A portrait shot of a long-haired kitten with green eyes.

Matted cats

I often get calls from cat owners with matted longhair cats. Typically, these cats don't let their owners brush them or come home exactly when their owner doesn't have time to brush them.

However, I often experience, that in these cases, not even a matbreaker helps anymore. We are happy to help!

Matted cat: Prevention

  • It would be nice if your cat accepted to get brushed. Get your cat used to it as early as possible. Maybe a treat helps to make your cat like getting brushed.
  • Detect matted areas as early as possible. The smaller the matting, the better they can be brushed out or treated with a matbreaker.
  • If your cat likes getting brushed and still mats, I recommend using a comb, as it "finds" matting better.

Matted cat: What to do?

  • You could take your cat to a professional. Many dog groomers also take cats and professionally take care of your cat.
  • Small matting typically can be cut with scissors. I recommend using small, straight scissors for pets.
  • Many times, bigger matting can only be treated with clippers. You get rid of the matted area quickly, and you don't have to pluck and tug at your cat's coat.

Matted cat: Which clippers are optimal for cats?

I recommend to use small clippers for cats.

My recommendation for small areas:

  • Clipper Aesculap Exacta, a professional for matted cats
  • Clipper WAHL Super Trim, a reasonable and good clipper
  • Clipper Heiniger Mini, a clipper made in Switzerland

My recommendation for big areas or the whole cat:

  • Clipper Aesculap Akkurata
  • Clipper WAHL Super Groom
  • Clipper Heiniger Midi

The clipper heads of these machines are only 0.5 mm short, so accidents barley happen. The perforation is so small, it's practically impossible to hurt your cat.

Surely, you could also use a big clipper with changeable clipper heads.

How to shear a matted cat?

  • Certainly, carefully. Take your time, your cat's skin should be smooth under the clipper. Clippers can injure wrinkles, that's why you should carefully stretch the skin under the clipper, so it lies flat.
  • Cats don't stand on the table like dogs - at least, I never experienced it :-). Cats want to lie down and when you would like to lift them up, they make themselves even heavier. As you can see, it's not that easy to shear a cat's chest or belly. Take your time, if your cat likes belly scratches you might be able to shear the matting while petting your cat.
  • Only shearing the matted area: often, that doesn't look very beautifully, but it's efficient, and your cat doesn't have to hold still for a long time.
  • Shearing the whole cat: that is possible, and you'll definitely find some pictures online on how to shear your cat pretty. But remember, it's all about your cat's health...