long hair cat

[Deleted]

I have a long haired calico cat and she has a lot of mats on her back legs/around her butt/tail area. I took her last summer to get shaved back there at the groomer and it cost me $7. I called the same groomer this year and they wanted $30 for it, so I decided I wanted to just try to do it myself, but don't know how to start or if I can just use H's clipper or not.

What should I do?

[mrs.jacinthe]

I'd pay the groomer. A cat's skin is papery, and if you accidentally cut it while DIY grooming, it's really traumatic for them because the skin will just peel off. (Ick, I know). Additionally, I prefer for anything potentially traumatic to be at the hands of other people - I don't want our cats to associate anything unpleasant with me or H, KWIM?

[msmerymac]

I would also pay to have it done. Depending on how bad she is, she might not need the shave - they could just do a bath and brushing. I have 2 Persians and we go in for a bath and brushing every few months. Small knots and small mats aren't a problem for the groomers. They should let you know if you'll need to do a shave (look for reputable groomers on Yelp, etc).

In the future, the Furminator works wonders for keeping long-haired pets mat-free! Even if used weekly, it takes a lot of the dead/shedded hair off the cat. That's what gets caught with the healthy hair and creates tangles/knots/matting. I always get a fistful of hair off both of the cats!

[katietornado]

We have a longhaired boy who has ridiculous, matty fur, and he doesn't let us brush him, EVER. So my H bought some pro pet clippers on Amazon and worked wonders. He tried to use his own clippers and they clogged and broke within a few seconds.