Do knots in my cats hair affect him?

Question

I have a Persian cat and he has very, very long hair and he gets knots like really close to his skin so it makes it hard to brush them out. Do these knots affect him at all or should I get him shaved and start over? I brush him ALL the time and he still gets these knots!

Answer 1

YES!!!!!!!!!!!! And if they get bad enough, they can make SORES on the skin!!!! If you cannot brush them out, take the cat to the groomers and have it shaved!!!

Watch the scissors!!!! I have seen MANY cats come into the vet that needed stitches after the owner tried to cut mats out!

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

well if you had lots ok knots in your hair i'm sure it would get you down?! it can definately affect your cats well being! Shaving him would be a last resort, as he is a pure breed, shaving him might cause his hair to grow back differently, and you wouldnt want that. Try gently teasing, or cutting them out, being careful not to cut his skin. You will need to brush him a couple of times a day, if that is too much effort, you really shouldnt have bought a persian in the first place.

Answer 4

I used to have a Persian and the same thing happened, I think it's a good idea to shave them periodically, cause it really is a lost cause to brush out the knots. I'm sure the more knots there are, the more the cat will try to lick them out, and the more furrballs he will spit up. And that can't be good for the cat. So, shave him every now and again.

Answer 5

Forget the brush, you can't get down through the the coat to the skin to get the dead hair out of the fur. You need a graduated comb with rounded teeth to really get into the fur and remove the dead hair from your cats coat. Use the large tooth end first and back off quickly if you hit a snag. Pulling is not allowed. Be sure to reward your cat after you groom to encourage your cat to allow you to continue grooming. Remember to go WITH the fur, NOT against it!!!! Most importantly, BE GENTILE!!! Think how you'd react if you had a knot in your hair.
By the way, YES that knot of hair DOES hurt them. Think of trying to sleep on a hard lump that you can't get rid of. Cause a bruise, can't sleep, after a while causes as sore.

Answer 6

In August we got a long haired cat from the pound and she was very matted. After several weeks we were so disappointed that she wasn't a very friendly cat. If anyone came near her she would run away. I decided to get her shaved because of all the mats and when she came home she was a totally different cat. She was friendly, loved being held and rubbed. I'd say those mats were really bothering her. Now I know when she starts getting standoffish I need to check her for mats.

Answer 7

cut out the knots very carefully, make sure you know where the skin is when u do this so u dont accidently cut him. if u notice some areas get knots more often , try to focus on thiose areas when u brush him. hope this helps:)

Answer 8

If they get too large they can pull on the skin. If you can't brush them out you may have to have the vet clip them out or you can do this but be VERY careful. Do you brush your cat on a daily basis? If not, this might help.

Answer 9

yes, it tangles and it can be very painfull to the cat. you could try cutting them out or just giving him a bath unitl the furs wet and brush it out while blow drying it (though i must say, cats hate water and blow dryers) or you could put a little water on the knot and gently brush it out. this will take some time, so dont hurry or you will hurt your cat.

Answer 10

Well my g-ma had a cat that used to get those really bad but she would just cut them out with a pair of scissors.....it did not look like the cat was in any pain.