Matted fur in cats. How to easily remove mats from a cat at home. Video review about grooming care for cats

Many owners of long-haired cats know what mats are. A mat is a lump of dead hair that gets tangled with living hairs and hangs on the animal, causing it a lot of inconvenience. Most often, mats form in long-haired cats, due to their physiology. However, a tangle can also appear in an ordinary cat if she lived on the street and no one looked after her. Having arrived in a new home, the first thing new owners ask themselves is how to get rid of mats? But before we answer this question, we need to find out where these hairballs come from. And why some cats manage to clean their fur themselves, while others definitely need their owner’s help.

Why do tangles form?

1. Long-haired cats definitely need timely care. If you do not monitor the condition of the animal's fur, very soon the pet will become covered with tangles. Most often they appear in places of bends and friction - behind the ears, armpits, on the stomach, in the groin, and in advanced cases - on the sides.
2. Sometimes tangles can appear due to improper care for the animal. When washing, you need to gently stroke the fur, and not lather or ruffle it. The fact is that such wool is very difficult to comb, so washing should be delicate.
3. During periods when the cat sheds its old fur, the animal must be combed daily. If you don't do this, you won't be able to avoid tangles.
4. Sometimes hair may fall out excessively due to poor nutrition. Long-haired cats require a balanced diet, with a full range of vitamins and minerals. If your cat eats dry food, do not forget to supplement its diet with special vitamin complexes.
5. If mats appear suddenly, despite careful care of the animal, the condition and hair loss may indicate an illness in the cat. At the same time, the coat often becomes greasy and dull.

In addition to the fact that tangles look terribly unaesthetic, they are also dangerous for the animal. Firstly, in the hot season, mats disrupt normal thermoregulation - the cat can simply overheat, and as a result, traces of dermatitis appear on the skin. The second reason why you need to get rid of tangles as soon as possible is that they are a breeding ground for bacteria. Not only microbes and viruses can settle inside these hairballs, but also larger representatives of insects - fleas and ticks. In addition, tangles really bother the cat herself, bringing her a lot of inconvenience. Often, animals try to get rid of hairballs on their own by tearing them out, leaving injuries on the skin.

All this suggests that tangles should not be allowed to appear on the animal’s fur. If this does happen, you need to get rid of this unpleasant problem as soon as possible.

How to get rid of tangles

1. First, try combing the animal's fur. This is appropriate if the cat’s fur has small tangles that can simply be combed out. Lay it on its side and stroke it. Begin the procedure carefully, while calming your pet. First comb the sides and back, chest, and front legs. The most difficult areas to comb will be the belly and hind legs.
2. Large tangles that cannot be combed out should be tried to be cut lengthwise. So, by gradually cutting and combing, you can preserve the animal’s healthy fur.
3. If the tangles cannot be combed out, they need to be cut off. This can be done with scissors, a wool clipper, or a regular hair clipper for people cutting hair. You need to cut off the fur along with tangles very, very carefully, because the animal’s skin is very thin. You may not even notice how awkwardly you damage it.
4. The process of getting rid of tangles is quite long and painstaking. At the same time, the cat will be nervous; it would be better if a second person held it. If the animal is very tired and worried, do not try to completely clean the fur. This may take you several days.
5. There is a special device on sale - a welt cutter. It is a kind of comb with blunt ends, between the teeth of which there are blades. This product helps you comb the animal's fur and at the same time cut off all unnecessary things.
6. When grooming an animal, try to cut only areas with long hair, without touching the cat's paws and head. It’s okay that after this a sort of “lion” will appear in front of you. Believe me, this makes it much easier for the cat, especially in the summer. The cat will be able to restore its previous fur length in a couple of months.
7. However, if the cat is quite aggressive, or you are afraid to do the haircut yourself, you can take the animal to veterinary clinic or a special hairdresser for dogs. There, for a relatively small fee, your pet will be cleaned up.
8. Among the care products for long-haired cats there is such a comb - the furminator. It is a device for high-quality combing of the undercoat. Using a furminator, you can comb out a huge amount of unnecessary hair from an animal and significantly speed up the process of molting. The Furminator is an indispensable item for caring for long-haired animals.
9. After the procedure, you can treat the animal's fur with an antistatic spray. This allows the wool to look beautiful and not roll into icicles and tangles. This product significantly affects the appearance of the animal.
10. Remember that until you get rid of the tangles, the animal cannot be bathed. After water procedures It will be much more difficult to comb out hairballs.

