I have a very fluffy long-haired cat, and she gets these knots of hair in her fur that can get so dense that we literally have to resort to sciccors to get them out. I don't undersand what causes them. She's very fluffy, but her hair is real thin and soft, not oily at all. She's an indoor cat, also, so is this a common problem? Is it the humidity in the air that causes it or what? Does anybody know what we can do to help it? I just spent about thirty minutes while watching TV cutting out these little hairballs (much to her dismay) and you should see this pile of cathair I have now... it's like the size of a baseball! :x

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Do you have stairs in your house?

Hrm... I don't have cats as fluffy as yours, but my cats shed hair, like 24/7. It's annoying, because it gets EVERYWHERE! But, they don't have knots like yours.

Sorry I couldn't help.

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Titan A.E.

Heh, yeah she definately sheds but that's to be expected.

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Do you have stairs in your house?

Shave all the cat's hair. Then no worries.

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I actually suggested that once but Mom didn't think it was such a good idea.

I thought it'd look pretty cool... or funny. Whatever.

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Do you have stairs in your house?

Chewbacca has the same problem. I just trim them out when I notice them and they are still small.

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"She turned me into a newt!"
Pause
"Well I got better..."

You gotta comb her. Just put it next to the couch, and while your watching TV, comb her. It'll keep the knots from forming.

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My sister's cat gets dreadlocks like that. She has to cut them out as well. It's just something you'll have to deal with unless you shave the cat, or somehow prevent it from laying down.

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Roach - Caught in the war of hemispheres.
0 of 14.

QFT.

You have a pet Wookie?


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Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow, and did you know
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Yeah, brush her. We had that problem with my semi-long haired cat, the last time it got so bad the vet shaved under all Max's armpits (looked hilarious). Now we brush him at least once a week, and he's fine.

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The Massassi-Map
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[This message has been edited by Spork (edited June 17, 2004).]

Long-haired dogs and cats share the same problem. Most knots are caused by either shedding fur, rolling around a lot and messing up their fur, or laying in something sticky or clumpy (like mud or fecal matter (uncommon for cats)). There may be other wierd causes of fur clumpage.

It's unusual for a cat to get matted fur since cats usually keep themselves clean, as opposed to dogs who like to roll around in dirt, mud, and poop.

In any case, you should keep the fur from matting, because it has the potential to cause skin irritations or even infections. Keep the cat brushed. Or if you're lazy, just use a few stips of duct tape.

Also, it might be a good idea to let your cat outside once in a while to roll in the grass. It's good for the cat's fur, and it keeps the clumps out. But I hear that fleas are really bad this year, so you might not want to do that unless your cat has a flea collar.
You might also try using a bit of baby powder. Not a lot, though.

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[This message has been edited by DogSRoOL (edited June 17, 2004).]

My sister's cat Mullie (who is a short-hair) always had this knot on the back of her... back and the only way to get read of it was to just cut it off. Not sure what causes it. Maybe the cat isn't doing a good job of grooming?

-- SavageX

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Just dip the cat in nair. Problem solved.



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Old aunts used to come up to me at weddings, poking me in the ribs and cackling, telling me, "You're next." They stopped after I started doing the same thing to them at funerals.

From reading the thread title, I really expected this thread to contain something perverse.

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Thanks for all the replies, though unfortunately we've tried combing her and she fights it so much that it's almost easier to just let her get the clumps and then fight her every two months or so to cut them out instead of fighting her every week or whatever just to comb them.
(see below)



No can do. She used to be and indoor/outdoor cat until a couple of years ago she didn't come back for a few days, and when she finally did come back she was sick like almost to the point of death (I think she got into so rat poison or something). Anyway, she lived but it kindof screwed her up. I mean like literally, she's kindof twitchy now . But anyway, she won't even go outside now. We've tried and she just freaks out (like gets scared to death and balls up into a corner)... like I said, I think she's just kindof twitchy now. She probably doesn't even remember a world outside this house, and when we take her out she has no clue what's going on

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Do you have stairs in your house?

[This message has been edited by Correction (edited June 18, 2004).]

I think it's pretty common. The easiest way to take care of it is to brush her daily. Barring that, just cut them off when they get nasty...

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EvilMagic.net: Brian's Web Log

OKAY.. first thig u gotta do is shave all the cats hair off..cept for a thin lineaccross its head (moheacan style) then..take a picture of the cat..and post it on here ahah nah. good luck with that..i expected something sick too..its actually just a bunch of people who just LOVE there cats..

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"OMG! It looks like ther's been a Claw Shrimp in here.."

Should've used a leash.
*shakes head*
Now your cat's traumatized for the rest of its life.

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Genesis 22:2-5 - And God said unto Abraham "You must kill your son, Isaac." And Abraham said "What? I can't hear you! You'll have to speak into the microphone." And God said "Check, check, check, check. Jerry, can you pull the high end out. I'm getting some hiss up here."
Valuable Life Lesson: Frog + Potato Gun = Blindness
Catalog of Electronic Components - Complete IC data sheets
National Electrical Code® (NEC®) Online - Legal requirements for wiring projects.

[This message has been edited by DogSRoOL (edited June 18, 2004).]

A leash... on a cat? Is that a joke?
She went out by herself.

And I don't think it's so much emotial trauma is it is just simple brain damage.

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Do you have stairs in your house?

Didn't you know? We all have pet wookies.

Except you.

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Now you can see one of many reasons cities are considering leash laws for cats.

Yeah, population control. You should see what my cat did to my when I tried to put a leash on it. :[

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Map-Review | My Portfolio | The Matrix: Unplugged