Cat tangles: reasons, how to get rid of them. Preventing the appearance of mats in cats with long hair. How to remove mats from a cat at home? How to trim a cat's mats

Koltun (trichome) is pathological condition cat hair, which consists of dense clumps of matted hair, resembling felt. Most often, mats appear in old or sick animals. This happens much less often with young cats, because they devote a lot of time to grooming themselves, so that their fur looks well-groomed, as well as in order to eliminate their own odor and remain invisible to their prey, because carnivorous cats are successful hunters.

Why are tangles dangerous?

Mats are not always just clumps of old dirty wool. They can form around dangerous tumors, masking them and facilitating infection. Very often flies and even moths lay eggs in tangles, and fleas, lice and lice eaters plague entire cities. The delicate cat skin under the tangles becomes dry and inflamed, which often becomes the cause of sepsis!

And how a neat cat feels when her perfect body is covered with dirty, matted fur, we can only guess, putting ourselves in her place!

Why does cat fur get matted?

The reasons why a cat develops tangles can be completely different, for example, foreign objects (blades of grass, twigs, toothpicks, resin, glue, chewing gum, and so on), improper and irregular grooming, poor nutrition, as well as health problems. For example, if the fur falls into tangles on the back of a cat, especially a neutered one, kidney problems may be the cause.

The most common cause is fleas, whose bites cause itching and pain. The animal endlessly licks the bite sites, wetting the fur with saliva, which tightly sticks the fur together, forming tangles.

In cats of long-haired breeds, such as Persians, tangles form because the animals are not able to cope with the care of their voluminous, thick and soft fur on their own, and as a result - tangles! Of course, it is always easier to prevent any problem than to literally unravel it later.

Prevention of tangles

From the very first day a cat appears in your home, it must be taught to groom its fur, no matter whether it has long hair or not. How to properly care for an animal’s fur so that tangles do not form anywhere?

Combing correctly

First, you need to choose the “right” comb for cats, not from your own supplies, but a special steel one - with smooth teeth corresponding to the length of the coat. Special attention should be given to the back. The back of cats has hypersensitivity, not every cat will allow you to brush your back, especially the spine area. But, nevertheless, it is necessary to get used to this procedure.

Very often, cat owners use so-called slickers (slickers) to comb their fur. Unfortunately, this is an ineffective method of preventing and combating tangles, since the short teeth of the slicker brush only comb upper layer fur coats, leaving the undercoat untouched, and, consequently, the “germs” of tangles. It is recommended to brush cats three times a week, and long-haired cats daily using an antistatic spray.

Don't avoid washing

There is a misconception that cats do not need to be washed! Stone Age! Necessary! And quite often, at least once every three months, because the cat lives in our non-ecological homes, filled with dusty synthetic things. The cat's fur becomes electrified, which also benefits tangles; it collects dust and becomes saturated with various odors and fats. That's why you need to wash your cats! Definitely a must!

If you teach a kitten from childhood to water procedures, then there will be no problems with swimming. In fact, cats love water, their pride is hurt by any violence, so the owners should have a calm and serious attitude towards the bathing ritual. The main thing here is peace and quiet!

It is very important to choose special high-quality cosmetics for cat hair care: antistatic agent, shampoo (or even shampoos), conditioner-rinse and, just in case, anti-matt spray (or foam).

An anti-matt spray will help comb out suddenly discovered mats, which often form on the neck and behind the ears in particularly long-haired animals. Drying plays an important role in caring for a cat's fur. It is best to dry the wool with a special hairdryer while simultaneously combing and straightening the wool. Some cats are afraid of the noise of a hair dryer, so be patient and use natural fiber towels, but no one has canceled combing and straightening their fur!

Choose good food

And finally, it is very important to choose a high-quality complete food for your animal, containing components necessary for healthy skin and coat, such as polyunsaturated fatty acid Omega-3 and Omega-6, vitamins, complete protein, rich in essential amino acids (methionine, taurine, tryptophan).

