Just an ordinary morning. Andy on the end table. Dougy in the new box. Me…um…! Those are the suspicious “Terribly Frightening Tool of Kitty Boy Pelage Mat Removal” that Doug’s hiding behind the laptop screen!
Dougy’s worked it out. Perhaps he can hide from Doug here, under the television stand. (I decided not to work on the mats after he looked stressed.)
Dougy has some major mats on his hind legs. Little by little, I’ve been working on them because Dougy freaks out when I do it. I find these scissors designed to cut through sutures work better than any other tool I have in my mat removal arsenal. They seem to cause Dougy the least distress.
That tip on the bottom blade is ground to a fine sharpness and is small enough that it readily slips under or through mats. I can either cut through the mat with the sharpened tip or use the tool as a scissors to do the same. It has the added advantage of being less dangerous to the cat than the seam ripper that also works well but requires care in use to avoid stabbing the cat. Ow!
I’m not aware of any reason. They deal with the nails by scratching on approved (and not approved) scratching posts. They self-groom the back nails. If, when they are more elderly, they aren’t up to the task, I will have them trimmed. I am a bit of a coward when it comes to trimming nails, especially since their nails are all black, making the exact spot where you get into the quick a bit of an issue.
I understand it has to be done, but what a scary procedure!
My biggest concern is accidentally hurting them.
Of course – that’s the scary part!
It would be easy when mussing around in all that hair!
I know; it was scary even to give Beba her monthly manicure, so I was very happy when she learned not to express her love by scratching me. The other two have never their claws get in the way of love or play.
I stop as soon as Dougy acts stressed. He isn’t aggressive by nature (except when he is! LOL!), yet he has clawed me before when I pressed the issue of mat removal.
Beba also isn’t aggressive and never was; she just couldn’t control her passion. Barmalei, as many black cats, does not retract his claws, yet he has always controlled himself, so there was never a need for manicure. And the little one is very smart. She only had manicure once and learned her lesson. Thank G-d we don’t have a matting issue!
Andy and Dougy haven’t had manicures. Dougy probably should! He’s very destructive of furniture.
Do they get their claws trimmed when they go for haircuts?
No.
Is there a reason for it? If I am too intrusive, I apologize, and you don’t have to answer, Doug. I just want to know if perhaps there is an objective reason impacting kitty health.
Necessary sometimes to use scissors.
Miss H dislikes that – her eyes are speaking, an also her voice, louder and louder. She always wins her quietness.
amitiés 🙂
I think they all do!
Looks like you’ve really got it under control (even if Dougy may not be)
It has to be done one or two at a time so the kitty boy isn’t too stressed out!
I am lucky that neither of our longhaired cats form much in the way of mats! That does look like a good tool for mat removal, though!
Andy tends to form fewer mats than Dougy.
when cuzin daiz getz mattz; it could be a yeer bee for they iz all gone onlee ta ree tern again come winter…..herz KNOT a fan oh matt ree moval !! 🙂 ♥♥
I don’t think any kitty or dog is!
the right time is the trick for such a matt-attack… we have this with clipping the nails. my smart husband said he will do it when they sleep and he actually started to clip their nails in bed… well that is overdone, not in MY BED….
Yes, some things have to be respected. The holy bed is one when it comes to grooming pooches…or oneself!
we had a long-haired cat with the same problem. Daily brushing helped…
Yes, he gets that, yet I miss his legs as much as not because of the awkwardness of brushing legs. I don’t brush Andy as often because he doesn’t seem to need it (He doesn’t have mats!) Regardless, I’ve made some pretty good progress on Dougy’s mats, working on them one by one till he gets upset, then I leave him and them alone for the rest of the day. Today, I actually got three big ones removed!
You are doing well. Cats always hate that sort of thing…
That’s a fact!