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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2014 9:44:45 GMT
When we first got Chilli in late October 2013 she had a few solid matted clumps of fur on her body which were right down to the skin. I didn't want to risk hurting her by trying to remove them so she was sedated and had them shaved off at the vets (£87 - ouchie!!! ). The matted spots were her long knickerbockers above her hocks, her sides and her rump area. Since then I have kept an eye on these spots (and the rest of her!) and apart from the odd tangle developing virtually overnight between her front legs and sides of her neck (easily brushed out) she's been fine. Until two days ago I was cuddling her and felt a 'lumpy' area on her croup/rump area and further examination revealed that her undercoat was a touch matted (like felt) in one small spot. I tried teasing it loose with my fingers and untangled a little bit of it and yesterday sat Chilli down on a blanket on the living room floor and went over her with a wide-toothed comb (human one) and a slicker brush. I've got around 90% of it out and stopped after 5 minutes as I didn't want Chilli to get too stressed. I'll have another session today just before the cats' teatime so there's something nice following the trauma of Mummy brushing her I was absolutely mortified when I found this clump of matted fur the other day as I try to give Chilli a few minutes every other day of brushing to try to get her used to it...she's better than she was in October but still closes her eyes and dooks her head down and acts as if I'm the Spanish Inquisition out to torture her I think it's her thick undercoat which is the problem as the top fur is no problem. Any suggestions as to the best type of comb and/or brush to use on a daily basis? I looked on Amazon and saw all manner of combs and brushes and gadgets like the Furminator but have decided to not go out and buy anything until I get advice from you guys Medium-length fur, not long like a Persian When we first got her - before her shave!
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Post by SarahHound on May 20, 2014 10:01:16 GMT
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Post by tonib on May 20, 2014 12:36:29 GMT
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Post by SarahHound on May 20, 2014 15:08:48 GMT
Zoom Grooms are great for taking dead hair out but I've personally found they do nothing for tugs unfortunately. Worth having one though because cats love it! We actually have one identical to the link posted for Skye as well, but its the dog size and she gets grumpy with it sometimes. It definitely works though, and you could buy the medium or small for cats
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2014 17:08:32 GMT
Thanks guys - I'll invest in some proper brushes & combs next week once I get paid Chilli's not too bad now as I plonked her on our duvet and finished off the tangles from yesterday and then as Neil held her on his lap I sorted out her tummy area. Most was perfectly ok apart from a couple of small mats between her forelegs - one I teased loose with my fingers then brushed out completely and the other I cut out She wasn't impressed by *shock horror* Daddy TOUCHING HER but I soon took her mind off things by giving her some Gourmet Solitaire which she loves Lily, typically, LOVES being brushed and pushes herself against me and purrs like a wee moped....probably because I've been brushing her since she came home at 11 weeks. Chilli lived semi-feral until she was around 6 months old and even after K took her in she mustn't have brushed her much as she needed a good shave at the vets once we got her I'm sure though, with the correct brushes and a daily brush and cuddle, she'll learn to relax and realise Mummy isn't out to harm her
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Post by spider on May 20, 2014 19:54:00 GMT
we use a zoom groom its good he hates it but thats him he hates all brushes treats before dont work treats after na he hates being brushed but its a good brush
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Post by alfiemummy on May 20, 2014 20:21:05 GMT
I realise this is for cats, as you know I don't have any - but fur is still fur after all so I might be of some help! Alfie's fur is very thick and fluffy so I have similar trouble with mats. I haven't found regular pin brushes to be all that good, I have the one that SarahHound linked from Pets at Home, it was ok for a while but then all the pins pushed into the brush and it's now useless I now have one of these: www.amazon.co.uk/Ancol-Small-Animal-Slicker-Brush/dp/B003674EAGIt's very small as it was originally for my rabbits, but I don't have them anymore and Alfie didn't like his slicker without the bobbles on the end as it was too scratchy, so I started using it on him and it's great at getting him generally smart and for the top coat, but it doesn't get deep enough to get the smaller tangles out, so he would end up with mats. I have found the only thing I really get on with is a nice fine tooth comb. I go over him once with the mini slicker to get any general knots out, so when I go through with the comb it gets through a lot easier and I find all of the finer knots We have this comb: www.amazon.co.uk/Trixie-2390-Dog-Cat-Comb/dp/B0007W5SRQ/ref=sr_1_21?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1400617004&sr=1-21&keywords=dog+combIt's by Trixie and I absolutely love it, it gets nice and deep and as it has fine teeth it gets all of the tiniest tangles out. It's also very comfortable in your hand. If he ever has a mat I tend to use the comb to get it and then just cut against the comb to get it out.
