GROOMING YOUR MATTED CAT

Here is a few tips to help you with dematting your cat.
Grooming your cat regularly with a brush or comb will reduce the occurrence of mats in the fur. Unfortunately, many cats wind up with matted fur because they hate to be groomed. Here's how to deal with the problem, which occurs most often in longhairs.

1. Attempt to remove the fur mat after the cat has eaten. Cats tend to be more relaxed after meals.
2. Adopt a calm and soothing demeanor as you approach the cat.
3. When the cat is relaxed, try to work out the fur mat with your fingers.
4. If the fingers don't work, get scissorsSnip down the middle of the fur mat, far from the skin. It's quite easy to snip the skin accidentally on longhaired cats, so work carefully.
5. Slowly work apart the fur mat with your fingers, Snipping away a little more if necessary. Reassure the cat in a soothing voice as you snip. If she becomes upset, stop and come back to the task later.
6. Once you've worked apart the fur mat and it's clearly away from the skin, cut it off.
7. Reward the cat's cooperation with a kitty treat or petting under chin, behind ears etc.
8. If the cat has several fur mats, remove them at separate times. The cat will quickly lose her patience after you remove the first fur mat. Build trust with a gentle approach and treats to make future grooming encounters easier.
9. Bring the cat to a professional groomer or a veterinarian if the cat is unapproachable, if the fur mat is in a delicate area or if the mats are extremely tangled cat may have to be given a tranqulizer to get the job done, sedation is much eaiser on your cat then the trauma. Even if taken to groomer might be a good idea to get a kitty relaxer pill from your vet first!