cat matts

Question
I have recently adopted a main coon who hisses at the sight of a comb or
brush. He bites as well. His skin is very sensitive even if I don't comb through
his mats, Just the sight of a brush makes him run, hiss, bite and scream. What
is going on here? It's awfully expensive to take him to the vet every three
months, have him put under and have the mats removed. Is there a sedative
of some kind that is safe and we can administer to help him relax while we
groom him? Please help.

Answer
Mary,

No, I'm sorry but there is not, at least not any 'home remedy'. You may want to talk to your vet and see if he can give you a prescription for a sedatve for when you want to groom the cat. Otherwise, I guess you just have to figure in "mat removal" into your budget.

You can have the pet groomer shave him instead of just having the mats removed.

He must have had some bad experiences with getting cut by someone trying to remove his matts or having them try to comb them out.

I haven't lately, but try looking through the grooming section at a place like PetSmart or Petco and see if any new products have come out that would help in you being able to comb or brush the cat.

Carol