Ruh roh!
In a first for him, Bud’s got a patch of matted fur. While it’s clear he understands I’m trying to help him, he’s not particularly keen on my efforts to comb it out.
He’ll tolerate limited brushing, but after a few attempts he pulls away. I don’t think it’s a sore spot in general. He hasn’t minded when I examined the area and he doesn’t pull away if I scratch his lower back, but his limited tolerance for the brush and his body language all say he’s uncomfortable with repeated attempts to clear the fur.
The mat is hard, like the bristles of a paint brush that hasn’t been cleaned properly. Bud’s white underfur is much more visible in the matted area as it sticks up.
After reading about matting in cats and the causes, I don’t think we’re dealing with fleas or an infection. I realize indoor cats can get fleas, but I very rarely see the little guy scratching himself and there’s no indication he’s in any general discomfort.
My best guess is that he’s, ahem, maybe still a little too much on the chubby side and can’t groom the area as he did when he was a younger, slimmer feline, before he moved down to Florida, joined the Del Boca Vista retirement community for cats and immersed himself in the exciting world of bocce.
As you can see, he doesn’t look chubby and his coat is otherwise very healthy.
Of course any talk of weight issues is very hush-hush around here. Officially, Buddy has the physique of an athletic tiger. Anyone who vocalizes doubts about that does so at their peril.
Right now my plan of attack is to get a fine metal comb specifically for jobs like this. I’ll try to remedy it with short brushing sessions and encouragement in the form of treats and praise for Bud being such a brave little guy.
If that doesn’t work, the next step would be a groomer or veterinarian. These things don’t resolve themselves, unfortunately, and the longer they’re allowed to persist, the worse the problem becomes.
To be continued…
Pain In The Bud 
It’s that time of year again! Buddy probably has a mat because he’s shedding his winter coat. This has happened to Frank once or twice, and he was not happy about it. Once the mat’s gone, I suggest that you get a Furminator comb to keep that undercoat cleaned out.
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Good advice, thanks. Which one do you recommend, Anna? I just looked at Furminators on Chewy and there’s an overwhelming variety of them, including several varieties of regular-use combs and brushes.
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(make that minutes..)
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The one I have is called FurBuster. Someone gave it to me years ago.
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Yikes! Know what i do with some cats? I take scissors and VERY carefully cut mats off. Not too close to skin of course. Takes second or two. Every cat is different but older cats were much easier for me.
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Yeah I’d be worried about Bud moving around a lot and potentially getting hurt. He’s a royal pain in the ass when it comes to trimming claws, and this probably won’t be any better. I might try the letter opener Molly suggested with a blade that is on an inner surface.
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Sure! You have to be comfortable doing that. And patient.Been doing it for couple of decades. Last one was 19 year old cat. She was too old to notice and so many mats.
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That’s what we’d do with my man Mr. Meow Meow. He will NOT let you brush him (part of the reason he was re-homed). He’s a long haired cat too. It wasn’t an issue until he went blind. Being deaf and blind really threw everything out of whack for him, poor guy.
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Our Spunkmeyer looks at the comb with dread but nearly goes to sleep in sheer pleasure when we do his back by his tail! The rest of the time is spent trying to grab the comb! With a disgusted look on his face!
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Oh heck Buddy, Bella has had “fur tufts” likely from her laziness and weight issues and generally not bothering… she loves a thing called a “furminator” ( its a comb with a handle) -we think she gets lazy with grooming deliberately so she can be furminated! I then collect the fur from around the house and off the furminator and now have several ‘mini Bellas’
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I hope Little Buddy’s fur gets straightened out soon without too much discomfort. 🩷🌷🌺
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I am dreading the older years for Spunk! I just like to think he is only 4 and has many years to go but our kitty Petunia was so recent. (She was 15) I wish I wouldn’t get so attached! But what can you do? They move into your heart within hours!
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Make that they move into our hearts in moments!
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It doesn’t even take hours for you to love them, it only takes a second. I’m such a sucker for any kind of animal.
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He is our pride and joy! We have always had cats! And we adopted a little wired haired daschund mix and he loved his kitties! And his favorite went away one day and he was devastated! We lost him at 14 and then WE were devastated!
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That happens occasionally with Tux. He also hates the grooming brush. Maybe a groomer could give Buddy the spa experience he so richly deserves!
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With cucumbers over his eyes and a refreshing massage? It’s true, Bud and Tux have demanding schedules and need to de-stress after their rigorous napping and eating routines.
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Cats often get mats in the spring when they shed their winter fur. If you need to cut it out, a Concealed Blade Letter Opener works well.
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Interesting, thanks. I just looked it up as I’ve never seen those things before. That would prevent the danger from Bud moving while I try to cut the mat.
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It’s possible that it isn’t that Buddy is too fat; it might be that he’s starting to get arthritis.
Groomers are great.
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I hope not! I’ve been paying close attention to his habits and movement lately to make sure everything is okay, and I don’t see any signs that he’s slowed down. He’s always been lazy when it suits him, but he’s just as sprightly when motivated by treats or fear that I’ll close the bathroom door before he scoots in.
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yes I think tryin to visit it in small sessions or some product that woul soften the mat. I don’t know what that is but I’m sure someone will know skinny cats can’t get to all spots to groom either How about bundling bud to cut it off hope you are successful
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Yeah if I have to cut or shave the fur I’m gonna have to restrain him in some way since he’s likely to go off. He’ll smack me hard, then five seconds later nuzzle up to me while purring lol.
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It’s usually easier just to deal with the mat using scissors. In the rare examples of my cats getting matted, I used these little nail scissors — i.e. human nail scissors – because they work better, and are a bit safer than the alternative.
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