Why you don't de-mat your cat with scissors

[columbine]

And now that I've dislodged all of the incipient mats, and the weather's dried out a bit, I can usually get him to stand still long enough for a sufficient combing by holding the slicker brush for him to itch his face on. At first he didn't like the undercoat comb because it had entirely too much work to do!

Love, Columbine

[cassiesmom]

I'm just re-reading this thread from 2010 on mats. Cassie has started to get clumps of fur at the base of her tail. I just combed out another one this morning. She's been surprisingly good about letting me comb her enough to wiggle them loose. I found two great ideas in this thread: 1) try a human comb; and 2) get an undercoat comb. I have a comb with wide and narrow-spaced teeth and she has never minded being combed. I thought I read a tip somewhere on PT about trying a bit of Vaseline to help loosen up a very tight mat, but I could very well be wrong.

Edited to add: Columbine-- Cassie would give "cheek bumpies" to your slicker brush all day long if you'd like to hold it for her !