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Post by SarahHound on May 20, 2014 21:50:23 GMT
I have that Trixie comb for my guinea pigs, works great on them but Skye's fur is too thick, it won't go through. But Chilli's hair looks slightly more fine than Skye's, so might work for you Gilly!
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Post by zahada on May 21, 2014 21:45:33 GMT
I used to use slicker brush and a wide tooth comb on my Persian cat. A sprinkle of talcum powder used to make her mats easier to tease/brush out. Or if I couldn't be bothered I'd take scissors to the mats. And no, never cut her skin.
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2014 10:36:37 GMT
Thanks everyone I've got a small slicker brush like the one AlfieMummy posted and that gets LOADS of undercoat out. I've put one of those combs into my basket on amazon so I know what to order next Tuesday (pay day!) if I haven't found one in our local pet stores before then Chilli's got VERY fine silky hair which is why, I've noticed, it seems to tangle so quickly...almost overnight some days!!!! I'm sure Lily lies next to her and kneads away into her fur and DELIBERATELY messes it up!!!
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Post by lotsofcats on May 22, 2014 10:41:45 GMT
Jenny, lotsofcats, has much better knowledge of dealing with tats than me, she may have some other ideas. Yes, I have noticed a sudden increase of tats on my cats in the last few days. Out of my 7 cats, 5 are long haired with Bramble being the thickest furred of them all but her fur is very, very fine and she's not too bad at the moment. I have noticed that Kai Ruki has 2 big tats on his chest which will have to be partly cut out and Blackberry and Willow have a couple each. I use a brush similar to the one that Sarah has put on a link to. My brush was from Pets at Home and it was in a set and cost about £7 or £8, it is meant for small animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs but I find that the small size makes it easier to handle and get in the awkward places such as under the cats' legs. I also use a flea comb. It is definitely the undercoat that is the problem with tats and they appear suddenly. I like the tip to use talc to ease the tats out and will try that tonight.
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2014 10:57:29 GMT
Yes, I'll try the talc thing too Perhaps they are shedding their winter coats now that we're into warmer weather? I've certainly never noticed any tangles or matts on Chilli before now as I make a point of having a good feel around her when I stroke her and pick her up for a cuddle
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2014 20:43:30 GMT
Great news guys I picked up a wide-toothed comb today at Pets @ Home and sat Chilli down on the sofa tonight and gave her a light combing down her back & sides and LOADS of hair came out without any tugging!!! I then lifted her up slightly and did between her forelegs where she tends to get her silky fur tangled virtually overnight and combed through that no problem I only gave her a brief combing but I got loads of fur out without any tugging so I'll go over her every day, before a mealtime, so she then has a nice 'reward' straight after letting Mummy faff about with her. I did that tonight and gave her a nice plate of Gourmet and she tucked into that then came and sat close to me and washed herself so no hard feelings from her Thank you SO much for all the good advice guys
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Post by smilesbetter on Jun 4, 2014 13:36:47 GMT
Glad it's going well! I've always used a combination of a comb and a slicker brush for long haired cats and dogs. I'd comb out any knots, use the slicker all over to get out the loose hair and then comb again all over to see if there is any resistance in which case I'd have another go with the slicker at that bit.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2014 14:36:41 GMT
I love grooming but Chilli isn't so keen (perhaps had a bad experience with K being too rough as she was in a helluva state when she came to us). She tries to curl up and tuck her head in to make herself small, poor baby, so I just talk away to her all the time and tell her wonderful she is I'm sure, given time, she'll relax and realise I'm not going to hurt her EVER. I got almost a palmful of fur out last night which I have put out for the birds to possibly use in their nests. I'll give her another brush & comb tonight. Lily, on the other hand, has very short fur and I rarely get anything from her....but she ADORES being groomed and will push herself against the brush
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