Why don’t you recommend de-matting?

De-matting with de-matting tools is a high-risk grooming procedure, cat skin is so thin and easy to damage, (on average 0.4 – 3.6mm compared to dogs 2.6-5.2mm), not to mention the quick movement of an unpredictable animal.
Is it worth the risk of an unhappy cat and owner, and the costs of closing the wound that could be in the hundreds?

Most vets will clip a knot in consult if asked to. I have clipped cats many times to find old wounds that the owner did not notice when de-matting, and that they had, in fact, cut their cat. In my experience, it is much safer to clip out mats, then to try and break a mat up that is already removing itself from the skin. 

De-matting involves cutting and pulling the coat, which can cause damage. These damaged hairs can then easily form a mat again due to the state of the hair shaft after using de-matting tools.  Therefore, there is no reason to make a cat angry and de-mat! 

When a cat has a mat close to the skin, and you pull to try to comb it out, you will pull all hairs that are not ready to be released, causing a bald spot. This is a normal reaction; as in a natural matting situation, the cat will remove the mat itself.

Please seek a professional Cat Groomer (who has knowledge of cat anatomy and experience with safe clipping) or a Veterinarian when choosing to remove a knot from your cat.

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Who am I?

I’m Lexie Goldsmith,

My slow introduction and low-stress handling techniques have been proven over 18 years of grooming cats without sedation, with many happy clients, and I’m the go-to cat groomer in my state.

I am regularly contacted by people all over the world who want to learn cat grooming from me, and it excites me to see students now grooming cats with my videos, instructions and support.

I am a Qualified Veterinary Nurse, Pet Stylist and Master Cat Groomer, available for your cat grooming education needs.

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