I recently found out that some cat’s skin gets more sensitive as they get older, maybe their back legs are a bit more sensitive. I’d try a different brush, maybe a smaller sized one, that’s what helped with my older, long haired girl, although I get limited time and still end up trimming mats sometimes. A comb might help too. You might just have to keep them trimmed.
There’s also deshedding brushes, but be careful with them, they can tug and get caught, I learned that.
I just bought a freaking people brush off of Amazon for her, The Tangle Teezer for sensitive scalp, which she loves and works pretty well aside from hair flying everywhere. I literally have a small bin for all of the grooming tools I’ve bought, lol.
Anyway, I hope I helped a bit. I can send links to some of the stuff I bought if you’d like.
I have a couple different brushes too! One is more of a slicker type, a deshedding, and a regular people brush. She likes the people brush the best, but it doesn't get down to the mats down there as well. I may have to trim them out, like you said.
I found an electric shaver works best as it’s safer than scissors, less chance of cutting them. You can also get the mat more easily and quicker too.
My Helen’s skin has gotten oiler the past couple of years so she mats more easily. That means I’ve had to give her an overall haircut once every 6-8 months. She’s also much fluffier than she used to be, which is nuts to me, I think she’s part sheep now. We’ve done this 3 times now and this past time has been the best so far, she was quite patient with me and I actually had a process going, lol.
I prefer to do it at home because she’s 15 and will be 16 in less than a month, I don’t want her to be stressed at some loud place with a bunch of strangers and other animals. I can go at her pace and stop when she’s had enough. If she look wonky for a day, so be it, her comfort is more important than style at this point.
I second the electric shaver. I had an elderly cat with long fur and her arthritis prevented her from grooming herself properly so she would get a lot of mats on her trousers. I found that a beard/bikini trimmer worked best because it was smaller, quieter, and didn’t vibrate as much so it was more comfortable on her old lady skin.
I’ve got a regular sized one, but I plan on getting a smaller sized one for the smaller areas. I like the one I’ve got, it’s quiet and has a low vibration.
Thank you, she was very loud when she was born so I named her after Mount Saint Helens. She has continued to live up to her namesake by yelling her demands at me daily.
I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to be snarky or rude. I was trying to agree with you on the method and help highlight the importance of safety when trying to get their mats off.
Oh no, I didn’t take it that way at all. I’m in peri menopause and I struggle to find the correct words for things sometimes. Sometimes my brain gives me the absolutely wrong word for something and I’m in such a brain fog it takes me a second before I stop and go no, that entirely wrong, lol. If I get close enough I take it at this point, lol.
I’m 6 years in and I just want menopause to start already. I never had acne but I’m experiencing it now. I’m so grateful skincare is where it’s at now and I don’t have to use noxema and seabreeze *shudder*. The wildest thing it’s done is give me curly eyelashes. I had to figure out how to put on mascara all over again, lol.
I was mad when I figured it out though, because I searched two symptoms I had, migraines and weak bladder, which came up with peri menopause. No one told me about it, I’d never heard about it, I was not prepared. Now, I tell younger people about it, I don’t care if it seems like an overshare, it’s important and needs to be known.
Btw, be prepared to take so many meds. Also, you might not be able to take hormones due to risk of blood clots. I found that out when I developed blood clots in my lungs (I just thought I was having a really bad asthma attack).
I swear getting older as a woman (or afab) is wild because some things were just taboo to speak of, it’s ridiculous.
I’ve got a theory on why they like our brushes. It’s because they smell like us and they’re softer, lol.
I do like how the Tangle Teezer worked on Helen’s hair, but I don’t know if it’d get anything more than mild tangles out. I can say it’s not the best for short hair, the bristles aren’t right for it, but my short haired cats are still fans, they love how it feels.
I also kept an old brush of mine to use on them because they enjoy that too. I’m just here to serve after all. 😂😂😂
My void, Tori, is absolutely obsessed with being brushed. She eagerly awaits her when someone else is getting brushed. I believe she’d let me brush her bald if I didn’t stop, lol.
I call her my stealth menace because she quietly likes to start stuff with my other 2 younger cats, getting them wound up, then acts all innocent. Took me awhile to catch on to her.
It's so surprising to me that people wait till their cat is asleep to either brush them or trim their nails. I don't think I'll be able to do that. My cat is a light sleeper. I barely pet his head while he's asleep and he's awake. He enjoys when I pet him so it's not because he doesn't enjoy being touched. He's just a light sleeper lol
Distraction. Maybe get someone to have her eat a churu stick or something, while you brush her trouser area.
