Expert: Tomay - 7/7/2004

Question
I own a cat with long hair. They live outside. How do I keep the hair from being matted? What do I do to take care of hair that is already matted? I give my cat a bath. Thanks for your help.

Answer
Hello,
Thank you for your inquiry. The only SURE way to keep a longhaired cat matt free is to brush and COMB on a daily basis.  When furr becomes tangled and matted, and then water is added in the form of a bath, those tangles and matts quickly become dense and packed against the skin, making brushing and combing useless.  Once matting has become bad, there is no other choice but to have the cat shaved down by a professional groomer.  It is not a good idea to try and do this yourself, and cats have paper thin skin that rolls very easily and thereby can cut and nick very easily, sometimes requiring vet attention...DO NOT ATTEMPT  to clip out matts with SCISSORS!! If the matting is not taken care of early on, the furr will continue to twist and pull and actually detatch itself from the cat's skin, leaving bald spots and irritating the skin, not to mention the discomfort involved.  Once the cat has been shaved down, it will be easier to keep up with the coat as it grows out.  It is not enough to just brush a long haired cat. A comb is a must.  It will let you know where the tangles are that you missed during the brush out!
Hope this will be helpful.
Thank you
Tomay