matted kitty fur

[margaret]

On weekends I work as a pet-sitter, and one of the regular pets I visit is a very old cat (whom I'll call Mr. B). This cat is rickety, slow-moving, deaf, but as sweet as can be! He's one of my favorites and I enjoy caring for him.

What I've been wondering about, though, is that the owners have allowed Mr. B to get his long hair all matted and knotted. The poor kitty looks like such a mess! He's kind of sad and pitiful looking, although as far as I've been told he's in very good health (except for the deafness and a bit of kidney trouble). He's certainly not strong enough and flexible enough to groom himself anymore, so I'm sure that's how the matting developed.

But I wondered why the owners don't shave Mr. B (to start fresh with the fur when it grows out) and then be good and regular about brushing him? I haven't had the opportunity to talk with the owners as I never see them (only the woman the owns the pet-sitting company I work for is in contact with them).

Do you think they have let the fur get that bad because it may hurt the kitty to brush it or shave it? Is the cat so elderly that it's too sensitive to touch? I have noticed that when I try to pet the cat, I can only really do it on his head. He doesn't seem to like being petted on his body anyway, but maybe it's because it hurts or annoys him.

Do any of you have experience with very old cats and how you cared for their fur when they were too old to do it for themselves?

Just wondering (I mostly also wrote this because I wanted to tell you about Mr. B. I've never seen such an old cat! I wish I had a picture of him to post, but he might not appreciate it! :rolleyes: ).

:)

Margaret , I don't have experience with older cats ; but as you say this cat seems in pai when petted , i'm almost sure that she has some skin-illness ! Or those knots are bothering here !!
If in any way , you could contact this people , I would advise them to see a vet as soon as possible !! let us know how this devellopes !! btw , how old is "old" ??

your own kitty's are adorable !!! that calico looks very much like my own Maya !!! so it is a girl too then ?!

[margaret]

Hi lut!

Yes! My calico is a girl. She does look like your Maya! I have been seeing Maya's pic (and all your animals) with your signature and admiring her. She sure looks adorable! I especially like the last photo--I'm sure Maya was purring a lot in that one! *sweet!* :) My Miko (calico) is very feisty and a sensitive girl, though. Quite a tough personality. Maya looks quite loving!

I'm not sure what to make of the old kitty (I think he is about 20 years old?). I agree with you that the knots are bothering him. He's had them for a long time, though, so I don't know why the owners haven't done anything about them. I will ask my boss about the old kitty and find out more details...

[AvaJoy]

Hi Margaret ~ Gosh, it could be that the cat never tolerated being brushed, so the owners gave up and that is why he is so matted . . . I have an elderly girl (Lily, the blue in my avatar) with a medium length yet double coat, and I am constantly trying to keep up with her grooming because she is unable to reach all spots, and actually she has never seemed to be awfully fastidious in that respect anyway.

I would definitely try to inquire and maybe the owners could be convinced to allow their elderly "gentleman" a much-needed trip to the grooming salon. Depending upon the extent of the matting, the best option may be to simply shave him down. Severe mats can hamper a cat's ambulation, which may account for his sluggishness in getting around. Hope you can be of help to the sweet senior guy, and please keep us posted! :)

[neko1]

I definately think he needs to be shaved. Those mats really could be bothering him.
I can't stand when people let their pets get like that. If a person does not have time to take care of a pet properly then they shouldn't have one.

[Barbara]

My friend Angie rescued a black Persian from a household where nobody did take care of his fur (a neighbour of her was asked to catsit him and as the neighbor saw in which state little Kaiser, 2 years old was -he could hardly walk because of knots bewtween his legs, he asked Angie for help and she just took the cat with her -the original owners would not want him back and would never had got him back, because Angie has lots of red hair and the corresponding character ;-) ).
So little Kaiser did not like the brush at all because he wasn't used to it. Now he gets shaved (by the vet) every spring when the days get warmer -looks a little crazy first but he feels perfectly comfortable and can move very well, climbs trees and fences and has no problem with his looks.
Neko: fyi Kaiser has an adopted sister who is a sorrel Aby girl with emerald green eyes.

