How to Remove Matted fur on dogs and cats

Long coated dogs and cats have fur that can get matted easily. Mats can tug on skin and ruin your pet's coat. Here are some suggestions on how to remove matted fur on dogs and cats.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. The best way to avoid having to remove matted fur on dogs and cats is to keep your dog or cat regularly groomed. Common spots for pets to develop mats are behind the ears, between the body and the upper inside of the legs, and around any collars they may be wearing. These are often the worst spots, but mats can form anywhere in the coat, especially if anything gets tangled or caught in the fur. By giving special attention to the most vulnerable areas during regular groomings you are likely to avoid the problem of matting all together.

2. 
   Feel for mats with your fingers before combing or brushing

   Unfortunately, it is easy to forget some of those regular grooming sessions, especially if your pet doesn't like to be groomed. Getting a young pup or kitten used to being groomed at the youngest age possible reduces the labor and discomfort in regular grooming. Even so, there are some pets that only manage to tolerate grooming whereas there are others who love it. Ironically, it always seems the short-haired pets love the brushing while the ones who need it the most, don't!

3. 
   Remove mats when small if possible.

   If you find matted fur in your dog or cat's coat, try to remove it as soon as possible. Matted fur gets more difficult to comb out the longer it stays, and mats tend to grow bigger quickly.

4. If the matted fur is new and loose, you may be able to pull it apart with your fingers and then comb it out completely.

5. If the mat is tight or difficult, you may have to cut it out with sharp scissors. Be careful not to accidentally cut skin! Slip the scissors BETWEEN the skin and the base of the mat and cut upwards or to the side. Try not to pull the skin up with the fur or you may cut it accidentally.

6. 
   Matting tool

   If your dog or cat has a lot of matting all over the body that has not gotten too tight and solid, using a mat tool is a great choice. This long toothed tool has sharp edges that cut through loosely matted fur and undercoats without damaging the dog or cat's main coat.

7. Always remove pet hair mats BEFORE bathing. Water will only make the matted fur form a tighter ball on both cats and dogs.

8. One suggestion that I have never tried is to soak a mat in baby oil. This is supposed to make the mat fall off and should be a great solution especially for a matted cat who won't let you work on the coat any other way. I'm not sure why it should work, but a number of people claim it has been very successful for them.

9. If your pet has become filled with mats, there may be no choice but to cut the whole coat back to a shorter length. You may then want to use clippers on the coat to smooth it out so it doesn't look chopped and hacked.

10. The best way to remove matted fur on dogs and cats, as I said in the beginning, is by regular brushing. But if matted fur does form, hopefully some of these suggestions will help remove it. Check for more suggestions in the Resources listed below.

Resources

• Removing dog and cat matted fur
• Cat mats

[sonni57]

on 3/15/2009 Good suggestions on how to remove matted hair on pets.

[Meri]

on 3/13/2009 I can so relate to this article! Great advice to keep the fur groomed regularly.

[annvans]

on 3/10/2009 We have a dog that looks like a sheep dog, she gets a new mat daily. I am forever cutting her with the scissors, thanks for the info in this great article!

[Diligent77]

on 3/6/2009 Been here done this one too many times! Great steps for removing matted doggy hair.