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?).