[margaret]

I heard back from my pet-sitting boss yesterday about the old cat (who isn't a "he"! It's a "she"! I feel so silly... :rolleyes: ). My boss agreed with me that the kitty's owners should have taken better care of the matting problem, but it appears they have just let it go. My boss also said that she thinks the owners are pretty much just waiting for "nature to take its course" with the old kitty, waiting for it to pass on to the Rainbow Bridge, I guess. Hmm... I don't particularly like that attitude, but actually the owners seem to take very good care of the old kitty, despite the matting problem, so I don't think they're bad people.

My boss (and now I am, too) is very much aware that the old kitty may die while the owners are off on one of their trips, and it will be up to one of the sitters to take care of it. Oh gosh! I sort of hope that it won't be me because it will break my heart. :( :( :(

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Oh, the poor kitty. :( It seems odd that they would take good care of it in every way except to leave the fur so matted. When your visiting could you maybe take a brush and make a small attempt to start brushing her a little? I know you said she doesn't even hardly like to be touched, but.....

And I've often wondered what would happen if something would happen to Tubby while we were on vacation. Seems I don't have to worry about that now, but it seems like something that pet sitters would have to come to grips with because I'm sure it happens. A lot of people don't even get pet sitters until the critters are old and feeble.

Good luck with her, and let us know if there is any progress on getting the mats out.

[catland]

Originally posted by margaret
... but actually the owners seem to take very good care of the old kitty, despite the matting problem, so I don't think they're bad people.


But they sound like uninformed people who aren't aware that there is a simple solution that could make this kitty more comfortable. (whether its grooming or shaving). I know that I sure would feel bad if I found out that my own ignorance caused one of my pets to suffer needlessly.

I don't know your boss's take on this - but the kind thing would still be to let these people know that they can do something to make their kitty more comfortable.

[toughCookie]

:mad: :mad: if that cat is that old and sick, PLEASE do something to make her feel better while she's still here! neko1 is right, if they can't care for it, they shouldn't have it! I know it is hard to hold them down at times, to to make them stay still, but it is necessary! when do these people get back home? can you talk to them in person or write/call?

[Cataholic]

OOOOHHHH I am so with Tough Cookie on this one..."our" problem isn't usually what we DO, but what we don't do..and I say that after many many times being told to mind my own business (But, hey, I am a lawyer...I don't let that kinda stuff stop me:D ). Especially when it comes to those who depend on us- the young, the animals, and the elderly to name a few.

Please do something- at least you will know you did all that you could....It can't be easy, but sometimes doing the right thing isn't easy! Good luck.

[margaret]

Yes, my gut instinct is that I need to step up to the plate, here, and do something for this kitty. My brain, however, is telling me that it would be a bad idea if I, myself, attempted to do anything directly to the cat. I think it needs a professional groomer to get rid of those mats.

I will talk some more to my boss and see if she can convince the owners to take the old girl to a groomer. I *know* she would be much more comfortable if the mats were removed.

Thanks a lot for your feedback, guys!

:)

[toughCookie]

if you were to shave her, do you think the owners would be angry? maybe they would appreciate it, they obviously don't want to be bothered.:mad:

or at least do you think you could cut the fur very short? is there someone that could help you to do this?

[Cataholic]

Oh, I know...since you said you pet sit her...you could say you accidently poured something on her...like honey? You had a bagel with honey on it and she rolled on it? And you wanted to get it all out, and you feel soooo bad....isn't that a white lie?

[catland]

Originally posted by Cataholic
Oh, I know...since you said you pet sit her...you could say you accidently poured something on her...like honey? You had a bagel with honey on it and she rolled on it? And you wanted to get it all out, and you feel soooo bad....isn't that a white lie?

and this idea comes from our resident lawyer:p

(hey - I just became an official "citizen" as this is my 100th post!)

