While short-haired cats can manage most of their grooming on their own, your long-haired kitten may need their own at-home hairdresser (you!). Your young cat’s long hair easily becomes knotted and entangled, especially under the legs, the cat’s back end, chest and around the collar. These mats will feel thick or chunky to the touch, and your cat may be sensitive in matted areas. Some mats can cause skin inflammation or irritation.
Why does my young cat have mats?
While the barbs on your cat’s tongue certainly help to prevent tangling, areas with a lot of movement or areas your longhaired cat cannot reach when grooming may develop mats.
Some medical conditions can also contribute to the development of mats. For instance, a cat with a painful mouth condition like stomatitis or advanced periodontal disease may hesitate to groom themselves. Obese cats often have difficulty reaching their hind end for grooming. Cats with arthritis may not groom specific areas if it causes pain when they try to reach the area.
At-home management of mats
You may be able to remove some mats safely at home. Keep in mind that your cat may have pain or sensitivity associated with these mats. The following are tips for at-home management of mats:
- Never use scissors to cut a mat off. Mats adhere very closely to the skin, and it’s easy to cut the skin, even if you don’t see it, causing severe injury and pain to your cat.
- You can try to brush or comb out small mats with a mat breaker or dematting tool.
- If you have experience with pet shavers, you may be able to shave the mat off. Be careful not to nick the skin, and make sure to monitor your electric shaver for overheating.
If your cat isn’t tolerating at-home management, you’re concerned that you might injure your cat or the mats are large and/or widespread, visit your veterinarian or a groomer. Your veterinarian is able to sedate your cat for pain-free removal of mats, if necessary.
How to prevent mats from developing in long-haired cats
You should comb or brush your long-haired cat every day, ensuring that you’re paying attention to areas that develop mats.
Make sure grooming is a positive experience for your young cat! You’ll want to incorporate grooming into your kitten’s normal daily routine, and you may need to reinforce that grooming is a fun experience with delicious treats. Some cats will come to enjoy their daily grooming enough that the experience itself is a good form of positive reinforcement.
If your kitten doesn’t tolerate at-home grooming, consider enlisting the regular help of a professional groomer.
Find out more about grooming and coat care for cats.
