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Expert: - 9/4/2011


Question
I have a long hair cat.She seems to get mats in her fur overnight. Some I can comb out and some I have to cut out. I was wondering if I could use No tangle spray that people use for their little girls? Thank you for any advice.

Answer
Randy,

Two things, do you bath her?  If not, bathing is the best way to get old hair out of the coat while they are shedding and helps to prevent mats.  You can use a no tangle shampoo for children or a product specifically for pets (see your nearest pet supermarket).  I would be leery of a spray unless it was made for pets.

Secondly, she needs to be knot & mat free before bathing otherwise she will mat up worse. While all this is going on bathing once a week should be enough.  We use a product called Groomers Goop to degrease (it is not as harsh as the normal goop). We then use a daily clarifying shampoo (like Suave or Pantene) to strip the coat and make it wetter than wet.  Any good human shampoo after that would be warranted (we like Ice Shine, if you can still find it).

Be sure to clip he claws before trying to bath her. We use a utility sink with a sprayer hooked up.  Make sure you thoroughly rinse at each step, and when you think you have rinsed enough, rinse some more.  You can towel her dry and put her in a wire crate to dry (in a dry warm, draft free place). We use a "Holmes" heater set on high fan and lowest heat for 45 minutes to help them dry. Be careful whatever heater you get as some of them are way too hot even on their lowest setting.  If you live in a low humidity location, you can probably skip the heater, a she will dry pretty quickly anyway.

Best regards... Norm.  

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Norman Auspitz

Expertise

I can answer most non-veterinary questions about cats. My particular expertise is pedigree cats, breeding and showing. However, I am versed in feline behavior, cat breeds and their characteristics, general feline husbandry, and the like.

Experience

I judged for the Canadian Cat Association from 1975 until 1982. I am currently an approved allbreed judge for the Cat Fanciers'' Association (the world''s largets cat registry), and have been judging for them since 1991. I have been breeding pedigreed cats since 1971 and have been exhibiting pedigreed cats in shows since 1970. I obtained my first pedigreed cat in 1970 and have never looked back. In 1971, I obtained my first Abyssinian which has become my primary breed. In addition, I have bred Manx and Persians. Currently, besides the Abyssinians, I am also breeding Maine Coons.


Organizations
Cat Fanciers'' Association, inc. (CFA) and the Manx, Maine Coon, and Abyssinian breed councils. I am currently Abyssinian breed council secretary.

Publications
Cat Fancy Magazine, The Abyssinian Chapter in The Cat Fanciers'' Association Complete Cat Book, and Articles for various editions of The Cat Fanciers'' Association Yearbook

Education/Credentials
I received a B.S. from Drexel University in 1968, a M.Math from University of Waterloo, in 1970, a Ph.D. from University of Waterloo in 1975, and a MBA from McMaster University in 1980. I received my approved allbreed judging status in the Cat Fanciers'' Association in 1999.

Awards and Honors
We have produced a number of Cat Fanciers'' Association (CFA) National winning Abyssinian and Maine Coons. We have produced a number of Abyssinian and Maine Coon Distinguished Merit females (an award for a top producing cat), including the first Distinguished Merit Abyssinian in the red (sorrel) color. I am the CFA Abyssinian breed council secretary and belong and/or hold office in a number of cat clubs. I am also a member of the CFA Judges Association.

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