[Cataholic]

Oh Catland...you should be glad you are way across the country...cause I would have sued you for libelous conduct if you were in Ohio :D :eek: :D :D :D

[toughCookie]

Margaret

I was just wondering, what is going on with the kitty you pet-sit, the one with matted fur??

[margaret]

Well, actually, I didn't get to pet-sit the matted-fur kitty this past weekend. I don't always care for the same pets every weekend, and I think the kitty's owners were home this time. I'll wait and see what happens next weekend! I haven't brought this up with my boss again yet. One of her two dogs died late last week! She was so sad, and I didn't want to bother her about this kitty. I think I'll wait until next weekend and ask her about it. Hopefully I'll get to see the kitty, too.

I really liked Cataholic's idea, though, with rolling the kitty in honey! LOL! :P Boy, and I'm sure kitty would love that, too! LOL! ... I was thinking that if I were to try to help the cat myself, I might try to snip one or two mats at a time--a gradual thing--so the owners might not even notice until *voila!* A mat-free, smooth kitty once again!

I don't know, though. I've read up a bit on the Internet about snipping off mats and I think a professional should really do it. I know I could be really careful and gentle, but still, I'd be too afraid of pulling too hard and damaging the kitty's sensitive, thin skin. :( I think the best thing is to just talk to my boss and ask her to convince the owners to take matted kitty to a pro groomer. We'll see!!

:)

[toughCookie]

well I think it is pet neglect if not abuse. are these people reasonable? couldn't you just talk to them about it? well they must not be too reasonable or they would care for the poor cat.

[Cataholic]

I was rethinking the honey idea...maybe it wouldn't fool them. But, how about this idea..."my friend is in vet tech training and needs to really work on her grooming skills...and since "missy" is so severly matted, do you think we could work on her?" That way, you are letting THEM help YOU, and who doesn't like to help? Maybe that would work. That could be the reason why you call them out of the blue...you know, "she really needs to practice, the test is soon, and I thought of you"??????

[toughCookie]

that might work, or just be straight forward, and say would you mind if I took your cat to the groomers? blunt, but they obviously need someone to be blunt with them!

[margaret]

Okay, for all of you who are curious about the matted-fur kitty, here is the response I got from my boss when I asked her about whether the cat's owners would be willing to take kitty to the groomer (I've omitted the names of the owner and the kitty)...

"Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I did talk with (the owner)... yesterday. She is very torn about what to do about (the kitty). I could tell she doesn't want to put him down and is somewhat hoping that he just won't wake up some morning so she won't have to make the decision. She sincerely appreciated your concern... she also said that (the kitty) is so thin that she's afraid to even cut the mats out and a groomer is out of the question because of his poor health. We talked for about 30 minutes and I could tell she's really agonizing over him. Although, she did say all he wants is to be loved and sits on her lap and purrs for hours :-) She did book visits for Thanksgiving, knowing he may not be around then. So.... that's where it's at."

So, everyone, I think this is just a case in which I can only pray for the poor kitty that he (I'm so confused as to whether it's a he or a she!) isn't in too much pain and he gets lots of love (sounds like he does). As you can tell from what my boss wrote, I might not be seeing the kitty again until Thanksgiving (if at all?). :( Hopefully he'll be all right.

Well, if anything, this teaches me that when my own cats get too old to groom themselves, I will be sure to keep their fur nice and mat-free (well, they're shorthairs, but they can still get mats, right?).

[jenluckenbach]

yes, for anyone who is interested short hairs can get mats too. I've seen some pretty badly matted short haired cat. Prevention is always your best bet. If they are combed when you feel even the smallest knot, you can prevent a mat from forming. I will be praying for that poor matted kitty and hope he is comfortable.