Need tool to dematt a cat's fur

[Jeff Clark]

I have a long haired cat with large patches of matted fur. The mats get about 3/4 inch thick and up to several square inches in size. The cat's skin is soft and loose so it is very risky to try and cut between the mat and the skin. You just can't tell where the cat's skin ends and the fur starts. I have cut the cat in the past trying to cut under the mats. The texture of the mat is like a slippery solid felt. I cannot easily cut through the mat with even a straight razor. I tried some basic electric clippers and they don't penetrate the mat. I have bought special dematting tools that are sort of like miniature rakes with hooked cutting blades, they don't work. I have my best results with sharp scissors chopping the mats down a fraction of an inch at a time from the top, but that is an extremely lengthy process.

Maybe some special clippers with an elaborate guard could be used to cut between the mat and the skin, but cat hair is fine and hard to clip. It would have to be something like an old butch attachment with a lot of guard teeth the were rounded off at the tips.

Does anybody know of a better tool for the job? At the moment I have one miserable cat.

 

[WhitleyStu]

My wife, who works at a veterinary clinic, says the best way to procede is to either buy a quality electric clipper or take the cat to a professional groomer since the skin is thinned and tender under the matted areas...