Fluffy long-haired cats are very attractive. They are beautiful, graceful, elegant, have an independent and affectionate disposition. But when you get a long-haired cat, keep in mind that you will also get its problems. It's up to you to take care of the luxurious fur coat of this fluffy beauty. Taking care of your cat's fur includes regular brushing, infrequent washing, and removing any tangles that have formed.
Why does a cat have mats?
When breeding long-haired breeds, the emphasis was placed on the properties of the coat. Cats with particularly thick and long fur were selected for breeding. Animals are sometimes unable to take care of such “fur coats” using only their paws and tongue. Therefore, there are often cases when, due to lack of care for long-haired felines, the hair becomes matted and forms tangles. Cutting out the formed lumps is not a problem, but it is better not to bring the animal to such a state.
What usually causes mats in cats:
- poor quality nutrition with a lack of vitamins and minerals;
- the presence of dandruff, which thickens the tangles and makes it impossible to comb the hair;
- using inappropriate cleaning products when bathing, such as using shampoos intended for humans;
- improper soaping during bathing and drying after it;
- fur contamination that the cat cannot cope with on its own (grease, chemicals, etc.);
- diseases: the fur first reacts to the animal’s poor health;
- parasitosis.
The hairline is renewed cyclically. Some hair falls out every day, and new ones grow in their place. If the fallen hairs are not removed in time, a hairball will form, that is, a tangle. It can form anywhere, but most often it appears behind the ears, on the tail, on the neck, in the groin or armpits. Even short-haired cats are susceptible to matting, although this does not happen often. Usually this situation is preceded by poor health or severe soiling of the coat.
Prevention of tangle formation
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Preventing wool from matting and keeping it beautiful and shiny is not that difficult. You just need to more closely monitor the cat’s health and nutrition, learn the rules of care and bathing, and regularly visit the veterinarian. Prevention of tangle formation consists of several points that must be followed.
Combing
Long-haired and semi-long-haired cats need to be brushed every day, or at least once every two days. This will help remove dead hairs, smooth and ventilate the undercoat. In addition, combing with a comb or brush has a positive effect on the blood supply to the skin and regulates the secretion of sebum.
Daily brushing prevents mats from appearing
You should comb out slowly and carefully. You should not make a lot of effort so as not to damage the skin or accidentally tear out a tuft of healthy fur. Particular attention should be paid to the neck, belly, areas under the paws, and tail.
Bathing rules
You also need to bathe your pet regularly. In this case, it is better to use specialized care products that are sold in every pet store or veterinary pharmacy. If you can't buy cat shampoo, you can use dry shampoo. The water should be at the optimal temperature. And for bathing it is better to use the shower.
You should bathe your cat using special pet shampoos.
After bathing, the cat must be dried. To do this, you will need a hairdryer with a gentle setting and a comb. It is important to observe the temperature setting of the hairdryer so as not to dry out the skin. Once a day, brush your cat with a special comb. This is an excellent prevention of hair matting.
Balanced diet
For animals, as for humans, a proper diet is important.
Cat food should be enriched with vitamins and nutrients. If the owner does not know how to create a balanced diet, then a veterinarian will help him with this. As a rule, ready-made cat food, which is sold in pet stores, already contains the entire range of vitamins and minerals. Consulting with a veterinarian will also help you choose a good food.
And don’t neglect the services of a groomer—a hairdresser for cats and dogs. Regular visits to this specialist and a specialized haircut will help prevent the formation of tangles. But the main task in this matter rests with the owner.
Why tangles are dangerous and why remove them
The tangles prevent the animal from moving. During active actions, the cat may get caught on something and get injured. Subsequently, she may treat the furball as a sore spot, which will make it difficult for the owner to cut it off.
Of course, matted fur does not pose a threat to the life of the fluffy beauty, but mats, nevertheless, must be gotten rid of, since they can provoke additional problems:
- first of all, it is the ugly appearance of the animal;
- formed from lost hair, the hairball also captures the growing hair, tearing it out, and this is unpleasant and painful;
- cats, as a rule, want to get rid of matted hair themselves and begin to lick and bite it, sometimes this leads to serious skin irritations;
- a large amount of matted hair impedes the movement of air, the animal begins to sweat, and this is fraught with the appearance of various dermatitis;
- A favorable environment for ectoparasites is formed inside the felt ball.