If your pet does have tangled fur, of course, you first need to solve the problem cosmetically (either on your own or with the help of a groomer), then find out if there is more deep reason in matted cats - treatment of cats should not be delayed if we are talking about chronic matting of hair. This is a distress signal that the animal gives in the way that is available to it.

The most important thing is that you just need to remember the animal, keep it in mind, stroke it, touch it, examine it and simply love it! Then you leave no chance for tangles!

Olga Halina

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The biggest aesthetic problem for owners is matted fur or tangles on the animal. They appear in longhaired animals regardless of their habitat.

Harm to health

Naturally, the hairs get tangled in long hair and cannot leave the cat’s coat on their own - they need to be combed out. One has only to miss one combing or do it in bad faith - immediately the pet becomes overgrown with unpleasant-looking clumps of matted fur.

This is explained by the fact that the animal itself is not able to care for long fur and needs care. It is difficult for a cat to lick hairs that reach thirteen centimeters in length.

For a person, a cat's mat is only an aesthetic discomfort - who likes to see an unkempt pet? And for the cat this is fraught with health problems. Tangling of hairs indicates that the animal is not eating properly - it is worth reviewing its diet, it is advisable to consult a veterinarian.

If an animal gets fleas, then the favorite breeding ground is tangles. becomes tangled at the base, the animal’s skin tightens and the blood supply is disrupted, which can lead to necrosis of the area.

Scratches and abrasions may be hidden under the tangles. When the skin is not supplied with air, pathogenic bacteria can enter these wounds, which will lead to suppuration of the wound.

Those caught in the hairs gather in clumps and disrupt its natural functioning.
There is a special paste on sale for removing hair from the stomach. Specialized food also solves this problem.

Fighting methods

First of all, you need to have a comb, a special shampoo and conditioner for long-haired dogs in the house. Conditioner makes the coat silky and less prone to tangling. This kind of fur is easier to comb out.

Small tangles are carefully selected with your fingers, and the animal is stroked and calmed during this procedure. If the tangle is noticed late or has become critical, you cannot do without a haircut. There is no need to be afraid - cats usually tolerate such procedures well.

All cats are certainly beautiful. These are animals that have many cute representatives of their family. But cats with long hair have a special charm and charm. Fluffy lumps delight and make even the most gloomy person smile. Most often, the needs and characteristics of feline balls differ depending on the breed and length of fur.

Fluffy cats are prone to matting (fur that has become matted and tangled into a ball). At first glance, it is a completely harmless ailment or even a feature, but in reality it can go too far.

Where do tangled paws “grow” from?

In advanced cases with a long-haired cat, only a haircut will help.

The fluffy cat is beautiful in appearance, but this is almost entirely the merit of its owner. She is unable to care for her fur efficiently and completely. In principle, this can be called the answer to the question: where do tangles come from?!

The long-haired beauty needs help; she can’t do it on her own. Mats are a missed moment and lack of attention to an important cat person.

What are mats?

Mats are wool caught on each other

Wool is constantly renewed. The healthy loss of old hairs and the growth of new hairs is a completely natural and correct process. When it occurs in a cat with medium or short hair, she simply licks off all the excess.

The fluffy cat physically cannot cope with this. . The hairs cling to each other and the old grows with the new. This is how lumps are formed, which become larger day by day.

Why are they dangerous?

Jeweled haircut for tangles

A completely expected question will arise: why are tangles dangerous? Essentially, they are not a disease that needs to be diagnosed and the consequences feared.

In fact, failure to care for your animal on time can cause a lot of problems in the future. Stray hair is dangerous due to the following:

• The cat will experience discomfort and feel a foreign object;
• As a result, she will try to gnaw out the tangle, since she will not be able to lick it off;
• Manipulation will lead to skin injury and irritation cannot be avoided;
• Ingrown tangles can also cause pain when trying to remove them;
• And of course, unkempt fur doesn’t look aesthetically pleasing, that’s the least of it. negative consequence from mats.