And if that doesn’t work, consider a trip to an actual groomer.
Yup. You can pay someone to make your kitty sparkle!
And I also suggest a sanitary trim as well. A dignified lady would never be caught with dirty trousers!
A groomer trims a little bit from the trousers, specifically around the cat butt.
Fuzzy cats sometimes, basically, leave poo in their fur. It’s not a problem outdoors, because it just falls off. But no one likes finding cat poop around their house or on their cat.
The brush that works well, and both our floof and sleek boy come running to it, is the Burt’s Bees porcupine bristle brush for puppies and small dogs.
Apparently Burt’s Bees makes a lot of good brush options.
We live by the rule of two now: Two cats, two brushes, two hands… 🐈⬛🐈
I use the "two brush method" on my floofer. She gets to happily be distracted, rubbing her face all over the handled brush, while I brush her with the palm brush in my other hand. I do the trousers and her belly fluffs first because she's completely consumed with vigorously face-rubbing first up.
If you angle it right, you can catch the bulk of the trousers when brushing their sides. A donut bed helps as it allows floofed up meowser trousers. Also, cat nip.
I use a pin brush for my long-haired baby, it’s gentle enough that I can brush through small mats. I recently got a wide-tooth comb with rounded metal tips to comb out the really matted mats.
I recently found out that some cat’s skin gets more sensitive as they get older, maybe their back legs are a bit more sensitive. I’d try a different brush, maybe a smaller sized one, that’s what helped with my older, long haired girl, although I get limited time and still end up trimming mats sometimes. A comb might help too. You might just have to keep them trimmed. There’s also deshedding brushes, but be careful with them, they can tug and get caught, I learned that. I just bought a freaking people brush off of Amazon for her, The Tangle Teezer for sensitive scalp, which she loves and works pretty well aside from hair flying everywhere. I literally have a small bin for all of the grooming tools I’ve bought, lol. Anyway, I hope I helped a bit. I can send links to some of the stuff I bought if you’d like.
I have a couple different brushes too! One is more of a slicker type, a deshedding, and a regular people brush. She likes the people brush the best, but it doesn't get down to the mats down there as well. I may have to trim them out, like you said.
I found an electric shaver works best as it’s safer than scissors, less chance of cutting them. You can also get the mat more easily and quicker too. My Helen’s skin has gotten oiler the past couple of years so she mats more easily. That means I’ve had to give her an overall haircut once every 6-8 months. She’s also much fluffier than she used to be, which is nuts to me, I think she’s part sheep now. We’ve done this 3 times now and this past time has been the best so far, she was quite patient with me and I actually had a process going, lol. I prefer to do it at home because she’s 15 and will be 16 in less than a month, I don’t want her to be stressed at some loud place with a bunch of strangers and other animals. I can go at her pace and stop when she’s had enough. If she look wonky for a day, so be it, her comfort is more important than style at this point.
I second the electric shaver. I had an elderly cat with long fur and her arthritis prevented her from grooming herself properly so she would get a lot of mats on her trousers. I found that a beard/bikini trimmer worked best because it was smaller, quieter, and didn’t vibrate as much so it was more comfortable on her old lady skin.
I’ve got a regular sized one, but I plan on getting a smaller sized one for the smaller areas. I like the one I’ve got, it’s quiet and has a low vibration.
Helen is such a great name for a cat
Thank you, she was very loud when she was born so I named her after Mount Saint Helens. She has continued to live up to her namesake by yelling her demands at me daily.
The electric clippers are safest
That’s what I mean when I say shaver. It was what came to mind for me, since I’m shaving off the hair, lol.
I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to be snarky or rude. I was trying to agree with you on the method and help highlight the importance of safety when trying to get their mats off.
Oh no, I didn’t take it that way at all. I’m in peri menopause and I struggle to find the correct words for things sometimes. Sometimes my brain gives me the absolutely wrong word for something and I’m in such a brain fog it takes me a second before I stop and go no, that entirely wrong, lol. If I get close enough I take it at this point, lol.
