Need Help With Grooming for Longhaired Cat

[Rackonteur]

Asking for a friend of a friend …

Friend’s friend has 2 long-haired cats whose coats keep getting tangled. She took both to the groomer but the younger one (2yo) had to be sedated and still fought the groomer (poor kitty!).
The only thing I knew to suggest was to groom both cats every day, but even that doesn’t work on the 2yo because he fights it.

Is there any coat conditioner that can be used on cats to help with tangles/mats? Or any calmng remedy? I know of Feliway but it doesn’t seem to help my cat (who is a shorthair and enjoys being groomed).

Please help if you can!

Both cats are indoor-only. The older one is about 12yo.

[Simkie]

I have a few long haired cats here and it is challenging to teach them to be groomed. Bribery works the best, in my experience. Find a treat they like and use it.

In the beginning, they might need restraint to allow for any combing, but get a couple swipes in, and then give them a treat and let them go. Repeat daily. Or a couple times a day. It really doesn’t take long for them to ask to be groomed so they can get a treat.

Cats, since they lick themselves so much, really aren’t good candidates for anything you spray on. Improving the quality of what they’re fed can improve the coat, as can improving their overall health. If these are cats that used to be fine and had nice coats before, and are now matted and not taking care of themselves, that’s a good sign that something medical is wrong and they should be worked up with the vet.

[Renn_aissance]

I have a Himalayan and a Maine Coon, and they both tend to get matted on the side they like to sleep on and from roughhousing.

Neither likes being brushed. One runs and hides under the sofa, and if he can’t do that he bites; the other commits murder. So it goes.

Each gets professionally groomed once a year. The groomer has a useful humane restraint technique that you may be able to use at home if you have a savvy and brave helper. She uses a slip collar and leash and has an assistant hold that in one hand to prevent the cat from leaving the premises. Then, she rolls up a washcloth behind the cat’s ears so that the cat can’t easily see what’s going on behind him. This both discourages “I am anxious about what I see you doing, and I think I will not like it, so I will kill you” and also prevents them from aiming well. Finally, when they get rowdy, the assistant does scruff them.

This works very well and with this technique both boys can get a full-body brush-out and hygiene clip in 20 minutes.

At home, maintenance is accomplished with “brushing over breakfast.” While the cats are face-deep in their kibble, I spend about 15-20 seconds brushing each one until they get restless. This sounds like a little, but it does add up to keep the shedding and matting at bay. And any time they need to go in to the vet I ask for a hygiene trim while they’re there- that makes a big difference in maintaining the pantaloons. If there are multiple cats, brush brush treat may be a little more difficult because my experience is that the other cat will bully in for the treat and then they have to have a philosophical debate, but a) your friend’s cats may be less rough-and-tumble than my boys, and b) this also goes much better if your cats cannot open doors.

[Simkie]

@Renn_aissance

If there are multiple cats, brush brush treat may be a little more difficult because my experience is that the other cat will bully in for the treat and then they have to have a philosophical debate, but a) your friend’s cats may be less rough-and-tumble than my boys, and b) this also goes much better if your cats cannot open doors.

I lol’d at your door opening cats. This is a good point. We do have a lot of cats here, but they understand grooming time and each have their own spot for it. It’s not that tough to teach, you just have to be consistent.

[Renn_aissance]

@Simkie

I lol’d at your door opening cats. This is a good point. We do have a lot of cats here, but they understand grooming time and each have their own spot for it. It’s not that tough to teach, you just have to be consistent.

Between both boys, I have 30lbs of cats. And they are LONG. They can meerkat up, grab the knob between both hands, and swing until the door opens. If they work up enough momentum it can defeat a doorstop. Thankfully, most of the time they are too lazy to take matters into their own hands, and prefer to shout MRAAAAAAAAAAOW non-stop at the bedroom door at 3AM in hopes someone will get up and feed them. This never works. And yet the Himalayan persists.

Anyway, yes, cats are highly trainable (never mind the yelling optimist) whatever people say, you just need to speak their language. Tuna helps.

[Rackonteur]

Thank you all. I will pass these along!

[ravenclaw]

I have 2 fluffy cats that get matted and aren’t very cooperative for grooming. I just do a little bit here and there. I try to get 1-2 mats at a time once or maybe twice during a day. Or if it’s a big mat, I try to break it up a little. I don’t do it every day and I just do it until they start getting mad. I don’t push it much past that.

Also, I have a grooming tool that is kinda like a comb, but the teeth have blades on one side so it helps break up the mats more than a regular comb or brush.

[shiloh]

You may have to chunk it down into small sections. Groom one area and leave it while the cat is still being pleasant. Stuffing their faces full of treats doesn’t hurt either. My Teddy hated being groomed because his skin was so thin and delicate. I would groom him in bits and when he started huffing at me it was time to stop. He knew better than to bite. My other cat Tessa hated her nails being trimmed so for every nail I could cut successfully I would give her a treat. She would just sit and glower at me. I use a Grooma comb and a wide tooth comb with long teeth to get down to where the tangles would start. I know what you want: some sort of ShowSheen for cats but sadly it does not exist and if it did they would lick it off. Good luck.