If your cat has a mat that is too dense, removing it will be unpleasant and even painful. Trimming is not advisable, since the hair of long-haired cats takes a long time to grow: up to six months.
Basic information about tangles
A mat is a dense lump formed from old felted wool. Young, healthy animals spend enough time on hygiene, licking themselves regularly and for a long time. In this way, they remove dead, fallen hairs, so that tangles do not appear.
Elderly and sick cats usually do not have enough strength to properly care for their fur coat.
For this reason, their fur intertwines, gets tangled and forms dense clumps. But sometimes even young individuals fail to prevent the formation of tangles. What are the reasons for such negative changes?
How to properly remove mats from a cat
You shouldn’t put off removing your cat’s mats until later, otherwise you’ll have to put in a lot of effort and make the animal pretty nervous, and in a neglected situation, you’ll have to cut out the flaws. Cats do not like to be kept in one place for a long time, much less manipulated in any way, so you need to ask your household members to help you. One cat may require two to four helpers - and this is no joke.
You can remove mats from a cat either with your hands or with the help of various devices. Before starting the process, be sure to use a spray that makes combing easier.
Untangle with your hands
The most preferred method is to untangle the tangles with your hands. This takes more time, but the animal is not hurt, and metal objects in your hands do not cause fear and horror in him, as is the case with using tools.
First, knead the area where the wool is matted well, then with both hands try to disassemble the tangle, as if stretching it from the center to the edges. This must be done carefully, monitoring the animal’s reaction. If you cannot untangle the wool with your fingers, you will have to use special assistant devices.
Remove with scissors and comb
As with all hairball removal methods, you first need to make sure that the animal is in good spirits and that you will have the opportunity to handle it. You should comb out your cat's mats as soon as possible: lay your pet down so that the area with matted fur is clearly visible.
Hold the skin with one hand so as not to pull it with a comb, with the other hand comb the tangle well several times so that one large one breaks up into several small ones. After this it will be easy to deal with the problem. If all else fails, try making vertical cuts and then carefully combing through the lump, starting from the edge. This method will allow you to preserve the coat at least partially.
Comb out with a tangle cutter
You can buy a special device called a tangle cutter at a pet store. It looks like a comb with blunt teeth. Between the latter there is a blade that helps trim matted hair.
The mechanism for using a tangle cutter is similar to the mechanism for using a simple comb. You need to fix the animal on a hard surface, holding it under the belly with your hand, and carefully comb the problem area with a tangle cutter until the lump disappears. The direction of movement should be in accordance with the growth of the coat, in no case is it against it. Otherwise you will hurt the animal.
Cut your hair
The last resort is to cut out the mats. In particularly advanced cases, the cat will have to be completely trimmed. If you are skilled in hairdressing, you can do it yourself. If you are not sure that you can handle it, or do not know how to get rid of cat tangles using a machine, it is better to contact a professional groomer.
Typically, experts leave hair in the area of the muzzle, paws and tail, since it is extremely undesirable to get rid of it in these places due to the location of the whiskers. You can make a model haircut so that the shaved areas look like an original idea.
Grooming the cat
It happens that the wool falls into very large clumps. In this situation, the cat should be cut.
It is better to cut off very large mats
For cutting, use scissors with blunt ends or a hair clipper with a nozzle of 2 millimeters or more. When grooming the cat, you need to hold it tightly, stretching the skin. The head, tail and paws are cut next or not cut at all. But not every owner can cope with this. Nowadays there are many animal hairdressing salons or, as they are called, grooming salons.
The salons will get rid of tangles and give you a haircut.
Professionals will help not only get rid of tangles, but also cut the animal’s hair safely. Also, in such salons they will give recommendations on the choice of combing devices and hygiene products.
Why is a haircut completely or partially undesirable?
Nowadays cat haircuts are gaining popularity. Paying tribute to fashion, owners forget that this is not at all useful for their pet, and sometimes even dangerous. Veterinarians unanimously say that cats can be cut only in case of urgent need: for various skin diseases, in the presence of serious mats in cats, and also in preparation for surgery.
The structure of the coat changes after grooming: the newly grown one becomes thinner, matted areas quickly form ꟷ in this case, the solution again will be to trim the cats’ mats. In some areas the fur does not grow back or takes too long to grow. As a result, the animal’s skin also suffers - it becomes less elastic and elastic, and body temperature decreases. All this can lead to serious illnesses.
Animals have an extremely negative attitude towards the grooming process itself and its result. There are cases of cats trying to injure themselves after being groomed.