These simple rules will help you save the animal from suffering and bring the cat into decent appearance. But how to prevent the re-formation of tangles on the wool?

Long-haired cats require special attention - every person should know this even before a kitten appears in his home. It is best to comb the animal every day, but this should not be done less than 2-3 times a week.

The animal should be bathed every couple of weeks. To do this, you need to use special shampoos and conditioners that prevent the coat from sticking and make the coat smooth and shiny. You need to bathe the animal very carefully and carefully, without ruffling the wet fur. You also need to carefully dry your cat after water procedures - without excessive friction. It is better to simply blot the wool with a towel and then dry it with a hairdryer.

Dry shampoo will help get rid of static tension and quickly clean the coat. It is easy to use in field conditions - when the animal temporarily lives outside the home. Simply sprinkle the powder onto your fur and it will absorb oil from the skin. After this, all that remains is to comb the fur thoroughly, and it will look perfect again.

Mats on an animal's fur are a lesson, first of all, for the owner. If some cat breeds are able to groom themselves and lick their fur, then your pet cannot do without your participation. Keep an eye on your pet, because we are truly responsible for those we have tamed...

Video: cutting mats on a cat

Many cat lovers dream of having a fluffy long-haired cat, but not everyone, for many reasons, decides to have such a pet. One of the most common reasons is the need for constant and painstaking care of the coat. And this is quite fair, because such fluffy pet You need to comb the hair regularly and correctly, and treat the wool with special products. Many owners of long-haired cats complain that as soon as they start grooming a little, mats appear. However, mats in a cat can also occur for other reasons, which we suggest finding out in more detail now.

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Why do tangles appear?

Mats or trichomes occur in both long-haired dogs and cats and are pathological condition animal hair. With trichome, the hairs of the fur stick together and become tangled together into a dense, inseparable lump, which feels like thick felt. Tangles most often occur in hard to reach places and where the fur is most exposed to friction: the stomach, groin area, tail, inner side paws, less often on the back or neck.

Veterinarians associate this phenomenon with poor animal care, as well as with local pathological processes. Most common reason

the occurrence of tangles in pets - insufficient care or untimely combing. However, among all the factors that cause trichomes, experts include: Mats are not only an aesthetic problem: due to metabolic disorders in the skin, they cause discomfort and many skin diseases

. Due to discomfort in accessible places, the animal may itself try to tear out or gnaw out the tangles, injuring the skin.

Removing tangles correctly Removing tangles from an animal's fur is not so easy without special tools. Many people cannot do without scissors or a hair clipper. However, we do not recommend immediately resorting to radical measures , because it will ruin your pet’s gorgeous hair. Of course, if other methods do not help, then there is nowhere to go. The first thing you can try is to sort it out with your hands and comb the matted fur. The second popular and effective method

how to get rid of mats from a cat - use a mat cutter.

Combing

1. If the tangles have formed recently, they can be easily untangled by hand. To do this, you first need to divide the tangle into several strands, then try to separate the hairs piece by piece. Starting from the bottom up, comb through with a fine-tooth comb.
2. If the mat was only partially dismantled, for example, upper layer wool, then the bottom one can be carefully cut lengthwise with a knife or use a webbing cutter.
3. When combing the mat, the skin must be held so as not to pull it too much and cause pain to the animal.

