Help Needed

Just found this group, and have a question concerning a little 5 year
old solid black
female short hair cat I have.
...
Recently her hair has started to get
"matted" and very difficult to brush or
comb out...this has never happened before now.. is there a special
grooming
tool or something that will get this
problem corrected, I do not want to try
and "cut" these places out, her fur/hair
has become so thick, you can't tell where
her skin is... any good suggestions and
help is greatly appreciated...and please
send your help to my email addy above
as I can't get back to check any replies
that often....and thanks so much in advance.....
Regards...
Terry

Very unusual for a short-hair to be so severely matted. Did she get
into something (grease, glue, who knows?)

Try a vet, and/or a groomer (some big vet clinics have a groomer). Yes,
usually more for dogs, but some cats sometimes need it.

Never, ever cut out mats - you are completely right about not being able
to tell where the skin is, because with a severe matt the skin can pull
up into the matt. Same with a burr or tangle.

What you CAN do is get a comb, work it in to the fur under the matt - it
will only go in on top of the skin, right? Then take a safety razor and
"shave" ON TOP OF the comb. Stop when you reach the end of the comb's
teeth. Work the comb in some more and continue.

Kitty may end up looking a bit funny, but you'll get the matts out
safely. If she's continually matt-prone, you MUST groom daily to avoid
this exercise.

Johanna (who has only lived with shorthairs, but has relatives with
very, very fluffy longhairs).

Web 413 wrote:
Just found this group, and have a question concerning a little 5 year
old solid black
female short hair cat I have.
..
Recently her hair has started to get
"matted" and very difficult to brush or
comb out...this has never happened before now.. is there a special
grooming
tool or something that will get this
problem corrected, I do not want to try
and "cut" these places out, her fur/hair
has become so thick, you can't tell where
her skin is... any good suggestions and
help is greatly appreciated...and please
send your help to my email addy above
as I can't get back to check any replies
that often....and thanks so much in advance.....
Regards...
Terry