Matted Fur

Question
My cat has long hair and will only let me groom her on her back & head, therefore she now has several large matted clumps of hair on her belly and at the tops of her inner legs.  How can the vet remove these with causing distress to her?

Answer
Hello Teresa,

I personally have not had much experience with matted fur, but I've been doing a lot of reading a friend of mine has dealt with it before on his dog. My first recommendation is not to apply any ointment or detangling spray to area of matted fur. It is likely that the skin beneath the fur could have a sore or even be infected, and this may allow bacteria a more direct route into your cat's body. It may be possible to seperate the hairs with your fingers slowly and carefully, but this will not guarantee the condition going away. It also takes a long time, and if your cats are anything like mine, they lack the patience for such an endeavor.

Your best method of (hopefully) painless removal of the matted fur is shaving the area. Cutting may not remove the fur or the source, and because the fur is dense and tough to manipulate, you may risk giving your cat a cut. Shaving, while a little weird looking, often is the best method, and if done properly, the matted fur will go away and your cat will regrow the hair normally. Your vet should know more about this.

Because matted hair is a somewhat painful thing for a cat, it may be somewhat painful to remove it, but shaving the area and allowing the vet to apply specific medicine would probably be the best way to go about this. Even if there is a small amount of discomfort, your cat will benefit from the removal. Best of luck, and I hope your cat does well!