Removing matted hair from tail of Maine Coon

[catz]

I have a 10 month old Domestic Long Hair Maine Coon. He has some matted hair on his tail. What is the easiest and safest way to remove it?
I don't want to cut it because it is very close to his skin. Would a creme rinse work? Thanks for your help.

[davet]

put a comb underneat the mat and then cut it,,this way the scissors wont get to the skine, other than that comb it out almost one hair at a time...

[Traci]

Don't use human shampoo or cream riinses on pets, the ingredients are too harsh for their sensitive skin. You can try using a cat shampoo/rinse specifically recommended by your vet (do not use tea tree oil, or citrus oils, etc in pet shampoos, these are toxic to cats)

In the future, brush him regularly about once a week. If you're afraid to work with the mats, your vet or his tech may clip the fur/mat for you at minimal or no charge, can't hurt to call and ask.

[Tambrey]

I have a friend whose mother bred and showed Persians...she kept a seam ripper used for sewing in her grooming kit...you can get one at any sewing/notions store or WalMart...

keep the safety tip ON the ripper, and just slide it between the matted fur and your cat's skin, and that should safely cut the matted fur right off..

Of course, if your cat is VERY matted, a trip to a vet/professional groomer would be the better choice...then as suggested, weekly grooming to keep matted fur under control...and use the seam ripper for those little mattes that invaribely happen