Never bathe your pet before untangling tangles. This will only make the problem worse. However, experts advise pre-treating the mat itself and the hair around it with a special combing spray or talcum powder.

Colt cutter

The mat cutter is a modern, convenient and completely safe tool that helps remove matted hairballs and tangles. By appearance it resembles a paring knife. This tool is equipped with special blades (usually about 10 of them), which are located parallel to each other and sharpened only on one side for safe use.

Photo gallery “Coltun cutters”

You need to comb through matted wool with a tangle cutter in the same way as with a regular comb. The blades of the tool should be facing down, movements should be in the direction of the tangle. You can see what the webbing cutter looks like in the video (pro100vesna).

Prevention of tangles

As experts say, it is better to prevent a problem than to get rid of it later. This is especially true for show animals, for which the removal of even small areas of fur is a complete disaster. In the fluffiest long-haired cats, after cutting, the hair is completely restored only after 4-5 months. In addition, after cutting, the guard hair may change color. Therefore, for all purebred show cats, the main rule of keeping is proper nutrition and quality regular care.

So, what is included in the concept of “regular care” and what does tangle prevention mean?

1. Regular brushing of the coat will allow you to promptly remove lost hairs and promote correct exchange skin substances.
2. Regular bathing of the animal using special shampoos and hygiene products will help keep the fur clean. Clean hairs without skin problems They do not fall off or tangle, they shine and lie evenly over the entire surface of the body.
3. Balanced diet and additional nutrients and vitamins will help maintain healthy skin and beautiful coat.
4. If it is not possible to buy an animal in a timely manner, you can use dry shampoo. In addition to maintaining cleanliness, it will help remove static tension and make the coat soft and shiny.
5. Always use a hair dryer to dry the fur after bathing and comb the cat thoroughly with a special brush.

How to properly care for a long-haired purring pet so that there are no problems with the fur? A grooming expert talks about this.

The healthy and well-groomed fur of a furry pet is a source of pride for a caring cat owner. Owners of long-haired beauties pay especially careful attention to the appearance of the animal. Breeds such as Siberian, Persian, Maine Coon, Bohemian Rex, Neva Masquerade are the most demanding in terms of coat care. Mats in cats with long hair are the animal's hair matted into dense clumps, worsening aesthetic appearance and health. Short-haired breeds are less likely to have problems associated with the formation of mats in the coat. Their fur falls off, as a rule, due to the contact of adhesive substances (varnish, paint, resin, glue, etc.) on the animal’s body.

Read in this article

Why do cats get mats?

The process of formation of tangles in an animal is associated with natural processes dying of fur hairs. These hairs get tangled in healthy coat, intertwine between them, get together into lumps and fall into dense formations - tangles. Localized in the armpits, on the thighs and abdomen, and on the tail. Healthy animals with short and medium-length hair themselves cope well with the problem of dead hair. Cats carefully lick their fur, removing dead hair. Long-haired breeds bred by humans are not able to cope with their luxurious coat on their own.

How to remove mats from a cat yourself

The procedure for removing matted fur does not require fuss and haste from the owner of a furry pet. Before you comb out your cat's mats, you need to dissolve the dirt that led to the formation of the lump. For this purpose they use special means for caring for long-haired cat breeds. They allow you to painlessly untangle tangles, make it easier to comb matted fur, and dissolve dirt. Many products have hypoallergenic properties, which is important if you have allergies and hypersensitivity skin at the pet's.

How to comb a cat's mats painlessly - one of the important issues in pet hair care. They come to the aid of the owner of a long-haired animal special devices– long-toothed combs, tangle cutters. When choosing the first device, you should pay attention to the safety of the teeth to prevent injury to the cat’s delicate skin.

Hair cutters have various modifications, but all of them are easy to use and safe for the animal.

