My parents didn’t brush my cat and now she’s covered in mats

Pet Lifestyle
1

I was in the hospital for two months, and during that time, my parents took care of my cat. When I got home, I found she has huge mats all over her back, legs, armpits, and belly. She’s 11 and has arthritis, so she can’t groom herself properly, and I usually brush and comb her regularly. I told my parents they needed to brush her daily, and they said they did, but clearly, they didn’t.

I’ve tried to gently work through the mats by hand, but her skin is pulled really tight. Brushing and combing aren’t working either. The mats are close to her skin, and I don’t want to cut them out myself and risk hurting her. The soonest I can get her to a groomer is 2-3 weeks, and I don’t have pet clippers, only human ones, so I don’t feel comfortable trying to trim her. I read that olive oil might help loosen the mats, but does anyone have better suggestions?

2

You should take her to the vet instead of waiting for a groomer. A vet tech can shave the mats off quickly and at a reasonable price.

3

Your vet can definitely shave her mats safely.

4

You’ll probably need to get her shaved at the vet. Don’t try cutting or combing the mats out yourself.

5

Keenan said:
You’ll probably need to get her shaved at the vet. Don’t try cutting or combing the mats out yourself.

I think you meant ‘cat,’ not ‘car,’ lol!

6

Mai said:

Keenan said:
You’ll probably need to get her shaved at the vet. Don’t try cutting or combing the mats out yourself.

I think you meant ‘cat,’ not ‘car,’ lol!

Is this your first time seeing a typo?

7

Mai said:

Keenan said:
You’ll probably need to get her shaved at the vet. Don’t try cutting or combing the mats out yourself.

I think you meant ‘cat,’ not ‘car,’ lol!

Sometimes people call their cat ‘car’ as a joke.

8

@heavenly
They do get the zoomies, after all!

9

@heavenly
Not funny, animals need care, not jokes. You’re downvoted for that.

10

Mai said:
@heavenly
Not funny, animals need care, not jokes. You’re downvoted for that.

It was clearly a joke, lighten up.

11

heavenly said:

Mai said:
@heavenly
Not funny, animals need care, not jokes. You’re downvoted for that.

It was clearly a joke, lighten up.

Animal care is serious, not a laughing matter!

12

@Mai
Everyone gets that animal care is serious, but jokes don’t mean we don’t care about animals. Calm down.

13

Take her to the vet. They can sedate her, which will make it much safer and less painful to remove the mats. If her skin is tight, it will take a lot of time and care to fix, which is hard to do with a cat who isn’t sedated. A ‘lion cut’ is pretty common and safe for older cats.

14

@Colby
Lion cuts look so ridiculous on cats. Why do people do this?

15

Smart said:
@Colby
Lion cuts look so ridiculous on cats. Why do people do this?

It’s not about looks, it’s about the cat’s health. It helps with matting and overheating.

16

Zen said:

Smart said:
@Colby
Lion cuts look so ridiculous on cats. Why do people do this?

It’s not about looks, it’s about the cat’s health. It helps with matting and overheating.

Exactly. My cat had to get a lion cut because of mats too.

17

Zen said:

Smart said:
@Colby
Lion cuts look so ridiculous on cats. Why do people do this?

It’s not about looks, it’s about the cat’s health. It helps with matting and overheating.

Really? I’ve only ever seen it for looks.

18

@Jude
It’s mostly for preventing painful mats. Cat skin is very thin, and mats can cause serious injuries if left untreated.

19

I agree with others. Take her to the vet. When my old girl couldn’t groom herself anymore, the vet would give her a sanitary shave. It was affordable and made a huge difference.

20

If grooming isn’t an option, check with your vet. Groomers can be expensive, but the vet can do a shave quickly and safely. Avoid doing it yourself because cat skin is very delicate and can tear easily.