Cats with mats/dreads

[Elise.m]

My boyfriends mom and sister have the family cat at their house, and they're hardly ever home so she doesn't get the attention/maintanence a long haired cat should get. Needless to say, she's got a few mats on her. One under each ear, one right above her tail, and one on each side of her tail.

Now they don't really have enough money to get her shaved. (Don't ask me why they can't put aside $45 for her health, it's a mystery to me.) I'm to the point where I want to put out the money and time to go get her shaved and all taken care of. Hopefully I can do this soon, but in the meantime I have a couple questions.

She's been urinating on a couch that's set up in the spare bedroom, and quite alot. I've read that this is a sympton of kidney disease (I think). I tried telling them about this and how it is very dangerous for it to go untreated, and they haven't done anything. Maybe it's not the kidneys, is it possible that the dreads could be causing her to urinate in a place she knows she's not supposed to? I was thinking she's feeling so much pain from the dreads that some days it's not worth it to her to walk across the house. So she goes on the couch.

She's about 13 y/o, if that helps at all. Thanks for the help!

[wolfy-hound]

The urinating can be a bladder infection, or unrinary tract infection, etc. Or it could be that she doesn't like the litterbox, that it's not clean enough, or the litter is perfumey, the box is too exposed.. etc.

For the 'dreads'... get a 'rake' comb. It should be a tool with a few tines that stick out at a right angle from the handle. You can 'pick' at the matts and they will pop out. If you cannot find a rake, you can use a metal comb, and just work at the edge of the matts, picking at the hairs holding it in place. The matts will come off.

For most cats with only localized mats like you describe, I can normally pop the matts off in about five minutes. The urine issues sound like they need a vet visit. Check the litter/litterbox first, then try to get the kitty to the vet.

Hope this helps.

[Elise.m]

Thanks Theresa!

Can you pick out those matts even if they've been like that for some time? She's had them for I'm assuming a few months, I just recently found the ones on the side of her tail. They're pretty decently sized, probly about two quarters wide. The ones below her ears are about the size of a bouncy ball you'd get out of a quarter machine.

Edit: I do brush over them with a wire brush, but after a few mins she starts to meow and try to eat my hand. I'm assuming it hurts her cuz it yanks on her skin?

[Aleria]

I worked as a professional pet groomer for quite some time and am also certified as such after going to school for it. My advice is to shave the mats yourself asap or use your own money to take it to someone that can. Trying to brush mats that are more than a relatively small tangle is not only very painful but also very dangerous. The lightest pressure on the very strained hair pulls it right out of the follicle, so all you're doing is basically spending quite a while "politely" ripping the cats hair out. And those areas, due to the way the hair was ripped out, are then prone to infection and other serious issues.
Brushing out mats is possible, but like I said, only when they are still relatively small and more of a tangle. Truthfully I'd recommend either taking up caring for the cat yourself since I'm sure it's highly unlikely that you'd want to piss off your boyfriend or his mother by taking away a cat that they obviously don't care about but refuse to get rid of.
There is no reason for an animal to go without grooming long enough for mats to form. Period. It's neglect and if you want to take into account the amount of pain it causes the animal along with health issues, it's also abuse.

[Elise.m]

I totally agree with you Aleria. Every single time I go over there, I always feel so bad for the cat, and she shows it in her face. Every time she has this "Oh good, you're here. Love me please, kkthx" look on her face.

I think I will be taking official care of her soon, I'm going to start babysitting for my friend so I'll have a little money on the side. They've had this cat ever since she was a kitten, and I don't think they've ever got her groomed. I don't think they knew (or know) that cats do require grooming. They think it's due to old age. And they think she pees everywhere cuz his sister is gone, and she gets mad at that. They also think she has a problem retracting her claws, and that's why they stick to the carpet. If only people learned to read their animals and do a little research.

[Aleria]

She should do much better if you're able to afford to take care of her. Of course after the current mats are removed, if she is brushed on a regular basis like she should be then you should never see another mat. And as far as the urine issue, that I'd say would probably be best looked into by a vet. For a cat to suddenly start urinating where they aren't supposed to sometimes it can be a simple environmental change that caused it, but it is also just as likely to be a health issue. Always better to be safe than sorry.

[Elise.m]

Just an update...

I just dropped her off at the groomer about 45 mins ago. His mom and sister (The actual owners of the cat) have been telling me that she won't be able to be shaved without being knocked out. These people are really confident, and I'm really hoping they're able to shave her! I'm doing it as a Christmas present to his mom, and will be attempting to comb her anytime I stop by their house.

Thanks for all the comments!

[Aleria]

That's great!
Hopefully the groomers and well skilled in dealing with cats and their anger when it comes to someone making them uncomfortable.
And you spending the time brushing her when you're there would help to prevent this from happening again. I would definitely recommend brushing rather than combing. A slicker brush would work best for a long haired cat since it has a bunch of very tiny needle like pins to separate all of the hair. My cats love their slicker brush since it gets all the way down to the skin and scratches them better than I could with my nails.
Good luck! And keep us updated on how she's doing when she gets back from the groomer.

[Elise.m]

She's been shaved! She wasn't happy on the ride there, but on the way back she was ok. Once she got out of the box she was purring and loving all over me. I think she knows it was for the best, and she's definietly in much less pain from the mats. The groomers said the mats below her ears were pretty tight. Poor Kitty.

Here's a picture of her with all her fur. This was a few years ago.


And here's a few after the shaving. I'm in love with this cat, so I took alot!












Her name is "Kitty". Her real name is Anna, but she doesn't respond to that, just Kitty. I'm glad I got her shaved, she seems MUCH happier, even if it is a little cold.

[Aleria]

Aww, she looks great, funny, but great. She'll be so much happier now, no more painful mats!