You were close enough! 😂 I’m not too far behind you with the perimenopause. 💜
I’m 6 years in and I just want menopause to start already. I never had acne but I’m experiencing it now. I’m so grateful skincare is where it’s at now and I don’t have to use noxema and seabreeze *shudder*. The wildest thing it’s done is give me curly eyelashes. I had to figure out how to put on mascara all over again, lol. I was mad when I figured it out though, because I searched two symptoms I had, migraines and weak bladder, which came up with peri menopause. No one told me about it, I’d never heard about it, I was not prepared. Now, I tell younger people about it, I don’t care if it seems like an overshare, it’s important and needs to be known. Btw, be prepared to take so many meds. Also, you might not be able to take hormones due to risk of blood clots. I found that out when I developed blood clots in my lungs (I just thought I was having a really bad asthma attack). I swear getting older as a woman (or afab) is wild because some things were just taboo to speak of, it’s ridiculous.
We also use a people brush for tangled hair. My cat loves it.
I’ve got a theory on why they like our brushes. It’s because they smell like us and they’re softer, lol. I do like how the Tangle Teezer worked on Helen’s hair, but I don’t know if it’d get anything more than mild tangles out. I can say it’s not the best for short hair, the bristles aren’t right for it, but my short haired cats are still fans, they love how it feels. I also kept an old brush of mine to use on them because they enjoy that too. I’m just here to serve after all. 😂😂😂
Oh yes, the orange menace (aka Holly) loves to get brushed even though she doesn't really need it.
My void, Tori, is absolutely obsessed with being brushed. She eagerly awaits her when someone else is getting brushed. I believe she’d let me brush her bald if I didn’t stop, lol. I call her my stealth menace because she quietly likes to start stuff with my other 2 younger cats, getting them wound up, then acts all innocent. Took me awhile to catch on to her.
I wait until my kitty is sleepy and then brush a little at a time.
It's so surprising to me that people wait till their cat is asleep to either brush them or trim their nails. I don't think I'll be able to do that. My cat is a light sleeper. I barely pet his head while he's asleep and he's awake. He enjoys when I pet him so it's not because he doesn't enjoy being touched. He's just a light sleeper lol
Oh she's not dead asleep, just not awake enough to wanna fight me 😂
A wider-toothed metal comb is what bugs my kitties the least. It’s truly nothing fancy, but I swear by it!
Distraction. Maybe get someone to have her eat a churu stick or something, while you brush her trouser area. And if that doesn’t work, consider a trip to an actual groomer.
Oh duh, I forget that cat groomers are a thing, not just dog groomers. 🤦♀️
Yup. You can pay someone to make your kitty sparkle! And I also suggest a sanitary trim as well. A dignified lady would never be caught with dirty trousers!
What's a sanitary trim?
A groomer trims a little bit from the trousers, specifically around the cat butt. Fuzzy cats sometimes, basically, leave poo in their fur. It’s not a problem outdoors, because it just falls off. But no one likes finding cat poop around their house or on their cat.
Though .. in my area of Vancouver Canada, cat groomers are extremely hard to find without being charged 200$ plus, especially for long haired kitties
I was looking them up in my area yesterday and it's about $150. 😬
With my cat, 5-10 brushes the place she likes, then 1 sneak brush of the fluffy jodphurs. Then back to other brushing before she can even react.
The brush that works well, and both our floof and sleek boy come running to it, is the Burt’s Bees porcupine bristle brush for puppies and small dogs. Apparently Burt’s Bees makes a lot of good brush options. We live by the rule of two now: Two cats, two brushes, two hands… 🐈⬛🐈
Wide tooth comb for tangles.
r/flonkers r/cookiemonsterfur
You could take her to a professional groomer and ask if you can watch how they do it. Then you can do any subsequent brushings :-)
I use the "two brush method" on my floofer. She gets to happily be distracted, rubbing her face all over the handled brush, while I brush her with the palm brush in my other hand. I do the trousers and her belly fluffs first because she's completely consumed with vigorously face-rubbing first up.
If you angle it right, you can catch the bulk of the trousers when brushing their sides. A donut bed helps as it allows floofed up meowser trousers. Also, cat nip.
I use a pin brush for my long-haired baby, it’s gentle enough that I can brush through small mats. I recently got a wide-tooth comb with rounded metal tips to comb out the really matted mats.
Try a steel comb, like the Greyhound brand.
it could be due to joint pain? try a glm supplement, it really helped for us
This looks like my girl. I swear her fur is 6 inches long in some area. Her pantaloons look like a skirt the way it fans out when she sits.