Cat with matted fur
Inspecting areas needing attention
Removal of fur
Removal of fur
Removal of fur
End result with matted fur
News
August 2007
Hello again,
This month we tought we'd highlight one common problem that we find recurring with too much regularity. This is a severe problem that can have many extreme problems and sinister possibilities attached to it.
It is entirely preventable with good diet and adequate care. It occurs when people have a pet that they either neglect or find difficult to cope with their needs. What are we highlighting? THE CAT WITH MATTED FUR!
Doesn't seem so bad does it? Well here are a series of pictures we took of our most recent case. You can clealry see that this condition did not happen overnight and that the quality of the skin once the fur has been removed is in dreadful condition. This is not the worst case we have seen.
The long-haired cat with matted fur is not as simple as it may seem. It is not just unsightly but it can set up many horrid problems.
- Fur becomes so matted it restricts movement-we have had clients thinking their pet has arthritis because of difficulty walking and getting up-no its just had matted fur tying up the legs making movement increasingly difficult.
- The matted fur continues to matt so much it tears the skin. The skin cannot be easily seen so the tear is an infection site. This will also result in pain.
- Matted fur is a great place for all manner of parasites to live in. Most matted cats have various parsites living in their coat. Fleas, flea eggs, worm eggs, lice, mites etc. The worst is problably maggots. This manefests as similar to 'fly strike' in rabbits. The maggots will eat the cat's flesh.
- When the fur is matted around the cat's back end it can restrict or prevent them from passing faeces. This then matts into the fur and eventually backs-up making it impossible for cats to go to the loo at all-with disastrous results.
- Matted fur means that the skin underneath gets no exposure to normal light and air and natural skin secretions cannot be used properly. This sets up anything from flaky skin to rashes, bacterial infections and usually also involves parasites.
wanted animals.
The cat we can see photographs of was under anaesthetic for 3 and a half hours for us to comb and shave off the matted fur, leaving the cat looking more daft when she went out then when she came in.
We weighed the fur that was removed and it weighed 9lbs!
An anaesthetic involves a pre-op blood test, cannulation, pre-med injection, anaesthetic injection, use of anaesthetic gasses through the anaesthetic machine, false tears (animals eyes are not closed and do not blink during anaesthesia), xylocaine spray to prevent the throat going into spasm during siteing of the endotracheal tube (for breathing under anaesthetic)and in this case other injectable drugs to help the skin condition. It also takes a vet, an anaesthetist and a nurse with auxilliary back-up. On a practical level grooming your cat is cheaper than this alternative.
Vets will always be available to de-matt cats as it is a necessary procedure when things have gotten this bad. It is a shame to anaesthetise an animal for an entirely preventable procedure. We can't but help think of the stress and discomfort this and other cats endure before we recify the problem. Stray long-haired cats are the ones most often presented for this when, ofcourse, it is no one's fault as there is not an owner to groom them.
Once this has been done the fur will grow back as normal and with regular grooming the problem will not recurr.
Tips to avoid the necessity of a dematt
- If you are not prepared to groom a cat every day do not acquire a long-haired one.
- Groom your long-haired cat daily for a few minutes. Even if your cat does not like it, do it initially to the smoother spine area with a soft brush and put your cat back on the floor before the cat is fed-up with the grooming. Do this several times daily. Build up the time you spend during each session of grooming gradually. Within a month the cat will allow you to groom with less and less reluctance. Eventually it will become a shared routine with your cat not minding at all. You should reach a stage when you can groom with a brush suitable to comb through thoroughly on all fur areas of your cat.
- Show cats are often doused with talcum powder to make the fur look prettier. Do not do this as it interferes with the normal skin secretions causing irritation and dry skin.
- Feed a diet that will help the long-haired cat. Choose the right nutritional qualities to aid good skin care. Royal Canin have a diet specifically for the long haired cat. It keeps the skin in top condition by containing the optimum balance of vitamins and minerals for skin making the fur easier to groom.
- My cat does not like being groomed is not a good excuse. You wouldn't not brush a child's hair just beacuse they didin't like it-a lot of us will be familiar with that scenario!
- A number of people keep long haired cats lke the Persian indoors so they have less opportunity of going out and roughing up their coat. As cats are naturally agoraphobic this is not a cruel measure but an option to be considered.
- Think of grooming as a relaxing pleasure for you and your cat and not a chore.
If you regularly groom your cat it can take next to no time and is easily manageable on a daily basis and becomes a normal part of your day. If you have a cat that is matted, act quickly as in the early stages an anaesthetic may not be necessary.
If you, or someone you know has a badly matted cat do come and seek veterinary advice quickly-24 hours can be the difference between an animal being maggot infested or not.
We will always fix a matted cat but we like to stress that we would like not to see a repeat visit for the same thing a year or two down the line-it is preventable!
For more news visit the news archive.