Does your cat do this? I'm concerned. *Pidge is home *pix 6/4*

**Catty1** · 06-04-2008, 01:19 PM

Mary - all you can do is get her used to gentle combing as the fur starts growing out...maybe find a 'grooming mitt' and wait til the fur grows a bit, then use that as part of your patting and affection routine!

Looking forward to the pics of Miss Elegance!

**Medusa** · 06-04-2008, 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by Catty1

Mary - all you can do is get her used to gentle combing as the fur starts growing out...maybe find a 'grooming mitt' and wait til the fur grows a bit, then use that as part of your patting and affection routine!

Looking forward to the pics of Miss Elegance!

Got one of those, too. I've just resigned myself to the fact that it's probably going to be a struggle. After a $500 expenditure for, essentially, a haircut, I'll use a rake on her if I have to! LOL

**Catty1** · 06-04-2008, 02:31 PM

It may not be a struggle...if you just 'start all over' and use the glove gently, she won't have any tangles to hurt her for a long time. Hopefully she will get more used to it. And maybe, just maybe, you will be able to prevent almost all of the tangles.

**Medusa** · 06-04-2008, 05:14 PM

She's pacing so much that I can't get a really good pic of her. She looks kinda cute. At least that's what I'm choosing to tell myself. Actually, I could cry. She had such beautiful long fur, "had" being the operative word, I guess. They really couldn't even do a lion cut on her because her mats were so bad. They trimmed her tail and shaved the rest, except for her head. I can tell that she feels better, though, so that's what's important.

I spoke w/one of the other vets because Dr. Lee isn't in today. She said that Pidge probably is in early CRF but there's no medication to be given to her at this time. She recommended that I start her on KD and maybe give her subQ's once a week, at my discretion. I just don't know if I want to do that, at least right now. I'm going to give her fur a chance to grow out a little bit before I stress her w/that.

So, I've enclosed some pix. If I can catch her later when she's calmed down and stopped pacing, I'll try again. Meanwhile, Boo is following her everywhere and the rest of the cats aren't sure who she is. Boo loves her no matter what. He's her man.

The first pic was taken yesterday before her shave cut, obviously. You can see how bad the matting was; her hair is even standing up. The second two are the best pix but, as I said, I'll try to get more later. She does look cute but I want my old Pidgie Pie back.

Boo Bear is so sweet. He's grooming her right now. I tried to get a pic and he walked away.

**catfamily** · 06-04-2008, 06:15 PM

she is so beautiful mary...before and after...she must feel better without those hair tanlges.they really can hurt terribly.
some cats can't even sleep because the pain is so bad from matting...it hurts!
i need to do colby all the time.

**Medusa** · 06-04-2008, 06:24 PM

Originally Posted by catfamily

she is so beautiful mary...before and after...she must feel better without those hair tanlges.they really can hurt terribly.
some cats can't even sleep because the pain is so bad from matting...it hurts!
i need to do colby all the time.

Thank you. I guess I needed to hear that. All that's left of her pretty red hair is a little bit on the top of her head. She's still my sweet green eyed lady.

**jenluckenbach** · 06-04-2008, 06:30 PM

she looks GOOD !.. and I mean really good!!!!! You will begin to love the feel of the fur after the initial visual shock wears off.
You will not want to take your hands off her. And she will feel SOOOOOOO much better!!

As for maintaining the grooming, PREVENTION is the key. The best tool available in my book is a "shedding comb". It is a metal pet comb with alternating long and short teeth. And a small sized metal bristled slicker brush.

Don't fret about daily grooming, just use the slicker brush over her body for short lenghts of time, as she allows, to get any hair that is shedding, out. Hair that is shed but stays in the coat is what causes 99% of all mats.

When the hair becomes long enough that the shedding comb is usedful, do the same. Use it to remove as much "dead" hair as she will allow.

When you feel a small knot, even a tiny one, use the comb to remove it. Otherwise it WILL grow to the point where it can no longer be simply combed out.

Enjoy her. She looks GREAT!!!

**Medusa** · 06-04-2008, 06:36 PM

Thanx, Jen, I appreciate your kind words and your advice a lot. I can tell that she feels good, spunky even. She's kinda scampering around now. I have a bristled slicker brush and the Furminator. Is the Furminator considered a shedding comb or should I get something else? I've stopped brushing them every day because I thought maybe I was being a tad obsessive, so I do it twice a week and clip claws every other week. I also have a soft bristled brush that I thought I might use on her just to see if it feels good to her. She used to love being groomed. She'd roll over on her back and let me brush her belly and everything. Hopefully, now that she feels so much better, she'll be more cooperative.

**Taz_Zoee** · 06-04-2008, 10:29 PM

Aww, I also think Pidge is cute with or without the long hair. She feels better and won't get any nasty sores, so that's the good thing.

**Medusa** · 06-04-2008, 10:41 PM

I took a few more pix, albeit they're not very good either. I have a really cheap, cheezy camera. If I can get a break w/vet and medical bills, I'll get a new one soon. Pidge, of course, kept moving, so this is the best I could do. In the first pic, her facial expression says it all: You're pushin' your luck, Mom. She's pretty cute for 18 1/2, yes?

**MoonandBean** · 06-05-2008, 04:56 AM

She looks d*** good for 18 1/2! She looks around 10 to me. She will be so happy and cool this summer with that new haircut. You're a good mom!!!!!!

**Medusa** · 06-05-2008, 07:08 AM

Boy, did I have a scare this morning! Everyone came upstairs except Pidge, so I waited for a few minutes and still no Pidge, so I went downstairs and she was still in the same spot as when I left her last night. I watched her and couldn't tell if she was breathing, so I softly called her name. Nothing. I lightly put my hand on her back and it scared her so bad that she jumped up in the air and bit me! She didn't break the skin but she got me good. Poor little girl has been traumatized by this whole thing, probably because she had to spend the night at the vet hospital. On the drive home yesterday, she was crying loudly, so I put a CD in of a chant that sounds like a lullaby and it kept her calm. She's so sensitive!