long haired cats.. how often do u groom

[jenny]

i was just wondering how often u guys with long haired cats groom ur cats.

i work in kennels which also has cattery space of 8 catteries. anyway, we get quite alot of long haired cats in and i have to say, 80-90% of them have matted fur it makes me so sad to see these poor cats with their fur all matted. we had to brush one of these cats and the fur was so matted his skin tore we brushed him over the course of a week and only got half the mats out, even with clippers. i cant believe people let their cats get in such a state, and their excuse is usually 'oh hes not up to it', or 'hes getting old'.

[Fran]

All of my cats are short haired. I'm sure some of the other members with long haired cats, especially the persian owners on here may be able to offer you advice. I would imagine that if the hair was so matted the cat may need sedation or GA to have the hair sorted out?

[candyshandy]

I have to do mine every day otherwise mats will form. If a mat is too close to the skin it is best to be clipped otherwise the skin may tear. Also, sometimes I can get up in the morning and a huge mat could have developed on one of them - doesn't necessarily mean if a cat has a mat it hasn't been combed.

The kind of comb used is also a major factor - I think I have every one on the market - have now finally settled on a plain steel comb! - typical eh

[Moli]

My two exotics have semi long hair that is very dense, I brush them every couple of days...

[bobbie3917]

mine are semi long hairs and i brush them only about 1s a week sometimes less but thats only cos they have an easy care coat if i feel any knots then i sort them out there and then i do brush there tials more often cos they can be trouble

[Julie84]

I brush Thomas every day - he has a fairly long but also very thick coat, which seems uncontrollable at the moment with his excessive moulting! I have found a steel comb best for doing underneath - the teeth kind of twist if they hit a knot so it doesn't hurt him and he tolerates it reasonably well. His back and tail I use a slicker and then a soft baby brush which he loves - he tries to brush his own face with the baby brush!

Originally Posted by candyshandy

Also, sometimes I can get up in the morning and a huge mat could have developed on one of them - doesn't necessarily mean if a cat has a mat it hasn't been combed.

That is so true. So many times I have felt like a bad mummy because I have found a matted bit of fur in Thomas' groin or armpit area but I know I did that area the night before. The conditioner I have started using for him has made his fur so much nicer though - less knotty and smells 'clean' (not perfumed but not the nomal 'eau de litter tray'! )

[CJK]

i do both of my persians daily, even though one is a semi-longhair

[yola]

I do Fifi most often; ever 2 or 3 days as she has very thick hair which matts easily. Darcy about onc a week - usually as he gets mega-stressed and (thankfully) doesn't tangle too much anyway. Balie is an 'as and when'. He has sleek fur - albeit long, which really doesn't tangle at all.

Having said that - if I feel they have a knot when I'm stroking them I will get the comb out and de-tagle right away as I have experience a tiny knot getting so out of control that it got huge very quickly and needed to be cut out.