Grooming also disrupts thermoregulation - some cats even in the hot summer begin to freeze after a grooming. What can we say about the cold winter? A short-haired cat simply will not move away from the battery.
There is a less serious, but quite important reason for owners of purebred cats, why they should refuse haircuts. The fact is that the appearance of the animal undergoes changes, the fur changes and may begin to curl. Such a cat will no longer be appreciated at an exhibition. Before you cut your pet's hair completely or partially, think about whether your pet needs a change of appearance - or if it's just your whim.
Reasons for the appearance of tangles
This problem is associated with long hair. More often, mats appear in Persian cats or breeds similar to them. In shorthaired dogs, dense lumps appear extremely rarely. Then this indicates that the animal is sick. Reasons why a cat's fur gets matted :
- It is impossible for an animal to get rid of old or falling hairs on its own. The cause is too thick hair.
- Depressed state of the cat. In this state, she does not do enough personal hygiene.
- A number of diseases. These could be dermatological problems, oral pathologies, cancerous tumors, etc.
- Vitamin deficiency, which leads to disruption of metabolic processes in the animal's body. As a result, dandruff may appear, and it sticks the hairs together even more tightly.
- Skin parasites. Lice or lice eaters cause cats to lick their fur even more often. As a result of large amounts of saliva coming into contact with it, wet lumps are formed.
- Wool contamination. For example, when an animal gets dirty with glue, petroleum, oils, etc.
- Wrong food choices.
- Poor animal care.
Mats can form even if your cat is not bathed properly. For example, if shampoos intended for humans are used, improper soaping, rinsing and drying of the animal. After water procedures, the fur can only be blotted with a towel; you cannot rub the cat in order to dry it faster.
Take your time
Do not try to remove the entire tangle at once, but cut it off in several stages, starting with the densest and most “inconvenient” formations and ending with simple and small ones.
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You can deal with tangles that are located even in accessible places, but how can you remove tangles on a cat’s stomach? After all, not every cat even allows you to stroke this tender spot. You need to act in the same way as when removing other tangles, but more carefully. The work may take several days, especially if the cat is restless.
For voluminous tangles
To remove tangles from a kitten or an adult animal at a later stage, you will have to work hard. It is useless to try to comb them. It will not be possible to completely untangle the lumps, and the procedure will exhaust both the cat and its owner.
In advanced situations, not only the hairs of the pet are involved in the process, but also the skin of the pet. Therefore, you will have to arm yourself with sharp scissors and a machine. The latter must have a nozzle of at least three millimeters.
During cutting, the skin is stretched, but not pressed too much. Extreme care must be taken to avoid injuring the cat. Carefully remove each tangle in turn. They try not to cut it at the root. Healthy areas of fur are not touched.
When removing lumps on the head and limbs, do not use a machine or scissors. The cat reacts very painfully to touching these areas of the body. You will have to somehow untangle the tangles with your hands. Fortunately, the hair in these places is usually not very long.
Indications for removing mats
Clumps of matted fur should be removed as soon as possible. Tangles are not only unsightly, but also dangerous. These formations do not pose a threat to the cat’s life, but there are direct indications for their elimination. And this should under no circumstances be ignored.
The tangles are quite dense in structure. Their appearance causes a lot of inconvenience to the cat.
During play, the pet may get caught in a furball on some object and pull it hard to free itself from the obstacle. As a result, the cat will be injured, and the mat itself and touching it will be associated with pain and discomfort. This will make it difficult for the owner or veterinarian to remove the lump.
Mats cause pain and discomfort to the cat
Skin diseases
If there are a large number of mats, the skin underneath them begins to swell. This is a direct road to the development of skin diseases.
Increased dryness provokes the appearance of dandruff. Excessive moisture causes inflammation and ulcers to form on the skin, through which secondary infection can occur. Sometimes this leads to infection entering the body.
Therefore, at the first signs of the formation of tangles, you need to get rid of them, and then prescribe treatment to the animal.
You can often observe how ectoparasitic foci appear in matted wool.
Tangles are an ideal place for their development: it is warm inside, direct contact with the skin and small capillaries, which provides them with nutrition. Under such conditions, their reproduction only accelerates.
The animal feels terrible discomfort; it constantly itches and tears the skin, which can also lead to various dermatitis and other skin diseases.
Various ectoparasites often reproduce in tangles
