Matted Cat Fur.

[Shawna Clark]

I work at a convalescent center on an island in the Pacific Northwest. We have several animals in our facility to benefit the many patients who live there. One animal I have been recently caring for has a major fur problem. He is a 17 year-old Persian cat named Brutus. He belongs to a resident and has been ill lately. The Vet sais he has had a string of UTI infections. His fur is severely matted on his underside and I have been trying to cut the mats out with a pair of blunt scissors. There are some that are so big you can't tell where the matt and skin meet. It is apparant that the mats are twisting and pulling on his skin. It seems painful for him to be combed althogh he is pacient with me as I try and I stop when I can tell he has had enough. I would like to try shaving him myself (underside only) as the groomer has seen Brutus once and refuses to do this again. I realize the cat is sick and at 17 will probably not live much longer however I feel it is on the verge of neglect to do nothing about his matted fur. I am not sure how much stress the shaving would cause him but he does fairly well with the combing and cutting process. I need some advice on whether or not to shave and tips on doing so if that is the right thing to do.
Thanks so much!
Shawna Clark

[Jen]

I am a pet groomer and shaving is MUCH safer that cutting with scissors. You would need an electric pet clipper with a short blade (short teeth on the blade are much safer than the blades that leave more fur on)
I am glad that you see the abuse in neglecting his coat and leaving it matted. He deserves to feel comfortable.