Cat's hair is all matted!

My cat always had a lovely coat until we moved to England. Go figure. He's old, I forced him to move across the ocean, and I love him, so I cut him a break on his general grooming! His hair is now past the point of no return. Anyway, I was thinking about getting him shaved, but then someone told me about this fantabulous comb their brother uses on their Persian cat, it has razor blades in it or something, and I was curious if anyone knew what this was or could recommend one. I figured this would be less traumatic than a trip to the vet and a sedative. Any ideas?

We used to have a persian and we had his belly shaved every summer - but my aunt's friend owns a grooming and pet shop in Fells Point, so it was easier for us to do and we trusted her.

I have heard of these combs, though. Let me know if you want me to ask my friend about them...

It sounds like it might be this. I've never used one, but my cat has short hair and is a pretty good groomer. I have had problems with matting with a cat in the past, and I know how bad it can be.

Not trying to be alarmist, but poor coat condition may be a sign of illness.  Hyperthyroidism, especially.  (Poor coat condition was the only sign of the disease my cat had.) Take him in for some blood tests!  Otherwise, I pop my cat in the bathtub for a soak, coat her with conditioner, then comb her out.  Ooh, the yowling.. but it works.

Not trying to be alarmist, but poor coat condition may be a sign of illness.  Hyperthyroidism, especially.  (Poor coat condition was the only sign of the disease my cat had.)

True, but elderly cats, especially long-haired ones, often just get lazy with age. That's a lot of work for one little kitty tongue!

How old is your cat?

If I recall correctly he's 13. If not, he's 14. He used to be REALLY obsessed with grooming. He's definitely gotten lazy as he's gotten older. That's what I chaulked it up to. Sometimes he'll kick that leg up in the air, I think he's going for it....and nope....down comes the leg and he takes another nap.

Chary, I think that's what I'm looking for. Thanks!

We had a cat growing up who had to be shaved because of matting. His hair was just too long for him to handle as he got older.

Sometimes he'll kick that leg up in the air, I think he's going for it....and nope....down comes the leg and he takes another nap.

Hey, we all feel that way sometimes.

Hey, we all feel that way sometimes.

Ha! 

14 is old?  You should have another decade to go, at least!

Well the cats we had growing up lived until they were 18, and I thought that was pretty old. They were indoor/outdoor so we were amazed they lived that long!

14 is old?  You should have another decade to go, at least!

Not really. The average lifespan of a domestic cat is 15-17 years.

I've never had a cat that died before 23, and the current one looks set to get much past that.  Vet care is much better than it's ever been, food is better.  Of course, averages include cats that don't get to the vet that often/have other problems.  My last cat was killed by a crazy person. 

I have a remington lady shave and my *bleep*'s tender bits get shaved every few weeks. Otherwise she smells like a homeless lady who has weed herself a million times. Yuck.

I have a remington lady shave and my *bleep*'s tender bits get shaved every few weeks. Otherwise she smells like a homeless lady who has weed herself a million times. Yuck.

Oh my!!!