Cat tangles: causes and methods of struggle

Felines' mats are densely matted lumps of animal hair. The trouble is that many owners simply do not pay attention to them, believing that mats are a common thing for cats with long hair. Commoners believe that their pets can cope with this problem on their own.

Koltun (trichome) - This is a special condition of the coat of cats, which is matted, compacted balls of wool, reminiscent of felt to the touch. Most often, old or sick pets have severe mats (they can be a sign of a serious illness). With young cats, this happens much less often, since they devote a lot of time to high-quality care of their fur and put a lot of effort into keeping their fur neat, in order to remove their smell and become invisible for prey, because cats are excellent hunters.

Pets can get tangles on their fur for many reasons.

• A cat is rarely or never combed, therefore, in a very short period of time, dense tangles form on its coat.
• During molting, the old hair that has fallen out is not immediately combed out.
• The beloved is sick with something.
• An animal on its own cannot get rid of shreds of wool or hairs that are falling out of it all the time. The reason for this is the excessively thick coat.
• Lack of vitamins, which often leads to a malfunction in metabolic processes in the body of a cat. He may develop dandruff on the fur, and that, in turn, can strongly glue the hairs together when licked by a pet.
• The depressed state of the animal, when he is not up to caring for himself.
• The cat is washed with the wrong shampoo, for example, not with a product specifically designed for the animal, but with a regular shampoo for washing human hair. In this case, the wool is heavily soaped, which leads to its clumping, because of which tangles begin to appear.
• The cat is too lazy, clearly obese.
• The pet eats incorrectly, it shows signs of vitamin deficiency (the fur is crumbling, there are more and more lumps).
• There are some sticky substances on the wool (it can be jam or paint accidentally caught on the wool).

• The appearance of tangles on the pet's coat will seriously spoil its appearance. This is a rather significant disadvantage for those breeders who breed purebred cats. In addition, stroking an animal that has a lot of tangles is unpleasant.
• The skin under the lumps, among other things, can also sore, the animal may have problems with it, which will be difficult to treat in the future, and this will cause serious harm to the pet's health. Do not forget that the cat itself will try to "remove" the wool, which has got tangled, with its claws and can inflict rather deep wounds on itself. They can heal for a long time and bring suffering to the animal.
• However, these are far from the most serious consequences of the presence of tangles. These formations may well provoke the appearance of all kinds of diseases. In heavily matted wool, pathogenic microbes quickly begin to multiply. The pet will gently lick itself, these bacteria will enter its body and continue its life there.
• Mats are not always just clumps of regular old or dirty wool. They often appear around neoplasms, hiding them from prying eyes and leading to even greater infection and delayed treatment.
• When cats and cats have mats, their natural ability to constantly lick their fur is immediately disrupted, their fur coat begins to quickly become dirty, greasy and becomes an excellent environment for microbes. Such a pet is at great risk of "catching" a fungus, various lichens, and will also begin to suffer from fleas or lice.
• Under the rough lumps that the coat forms, inflammation can appear. The cat begins to feel severe discomfort and even pain because the lumps will pull on the skin. If there are a lot of tangles, the pet can even become seriously ill, his character can significantly deteriorate. A gentle and peaceful cat can turn out to be an eternally irritated and wild pet.
• There is another good reason why it is worth getting rid of tangles of various sizes as soon as possible - this is the possibility of accidental injury. A cat can get injured during normal play if a lump accidentally catches on any object or furniture. The cat will immediately want to get rid of the unintended interference, will twitch and pull away, which can lead to its injury.

In the future, this case will be associated with pain or fear. In such cases, cats begin to resist every time their owner tries to remove tangles from their fur.

Remove annoying tangles from the fur of cats using the following popular methods.

• If the lumps are still not very large, you can try to comb them out gently. The pet, so that he does not worry and not be afraid, must be put on one side or on his lap and stroked. This must be done so that he calms down, confides in you and does not break out.First, you should carefully comb the pet's sides and back, then go to the neck and chest, and complete the process by combing the front legs and tail. It is very difficult to get rid of the lumps that are on the cat's belly and hind legs.

• Big mats are best trim gently along the growth of the coat, after which it is gently combed.

• If there are too many tangles and they cannot be simply combed out, then the matted lumps should simply be cut to the ground. To carry out this kind of manipulation, you need to act very carefully: the skin under the fur of cats is very thin, so it is easy to damage it. Mats are most often removed with scissors, you can use a regular hair clipper or a special device for cutting wool. The bald patches will be completely overgrown in 2-3 months. Grooming will ease the condition of the cat suffering from tangles.

• In a pet store you can buy an interesting device, which is commonly called a collar cutter. This is a special comb with blunt ends and blades between the teeth. Using this device is completely safe for your pets. When choosing the most suitable collar cutter, you can save money by purchasing a cheaper model. But in any case, the chosen model should ideally suit your pet in all respects (a long-bladed collar cutter is chosen for long-haired cats, short blades are perfect for pets with a small amount of wool). In addition, when choosing, other factors should be taken into account:
  • number of teeth;
  • their length;
  • the material from which the blades are made;
  • fixture handle.

• To effectively combat long, tangled hair, there is a special comb - furminator... It will help you quickly get rid of lumps and will be simply indispensable when brushing your pet on a daily basis.

1. The lump removal process can be quite lengthy. And your pet will obviously not like it very much. Many cats simply do not fall into the hands, begin to fight and break free, anticipating your interest in their fur. For this reason, it is best to brush the mats in pairs: one person will hold the animal, the other will comb it out. If the cat is overly nervous, then it is better not to injure his delicate psyche and get rid of the tangles step by step, in a few days, and not at once.
2. Only the areas with the longest hair should be trimmed. It is best not to touch the paws and head of cats.
3. Until you completely solve the problem of the presence of lumps, it is strictly forbidden to wash the cat. The thing is that after water procedures, the lumps become even more difficult to comb out.
4. After you have nevertheless combed your pet, its coat must be treated with any antistatic agent, for example, a special spray for untangling tangles. It will help to gently detangle hairs and prevent tangles from forming again. Reviews on its use are mostly positive, but only in those cases when the process of the appearance of mats was not very much started.

The formation of such ugly lumps is much easier to prevent than to fight them unsuccessfully and for a long time. To care for a long-haired pet, you should set aside a certain time every day - no less than half an hour. The animal needs to be combed out regularly.

• You should teach your cat to a special comb when he is still very small. At a tender age, he will quickly get used to it and already at a more mature age you will not have any problems with combing.
• Remember not to use your own comb to brush your cat.You will need to choose a personal hygiene item for your pet, and its choice should depend on the type and length of its coat.
• You can buy a special brush for kittens. It is best if it has unnatural bristles that have an antistatic effect.
• After washing the pet, while it is not dry, a special massage mitten is excellent for its fur. However, it cannot completely replace a special comb.
• You can use a comb to brush every day. It has rounded ends, so this process won't hurt your animal. These ridges can be of any length and desired width. When combing with this comb, you can even find fleas if your pet has them.
• For very fluffy cats, use a slicker. The slicker resembles a brush, but instead of the usual bristles, it will have small metal teeth with curved tips. Such a device is suitable for the prevention of tangles in animals that have healthy hair.
• Also, the pet should be taken from time to time to the veterinary clinic for a professional examination. This will allow not only to determine in time the appearance of the ill-fated lumps, but also to prevent various diseases.
• Long-haired cats should be trimmed before summer.
• In addition to the pet's diet, it is necessary to use special supplements or vitamins designed to improve the quality of its coat.

Next, watch a video on how to remove the mats at home.