How to get rid of stubborn matted fur on a cat
Stubborn knots and clumps of fur during a coat change can seem impossible to brush out, especially when standard brushing is ineffective. This makes routine grooming frustrating and leaves owners worried that the mats cannot be untangled.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1cutting the knots out with sharp scissorsDid this help you?
- 2taking the cat to a professional groomerDid this help you?
- 3slowly picking away at the mats layer by layer with a brushDid this help you?
- 4using clippersDid this help you?
- 5Getting a haircutDid this help you?
- 6Brushing the dog's ears a few times per day, especially after playing outdoorsDid this help you?
- 7Brushing the catDid this help you?
- 8Cutting off the matted hairDid this help you?
- 9Plucking stuck shed hair to prevent matsDid this help you?
- 10trying to pull out the loose coat by handDid this help you?
- 11using a banded combDid this help you?
- 12deshedding with a rake and slicker brush comboDid this help you?
- 13using a high velocity dryer to blast out loose fluffDid this help you?
- 14brushing every day using a soft brush with the texture of a cat tongueDid this help you?
- 15using an old, less densely bristled human hairbrushDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“She keeps stuff getting tangled in this fluffy coat and I’m having actually health concerns and I also think it irritates her on our walks and she doesn’t really enjoy having the tangled things removed from her coat all the time.”source ↗
“She has developed a patch of fluffed up hair on their back”source ↗
“This cat has never been at a vet and would lose its life if I tried to.”source ↗
“My cat is now 9, but she already has old cat fur, its so sudden but happening fast.”source ↗
“Her fur is still fluffy, soft to touch, yet under her thick soft layer its asif her fur is thicker and more compact underneath, I am scared these will morph into matting if I dont do something.”source ↗
“Should I brush her regularly? Or cut her fur? Or leave this be??”source ↗
“If brushing is the optional choice, what brush do you guys use for this type of fur problem?”source ↗
“My girl (14 years old, still gorgeous) is having some knotting problems during her latest coat change. She's gotten knots (like clumps of fur) along her coat, which I'm afraid may not be untangleable... she's an indoor/outdoor cat (I live on a closed/dead-end street in a super quiet area). It seems like brushing her the knots will never come out, what do you recommend?”source ↗