All about Cat Matting (also affects some long haired Rabbits)

The following will hopefully help you understand the type of problems that you might encounter with your cat's coat and looks at the possible options and solutions. If you cannot get a comb freely through the fur then you are most likely looking at one of the following conditions:

Just a word of warning before we go any further: Cats have a particularly thin / fragile skin which is easily torn or cut. It is unwise to tackle these problems yourself unless you know what you're doing. Even brushes and combs can cause damage so imagine what scissors can do!

Tangles
This is simply tangled or knotted hair that has not formed into any sort of firm lump or "matt". Most cats will remove this on their own through self-grooming. If they don't, then it's worth dealing with it sooner rather than later before the tangle turns into a matt and becomes more difficult to remove.

Generally speaking a tangle can be teased out using a soft slicker brush followed by a comb. You can probably clear these yourself if your cat will let you. If not, do please bring your cat in and we can advise and remove the tangled area.

Minor Matting
A "matt" is where fur has gone beyond tangled and formed a solid lump, similar in texture to a piece of felt. You are unlikely to be able to "tease" these out but, providing they are not close to the skin, it will usually be possible for us to thin the matt and remove it without leaving a noticeable hole in the fur. Matts like these we regard as "minor" as long as they are fairly isolated.

If the matt has formed next to the skin then generally the only option is for it to be clipped out professionally. See below.

Matting / Severe Matting
Once matts have formed close to the skin they become more of a problem. Cats cannot generally remove these by themselves and may even cause damage in the attempt as they pull at them. They can be localised, forming typically in areas of friction such as armpits, tummy, behind the ears and commonly round the back end or "trousers". In severe cases the matting can cover the whole body.

The matts may not always be immediately obvious from just looking at the cat; the topcoat may still look relatively normal. Feel through the topcoat however and if, where you should find skin, you find a felt like layer, this is very likely matting. It won't get better on its own. It needs attention. Problems associated with matting are:

It can be distressing for the cat. Once it has formed it tends to tighten and shrink, particularly if it gets wet. It is not unusual for us to find stretch marks on the skin after removing it. In extreme cases this can cause restricted movement. One badly matted cat we know of appeared to have arthritis, as it couldn't move its legs properly. Once the matting was removed, however, it was fine.

The matted layer can harbour all sorts of problems: air can't get to the skin and dead skin can't be shed. This provides an opportunity for fleas and other parasites to move in and live under the protective layer of matting. It's not uncommon to find sores and infections in these areas.

Severe Matt removal
Give us a call to arrange an appointment. When you bring your cat in we can assess the degree of matting and advise you what needs to be done. We will always aim to save as much of the coat as possible but, where the matting is severe, it will most likely be a case of clipping these areas out. This will leave bald patches but, for the reasons above, this is in the very best interests of the cat. The coat will grow back again.

Sedation
As a general rule, vets will nearly always sedate a cat for matt removal. This is both costly and may not be suitable for some cats, possibly due to age or medical conditions. We are not vets and are not therefore able to offer sedation. In the vast majority of cases, however, we find that we can complete the job without problem.

There is a small percentage of cats, however, who can prove too agressive without sedation. As with general grooming, we will always give your cat the benefit of the doubt and try. In about 5% of cases though, it's just not possible (or safe!) and a vet is the only option.

Prevention
Once the problem has been dealt with, how do you prevent it happening again? There are various coat conditioners that will help, even diet can affect the skin and coat condition but the short answer is grooming and, in some cases, lots of it. Some long haired breeds require daily grooming.

We can advise and make recommendations for your cat. If you find this impossible then consider bringing your cat into us for a regular groom as many of our other cat owners do. The time interval will be trial and error. Start perhaps with 6 weekly and then, if matting has not re-occurred, you might consider lengthening the interval between grooms. Prevention will be better (and cheaper!) than cure, and you will have a happier, healthier cat.