How to get rid of cat tangles at home

The cat is unlikely to like removing tangles, but he no longer has to choose. First of all, you need to be prepared for the fact that the animal will resist.

Therefore, knowing your pet, you need to choose the most the right time, for example, when the cat is sleeping or immediately after waking up.

1. The pet needs to be fixed. You may have to ask your household for help.
2. Next, you should feel the tangle and evaluate how much it has grown into the skin. If the lump is not very hard and large, you can try to cut it and comb out the wool in fragments.
3. There is no point in trying to sort out neglected tangles. It is much easier to cut or shave them with a clipper.
4. You need to cut out the tangles in parts. It's better to start with a small piece and move closer to the skin in stages.

This must be done extremely carefully so as not to injure the skin or cause infection.

If you don’t have confidence in your own abilities, then it’s better to contact veterinary clinic or to cat groomers. They have in their arsenal all necessary tool, and most importantly, experience in coping with this task.

How to cut a cat's hair with a mat cutter

Standard webbing cutter

A tool that will certainly come in handy for owners of fluffy cats.

Externally, the tangle cutter looks like a regular comb. But its teeth are sharp blades.

The brush has from 4 to 10 teeth. The blades can be straight or wave-shaped. Before using the tool, you should try to separate the hair with your hands and free as much healthy hair as possible. Next, the mat is combed out using the blades of a mat cutter. At this point, special care will be required to avoid touching skin covering. Essentially, the device cuts through tangled wool.

When choosing a webbing cutter, you should pay attention to how well it is made. A cheap tool can injure the animal and quickly become unusable.

The tangle cutter is capable of combing out medium-level clumps. Deeply ingrown tangles need to be cut out entirely.

Don't be too scared. New wool It will take approximately 5 months to grow. The lost piece is a great pity, but in the future the owner will be more attentive.

Preventive actions

Only careful grooming and brushing of your cat will help prevent mats.

Even more fluffy cats may not know what tangles are when properly cared for.

The coat should be brushed at least 2 times a week. At least 10 minutes is enough and the cat will be well-groomed.

Some pets get used to brushes and perceive them as a portion of pleasure.

It is important to purchase a good comb; it should not have very hard teeth; they are not needed for daily care.

IN hot weather You can take your cat to the hairdresser and get beautiful haircuts for its long fur. This is also a way to prevent the formation of tangles. In summer it's hot and cats sweat, so...

Examining a cat for mats

Inspecting the cat and combing out any tangles found

Even with good care, you need to examine the animal’s body as often as possible. A foreign object in the form of adhered dirt will lead to matting over time. The wool gets matted quite quickly, but grows back for a long time after being cut. In place of the removed lump, fur of a different color may form. This is a normal deviation.

Prevention by bathing

Not all cats love to bathe, but they should!

Bathing a cat is also preventive measure. But everyone knows how they treat water, to put it mildly, poorly. Therefore, you can use dry powders and. They are sprayed onto the fur and combed. The products contain components that smooth out hairs and prevent them from getting tangled and tangled.

Even if the cat does not like beauty treatments. In this case, compromises with the pet are excluded.

conclusions

It is a mistake to believe that a cat can recognize its own illnesses and cope with them like an intelligent animal. Yes, they are sensitive and wise, but not to such an extent that they provide themselves with comfort in all respects. Apparently, this is why the cat lives with a person and allows him to be her friend and helper. A friend and helper just needs to learn to be sensitive and attentive to his pet.

Many cat lovers dream of having a fluffy long-haired cat, but not everyone, for many reasons, decides to have such a pet. One of the most common reasons is the need for constant and painstaking care of the coat. And this is quite fair, because such fluffy pet You need to comb the hair regularly and correctly, and treat the wool with special products. Many owners of long-haired cats complain that as soon as they start grooming a little, mats appear. However, mats in a cat can also occur for other reasons, which we suggest learning about in more detail now.