How to remove mats from a cat

It happens that the condition of the coat is in neglected form, in this case, the tangles have to be cut out with sharp scissors (manicure scissors, with sharp curved blades) or shaved using a special animal clipper. This manipulation of the cat should be carried out with an assistant who will ensure the pet's immobility and safety.

IN in some cases(restless animal, neglected condition of the coat) you can contact a grooming salon for qualified help.

To learn how to trim a cat's mats, watch this video:

Getting rid of cat tangles is much more difficult than preventing them. To do this, you need to regularly comb the animal's fur with a comb with long, non-sharp teeth. To care for shorter hair on the paws and head, a short-toothed comb is suitable.

Bathing a cat - effective method maintaining the coat in a healthy condition. To wash your animal to prevent the formation of hairballs, you should use special anti-matt shampoos. Such products reduce the electrification of the fur, moisturize and smooth out the cat's hair scales.

Beautiful and well-groomed coat pet important not only for exhibitions and aesthetic perception of the beauty of the animal. This is an integral indicator of the cat’s health and well-being. Helping your pet care for its fur, preventing the development of mats and removing the resulting ones is the task of a loving and caring owner fluffy cat.

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Reasons why a cat is cut. There are several good reasons... If the procedure is related to the removal of tangles, then it is carried out as they form.

Once upon a time there was a cat. He was fluffy and very clean. But one day the owners began to notice that their wool furry pet faded and began to roll into lumps - first small and soft, and then more and more dense, until, finally, all the cat’s fur from a fluffy cloud turned into tightly constricting clothing, reminiscent of felt in its quality. What happened?

Unfortunately, this is the problem with many long-haired and semi-long-haired cats. No matter how hard the owners try to comb and untangle the wool tangles, it all ends with the same thing - a haircut. An interesting fact is that the fur of cats is more susceptible to matting and matting (60-70%) and to a lesser extent that of cats. Of course, these phenomena do not happen on their own.


In most cases, wool rolling is observed due to metabolic disorders (in particular, fat metabolism), urolithiasis V chronic stage, diseases of the liver and biliary tract.

Predisposing factors are also violation of feeding rules and insufficient care of long and fluffy hair. Many animals simply do not allow themselves to be brushed, behave aggressively, and their fur becomes more and more neglected. Ultimately, the skin under the matted fur also undergoes changes: diaper rash, dandruff, eczema appear, and quite noticeable itching occurs. Cats may become irritable and uncommunicative during this period. When the process is far advanced, they may refuse to eat and become indifferent to everything that happens.

What to do with such a cat?

Hairdressers come to the aid of such animals. First of all, the animal is calmed using anesthetics ( special drugs plunging the cat into a kind of sleep). It's better if this procedure will be carried out under supervision veterinarian. The animal relaxes and no longer experiences negative emotions when being groomed. Then each tangle is isolated and, if there are few of them, they are cut off with scissors. If the hair is matted on almost all parts of the body, it is better to make a full haircut using a special clipper. With this haircut, the length of the hair does not exceed 0.5 cm, which prevents it from becoming tangled again. The fur can remain uncut only on those parts of the body where it does not tend to mat - on the muzzle and the lower part of the paws.

After grooming, the cat can be washed immediately. It is very good to use shampoos and conditioners containing mink oil or oil tea tree- they perfectly restore the fat balance of the skin and have a beneficial effect on minor abrasions and other damage to the skin. After washing, you need to dry the cat with a hairdryer and wrap it in a dry terry towel. While the cat is still half asleep, you can carry out other necessary hygiene procedures: trim nails, assess the condition of teeth and ears.

When the cat fully recovers, try to protect it from drafts and hypothermia - after all, deprived of most of its fur, it will not be able to fully warm itself. Do not allow a clipped cat to sit on vents or near windows. Remember that hypothermia for cats is fraught with colds.

And one more necessary reminder: if you notice that your cat’s fur is beginning to actively roll into mats, this is a signal that not everything is in order in the cat’s body. You may need to consult a specialist to determine the cause of these disorders.