My senior cat has matted fur. Is it safe to sedate him for grooming?

Hello there, The best way to assess Molly's anesthetic safety at her age would be a physical exam from a veterinarian and bloodwork. They may recommend other testing based on her exam. Physical exams can screen for dehydration, heart murmurs, abdominal growths, or other ailments. Bloodwork ensures that her kidneys and liver are able to process the anesthesia. Based on these results, your vet can determine the safest sedation protocol for her to get her matts removed so that she does not develop skin infections under them. I hope this helps! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Your cat likely has arthritis or is not feeling well. Cats who do not clean themselves usually are either too lethargic to clean themselves or are in pain and cannot move well enough to properly clean themselves His teeth should also be checked. If he has a lot of tartar on his teeth, or red inflamed gums, grooming will also hurt. You should take him to your vet for an exam, and if the mats are very bad, a shave under anesthesia.

Removing those clumps will be stressful for your kitty. The best would be to make an appointment with your vet for a shave under sedation. There could be sores underneath the mats which should be taken care of as well. Once the mats are gone I suggest you regularly brush and later comb Star to help with his grooming and clumps and mats will not reoccur.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! i would see if your Vet can do it first. They will be more gentle, it may not look the best, but they will be conscious over her age and fragility. If she can not tolerate it then they can discuss maybe using light sedation. I hope this helps!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Lily. Poor girl! Yes I would get those matts shaved out, they will be painful to her. I'd also recommend having her seen by a vet. She's stopped grooming herself for a reason, and it could be it's painful for her to groom. Arthritis is common in senior cats. A chronic illness, such as diabetes and kidney disease, could sap a cat's energy and lead them to not grooming. Both of those are common in senior cats. I recommend having her seen by a vet this week, and getting her a geriatric blood panel and urinalysis. I hope this helps!

This could be due to Kitty's age. When cats are older, they can groom themselves less effectively than younger cats, sometimes resulting in hair matting, skin odor, and inflammation. It could also be that she has arthritis, making it painful for her to reach around to groom her backside and sides. I would make an appointment for her with a groomer. They can brush out her matts (they may need to be shaved), and get her coat back into a better condition. Then you should brush her daily to prevent further matts from occurring. It's very important to get those matts removed asap, as they will be pulling on her skin and it will be painful for her. I'd also make an appointment with her vet for a health check, geriatric blood panel, and urinalysis just to see if everything is ok health wise for her. The vet can also examine her to see if she has arthritis, and can prescribe pain medications as needed. Please do not give her any human pain medications, many are toxic to cats and are fatal if given. Give a groomer and her vet a call today. I hope this helps!

There is nothing OTC that you can safely give that will effectively calm her down enough for grooming. You may need to have her lightly sedated by your veterinarian so she can be safely shaved or clipped. Using scissors at home can lead to a laceration if you aren't careful. An exam is also a good idea to determine why Xena is not grooming herself.