Our 18 month old kitten has these huge knots in her long coat. She has never sat still for a brush or comb - even from when we first got her. Didn't seem to be a problem last winter.
But different story this winter. What a mess her coat is in. But if I so much as even touch these knots, I get a sharp bite for my efforts. She is still happy to curl up on your knee, but as soon as you touch the knots, even by accident, she is off.
I am tempted to take her somewhere and get her shorn - they are so bad. Any thoughts as to where??
I seem to recall our other long haired cat had all his knots fall out last summer. Here's hoping this ones do so as well.
We once took Mickey to the vets to have her sedated and her knots cut off [] It was when we first adopted her (or she adopted us) and if I tried to deal with them myself I got some really nasty scratches
Now Bingley is our only cat who gets knots and he's easy to deal with...anything for a cuddle
IF you can, check whether the knots are pulling on her skin. If they get tight and close to the skin they can cause pain and sores and infections, especially if they trap dirt. If you aren't happy to tackle them yourself, an animal groomer will do the job. It can be tricky cutting knots off an uncooperative animal as the closer they are to the skin, the trickier it is not to knick it..
My cat nearly 9mths has started having knots, as she sits on the damp muddy grass and comes in with little areas knotting up fast.. I am slowly breaking her in to daily grooming and will brush her back with no knots then move to an area with, so she will tolerate that much longer... we tried to trim her pantaloons yesterday but her fur is so fine, the scissors hardly managed to cut it..
I also did see a flea, so have treated her today as I think scratching that irritation and the mud lumps are making the matter worse, luckily the other 4 are all short haired and are looking after themselves.
I have heard that using a stich unpicker and going thro the lump and by dividing it is a good trick so attack it like pruning a bush. Ive wondered about needing a baby shampoo with conditiioner to make the hair slide but will see how we go with education first.. and I shall trim her nails as they have also got very long the last few weeks.
good luck
You could try giving her a good dose of rescue remedy or stress relief. Give it 15 minutes to work it's magic and have a go... a groomer may be able to do it or failing that, the vet may have to knock her out to cut the knots out.
I would take her to the vet, and get her shorn for now, as is you knick her by mistake you are never going to get anywhere any future knots at all. She must be hurting with them, and that is why she is getting tetchy to you. Also a good shear, and then flea treatment, and she will be a lot happier cat.
After that, experiment with different combs/brushes too. I have a 'people' comb that my cats tolerate better than cat ones. Its one of those plastic ones that has wider teeth at one end and finer on the other. Try combing only a little bit at first, hold the comb leaning the opposite way to what you'd do if you were really trying to be effective. ie: imagine combing towards her tail - instead of pointing the teeth end towards her tail, tilt the comb so the teeth are more towards her head and the comb doesn't dig in so much, make a GIANT fuss of her as you're doing this, petting her with your free hand. Do this just a little and stop before she gets too antsy, and give her some treats. She might build up a little tolerance to this since it isn't pulling.
Then eventually you can sneak in gradually and hold the comb more upright once every few strokes. I've got 3 long haired ones, the youngster has been condition to LOVE being combed but it did take a few practise runs. I have a moulting cat comb.. and he HATES that one, but I can sometimes get a few strokes in there before he realises HEY that's NOT the nice comb!
I also have a pet brush with the spongy base and the metal pin teeth, they dont mind this too much and its good enough to prevent the worst of the knots forming. The youngster is very prone to knotting when it's been wet as he too picks stuff up in his coat and from there it just turns to 'felt' very quickly. Espcially in his armpits and britches!
Our two Persians went to the vets last week for their annual grooming and teeth check. We left it about 3 weeks too late this time. $350 later our female Sophie came back with shaved haunches and both have shaved bellies. Heathcliff is quite good at being combed in small doses but Sophie is psychic, just think comb and she is gone.
If you plan to have a go yourself, make sure you get a comb under the knot/felted fur before attacking with scissors. I found out the hard way a few years ago that tight knots will pull the skin into the knot. Luckily they were sharp scissors and the cut to the skin was a clean cut and didn't need stitching. I felt real bad about it.
3 persians here and even with regular grooming they will still Knot a bit ...I give them a snip at the bad areas (their fur is so thick) before it becomes a problem but sounds like your puss already has a problem ...I'd be taking her to vet for a sedation and hair cut and then start the grooming when there is no chance of it hurting her and make it a regular and nice time for puss and you .....try a brush rather than comb at first ...I have a moulting comb too ..and my guys don't like it either[}]
Cheers
If the knots are close to the skin, as others have suggested, take her to the vet & get her clipped off.
Buy a good quality "detangler" (I use a mousse) & smooth it in every other day & use a wide toothed comb gently to keep the hair separated.
Apparently you can also use hair conditioner on the dry coat, but I haven't tried that.
I wait til Floss is occupied eating & using very sharp scissors, snip off any stray bits around her back end & under her tail.
What did you decide to do Ronnie?? I have been busy snipping and brushing these past few days, they seem to multiply every time I see her..my hardest job is the feral boy thinks it must be good and either smooches as I am doing her or has to be done also.. so double the time taken. He even sits and drools with luv as I trim his nails!!!
Thanks guys. I managed to cut a few out over the past few days. But I have to be really quick. As soon as she realises I have picked up the scissors, she is off. As for the huge ones that I haven't a hope in getting, will ring around and see who wants the job.
Hee hee.. reminds me of one of our 'found' cats. She could be so sweet or oh so nasty. She had a knot crop up out of nowhere. She was long haired but not particularly prone to knots, but this one appeared suddenly and got HUGE before we knew it. I ended up having to sneak up on her when she was sleeping and I'd get 1 chance and giving it 1 snip and she wake up spitting sparks with her claws out. I got there in the end though...one snip at a time!
ronnie;335734 wrote: Thanks guys. I managed to cut a few out over the past few days. But I have to be really quick. As soon as she realises I have picked up the scissors, she is off. As for the huge ones that I haven't a hope in getting, will ring around and see who wants the job.
Ronnie ...friend of mine who also has persians ...well did a few years ago ...had one that was dynamite to groom and consequently knotted badly ...she use to get a sedative from the vet twice a year from memory and the two of us would give her a thorough going over while she was under the influence[:0] she looked funny afterwards ...but it worked ...did take two tho" ...just a thought for those bigguns'[}]
Cheers
] It was when we first adopted her (or she adopted us) and if I tried to deal with them myself I got some really nasty scratches 
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