Long Haired Kitties!!

[critter crazy]

Mocha is My first Ever Long haired kitty. It seems that she has some small mats of fur on her right hip area, and was wondering about the best way to deal with this?? I am also wondering what are the best tools to use to groom her regularly??
I have this type of brush, is this okay??
http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/shop/shop_image/product/8f21e4c49092d3f2d554b4dcd41a59fd.jpg
What other types do I need?
Thanks!:)

[Freedom]

The best way to deal with mats is to prevent them. Regular (daily or every other day) brushing will prevent them. Once you have them, there are a few options. I choose to just cut them out. Some folks work at them with the slicker and a dematter. Whatever you do, keep in mind that once a mat gets wet, you have no choice but to cut it out.

I just went to Pet Edge as an example, as I know they will have photos and descriptions of everything. Interesting side note, their dematters are only on their dog grooming sites, I didn't see any on the cat grooming pages!

You can find one type of dematter here:
http://www.petedge.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=825&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=825

Here, you will see dematters as both combs, and as rakes:
http://www.petedge.com/jump.jsp?itemID=152&itemType=GATEWAY&iMainCat=12&iSubCat=152
I don't have one, even though I have 2 long haired cats. As mentioned, I just cut the mats out.


I recently purchased this slicker with the self cleaning button, from Pet Edge. I LOVE it! I am using it on Vita and she is enjoying being brushed more than she has in the past.

http://www.petedge.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=5545&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=12&iSubCat=152&iSubSubCat=156&iProductID=5545

I have 2 pin brushes, and I do not like either one; I don't use any pin brushes anymore.

The menu on Pet Edge also offers some undercoat rakes. I don't know anything about those. But it is my understanding the mat develops from shedding of the undercoat.

Good Luck!
Sandra

[catmandu]

The Longest Haired Cat That Was At The Hotel Was The Late Mr Fluffy, And He Has Tangles And Knots As His Guardian Was Elderly And Couldnt Groom Him At All.
He Had To Go In Twice A Year For A Grooming Now Matter What I Did.
He Wasnt Used To Being Brushed And He Was A Big Cat , And Very Hard To Control If He Didnt Want To Stay Put.

[momcat]

I use a kitty shedding blade on Groucho and it's great! It gets down to where the dead hair accumulates beneath his coat. It's amazing how much hair this thing gets out. Not only that, Groucho likes the shedding blade much better that being brushed or combed. You can find them at Pet Smart. Just make sure the blade is for cats.

[critter crazy]

Thanks guys! lots of Info! Mocha loves to be brushed, so hopefully we can keep more mats away. The mats she has, are small, and uder the rest of her fur, so it was hard to tell. But I will fix her up, and make her look gorgeous again!:)