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Why do tangles appear?

Mats or trichomes occur in both long-haired dogs and cats and are a pathological condition of the animal's coat. With trichome, the hairs of the fur stick together and become tangled together into a dense, inseparable lump, which feels like thick felt. Mats most often occur in hard-to-reach places and where the fur is most exposed to friction: the stomach, groin area, tail, inner side paws, less often on the back or neck. Veterinarians associate this phenomenon with poor animal care, as well as with local pathological processes.

Most common reason the occurrence of tangles in pets - insufficient care or untimely combing. However, among all the factors that cause trichomes, experts include:

Mats are not only an aesthetic problem: due to metabolic disorders in the skin, they cause discomfort and many skin diseases. Due to discomfort in accessible places, the animal may itself try to tear out or gnaw out the tangles, injuring the skin.

Removing tangles correctly

Removing tangles from an animal's fur is not so easy without special tools. Many people cannot do without scissors or a hair clipper. However, we do not recommend immediately resorting to radical measures, because it will ruin your pet’s gorgeous hair. Of course, if other methods do not help, then there is nowhere to go. The first thing you can try is to sort it out with your hands and comb the matted fur. The second popular and effective method how to get rid of mats from a cat - use a mat cutter.

Combing

The first thing a cat owner should do after discovering tangles in the fur is try to comb them out. To do this, you need to secure the animal in a comfortable position and follow the instructions.

1. If the tangles have formed recently, they can be easily untangled by hand. To do this, you first need to divide the tangle into several strands, then try to separate the hairs piece by piece. Starting from the bottom up, comb through with a fine-tooth comb.
2. If the tangle can only be partially disassembled, for example, the top layer of wool, then the bottom layer can be carefully cut lengthwise with a knife or use a tangle cutter.
3. When combing the mat, the skin must be held so as not to pull it too much and cause pain to the animal.

Never bathe your pet before untangling tangles. This will only make the problem worse. However, experts advise pre-treating the mat itself and the hair around it with a special combing spray or talcum powder.

Colt cutter

The mat cutter is a modern, convenient and completely safe tool that helps remove matted hairballs and tangles. In appearance it resembles a paring knife. This tool is equipped with special blades (usually about 10 of them), which are located parallel to each other and sharpened only on one side for safe use.

Photo gallery “Coltun cutters”

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You need to comb through matted wool with a tangle cutter in the same way as with a regular comb. The blades of the tool should be facing down, movements should be in the direction of the tangle. You can see what the webbing cutter looks like in the video (pro100vesna).

Prevention of tangles

As experts say, it is better to prevent a problem than to get rid of it later. This is especially true for show animals, for which the removal of even small areas of fur is a complete disaster. In the fluffiest long-haired cats, after cutting, the hair is completely restored only after 4-5 months. In addition, after cutting, the guard hair may change color. Therefore, for all purebred show cats, the main rule of keeping is proper nutrition and quality regular care.

So, what is included in the concept of “regular care” and what does tangle prevention mean?

1. Regular brushing of the coat will allow you to promptly remove lost hairs and promote correct exchange skin substances.
2. Regular bathing of the animal using special shampoos and hygiene products will help keep the wool clean. Clean hairs without skin problems They do not fall off or tangle, they shine and lie evenly over the entire surface of the body.
3. Balanced diet and additional nutrients and vitamins will help maintain healthy skin and beautiful coat.
4. If it is not possible to buy an animal in a timely manner, you can use dry shampoo. In addition to maintaining cleanliness, it will help remove static tension and make the coat soft and shiny.
5. Always use a hair dryer to dry the fur after bathing and comb the cat thoroughly with a special brush.

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How to properly care for a long-haired purring pet so that there are no problems with the fur? A grooming expert talks about this.

