Hose that kitty down!!!

[MadAudio]

OK, so my cat Shelly is gettin' on (approximately 12) and her interest in grooming herself thoroughly has waned over the last couple of years. Basically she's nurturing some kitty dreadlocks. I had to switch from the clumping litter to the old fashioned clay because the clumping stuff was contributing to the problem. I called some grooming places and none of them will touch her because of her age and that she's never had a "professional grooming" before.

So I've had cats all my life and have given a few baths in my time, but I'm wondering if there's anything I'm missing. I have a very large bucket (enough to hold a 1/4 keg) which I plan to fill about 3/4 with warm water and place at the far end of my bathroom tub. I'll also have a big plastic cup to do the rinsing.

But I've never dealt with a hair problem like this before. What else besides a comb might I need? Anyone?

[whyseye]

......small rounded scissors....

Once those babies clump and lock fibers, the best thing to do is trim them out as gently as possible, and let them grow back in....she'll look a little mangy in the growback period, but in my experience, that's been the best method....

[Dogman]

We've had teh matted fur before, and cut the bigger dreadlocks out...and also got one of those little wire brushes to brush them when you first see teh signs of clumping fur....seems to work well, and the brush was cheap.

[drstawl]

I get up on any clumpimg WAY before it gets to be an issue.

I use the old skool flea comb to rake my lovelies. It removes dead hairs and other shit and lets me know if I need to do another application of Advantage flea crap.

[cusebassman]

Yup - always cut em out if they got bad enough, but just tried keeping up on brushing. Our cat got this way when it hit the early teens too - especially near the hind-quarters - guess he just didn't want to bend around all that way as much anymore :P I believe we referred to them as "buttmatts" though... not sure why it was funny, but it still gives me a chuckle.

[Mrs Dogman]

Our vet sold us a dematting rake (or comb) that works very well on matted cat fur. It was about $7. It has 2 rows of long stiff wire "tines" that are spaced about 1/8 - 1/4 in. apart.

[Gorty]

Originally Posted by MadAudio

I called some grooming places and none of them will touch her because of her age and that she's never had a "professional grooming" before.

I can't believe that the grooming places wouldn't help. The cat being older just means a little more care when grooming, and maybe over a few sessions.

[drstawl]

Originally Posted by MadAudio

But I've never dealt with a hair problem like this before. What else besides a comb might I need? Anyone?

A good life insurance program?

Lots of bandages and tourniquets at hand.

A good set of clippers to get some clumpy shit snipped out painlessly.

Keeping the water warm should mellow them to the process eventually.

{Good Luck!}

My cats are 11 and 13 and I haven't EVER put them under the faucet. They still have awesome pelt.

[true-eurt]

Safest way, would be to get her a membership at the local pool.