doing it a lot. Or is there also a difference in the tecnique?

By the way, I speak spanish too.

RE: My cat has a bad spot on his back.

Maria3 — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:19:17 GMT

A comb like your comb but for cats. They are shorter and with larger teeth.

You brush with a brush and comb with a comb. Really there are many kind of brushes and each one is for a kind of hair. really don't know what is better for a long haired cat. But you can find it easily in Internet. Look for "brush cat" or "groom cat".

I have found all sort of advices, but I have only look for it in spanish so I can't help you.

RE: My cat has a bad spot on his back.

kitty323 — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:54:42 GMT

Thanks everybody for your input...I was freaking out thinking I had done something really bad to my kitty...

I use the kind of brush that has tiny little short hard (what's the word??) thingys that stick out and they're very close to each other. And they can hurt too. When you guys say comb, you guys mean like a human comb? The one with the thicker, more far apart comb-thingys?

What's the difference between brushing and combing? (sorry I know dumb question)

I thought you were supposed to brush cats. I'm confused.

RE: My cat has a bad spot on his back.

Maria3 — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:04:49 GMT

If you can't untangle the hair you will have to cut it.

Be very careful, it's easy cutting the skin. One way to avoid cutting the skin is using a comb. You put the comb between the scissors and the skin.

RE: My cat has a bad spot on his back.

PeaLoki&Gabe — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:07:34 GMT

Mayonnaise is a natural hair conditioner, dampen kitty down again, rub a 1/2 cup of MAYONNAISE (Not salad dressing i.e. Miracle Whip see link into the matted areas, try and keep kitty from grooming the areas for 20 minutes (I know that's asking an awful lot) to let the mayo penetrate, then gently try to comb out the matts. (Brushing is bad for human hair- can you imagine what it does to their fur? Combing is better, and you have more control over a comb). http://www.pioneerthinking.com/conditioner2.html

Worst case is you waste a 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, make a mess and it doesn't work. best case is that it works, and is non toxic to kitty.

Don't have mayonnaise and only miracle whip? 2 egg YOLKS (only), a few teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice, 1 cup oil. mix the yolks and vinegar, in a blender adding the oil a little at atime, and voila, mayonnaise (Yes there's a little more to it if you want it to taste like something cayenne, mustard powder, salt and pepper to taste but you're not eating this one you're rubbing it on your cat!) http://homecooking.about.com/od/saladrecipes/r/blcon64.htm

Have fun and let me know if it works!

RE: My cat has a bad spot on his back.

Ocimom — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:39:25 GMT

It will grow back. I never use a brush on a long hair cat - it really doesn't do much. You need a medium and fine-toothed comb for longhairs.

As they dry, they should be combed; usually its best to use a hair dryer and comb a little at a time. This may require 2 people - one to comb, one to hold the hair dryer (on LOW).

My cat has a bad spot on his back.

kitty323 — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:53:00 GMT

So here's the deal:about 2 weeks ago I decided to try to bathe my kitty by myself since I'm on a budget and couldn't really afford to take him to a groomer. He has long hair, so I bathed him and he was fine with it. He didn't really let me dry him or brush him though. He left.

So I think he tried to brush himself and only got to one side because just yesterday I touched his other side which he always lays on and it was matted up pretty badly. So I started working. I really didn't get very far because it's pretty bad. And then he got mad at me because I believe I pulled too hard and tore some hair off! There's a little bald spot about a quarter big and I can see the hair which used to go there it's next to it attached to some other hair. These are my questions:

1. will it grow back? does it bother him?

2. HOW do u brush badly matted hair?

3. is there any other possibility that I did not do this? because i really dont remember pulling that hard.