Among all the variety of cat breeds, many people prefer long-haired, fluffy creatures. A cat with luxurious fur, reclining on soft pillows, is an amazingly beautiful and touching sight. Do you agree? However pet with well-groomed coat - this is many hours and daily work his owner.

What are mats in cats?

A very common problem with long-haired cats is mats. They are dense wool balls formed from old fibers that were not removed in time. Young and healthy cats They often lick themselves, thereby removing these unnecessary hairs. There are times when licking fur does not help to cope with a problem such as mats in a cat. How to get rid of them? First, let's look at the reason for the appearance of tangles.

Where do cat mats come from?

The problem of mats usually affects cats with long hair, such as Persians. Short-haired animals do not suffer from such a problem. If mats appear in a cat with short hair, then, in most cases, this indicates that the animal is unhealthy. In this case, owners should immediately take their pet to a veterinarian.

Owners of long-haired animals are more likely to encounter problems such as mats in their cats. The reasons for their appearance are often associated with the depressed state of the animal and the inability to independently monitor the condition of its fur. It can be quite wide range diseases, ranging from oral diseases to dermatological problems.

The causes of wool matting can be contaminants that have gotten on it (glue, oils, blood, oil, feces, etc.). The condition of the coat can be affected by the wrong selection of food products. From improper care mats may also form in the cat. How to get rid of them? Remember to wash domestic cat"human" shampoos are not recommended. Additionally, the fur can become matted if you don't lather, rinse, or dry it properly. When drying, the wool is simply blotted with a towel rather than rubbed. different sides to dry faster.

How dangerous are tangles for a cat?

Of course, a cat's tangles are simply an unaesthetic phenomenon. Untidy appearance a gorgeous purebred cat is a big minus for the breeder and owner of the animal. And just petting a cat with mats is unpleasant. But pets should in everything please and bring pleasure to a person from their neighborhood.

How to remove mats from a cat?

If your cat has single small tangles, you can try to disassemble them with your hands. Owners who monitor and review their pet’s fur every day will never encounter such a problem as cat tangles. How to get rid of them? Such an issue will not be on the agenda at all.

If the tangles have become extensive, then the only help is a haircut. Here the work should take place in several stages:

• The cat must be restrained before grooming. Even if the cat is calm and did not show before signs aggression, then general prevention security will not be superfluous.
• Mats should be removed by cutting lengthwise through the hairball. Remember that using sharp scissors can damage your pet's skin. Be careful when cutting the tangle.
• After cutting the wool, separate it with your fingers and go through the remains with a comb.

In some cases, when removing matted fur, specialists use special remedy from mats for cats. It helps make the removal process faster, more accurate and painless for the animal.

There are cases when there are a lot of tangles and they are extensive. In this case, it is recommended to completely. As a rule, the head, neck, tail and tips of the paws are left uncut.

How to get rid of mats on a cat if you are afraid to cut your pet’s hair yourself? Of course, seek help from a veterinarian or an animal hairdresser. An experienced master will not only quickly remove tangles, but will also give you wise advice care to avoid recurrence of the unpleasant situation.

Prevention of mats in cats

So that your a pet could always boast of the excellent condition of the coat and good good health, it should be properly and carefully looked after. Frequent companions of long hair are mats in cats. How to get rid of the problem? Dedicate some time to brushing every day. It should become a familiar and everyday ritual of your family. Try to accustom your pet to combing from a young age. As you grow older, this procedure will not cause difficulties for you and discomfort in an animal.

When purchasing, try to give preference to special combs with round tips. Such a tool will not damage the hair structure and skin of the animal. Flickers damage the hair and make the hairs more brittle.

Daily care - a family ritual

By devoting some time to your pet, bathing and brushing it correctly, you will never encounter the problem of mats in cats. It would seem that getting rid of tangles is simple, you just need to cut off the hair. But after a haircut, it may change in structure and color, which is simply unacceptable for purebred breeding cats.