My skittish cat has mats. Should I shave her or try home remedies?

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!

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 submitting your question regarding Little Bit. I recommend having her shaved down by a veterinarian or groomer. A veterinarian is a good choice in case in sedation is needed. I hope this information helps!

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.

Hello. This may work, all you can do is try. Use the dose recommended by your veterinarian, & if this does not do the trick, then consider having her professionally groomed or sedated & shaved by your veterinarian. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Unfortunately I recommend shaving them off. The reason for it is because it can be a very painful process for Coco to have someone detangle her matts. I would also recommend a groomer. Understand that if you do have someone try to get the matts out it can sometimes be expensive due to the length of time it can take. The quickest and easiest for Coco is to shave her and then brush her daily so this doesn't happen again. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Unfortunately there are no effective remedies/medications that can be given without veterinary prescription. I would recommend a check up at your local vet to discuss viable options. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation (where you can post pictures ) if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.