Question
Regarding What causes fur clumps on my cat's back, and how can I prevent them? , some severe cases of matted fur need to be removed through cutting or shaving.
As an electric shaver might spook a cat, are there any safety scissors that can be used?
What methods exist for an individual to perform a matted fur removal task safely?
Answer
When one of my past cats got old he started developing mats that I wanted to trim out (to keep them from getting worse). After once accidentally cutting him with the small scissors I was using (oops), I came up with the following solution:
I used a comb to comb from his skin to the mat. I then backed off (moved the comb toward his skin) just a bit, so that I could place the scissors between the comb and the mat. If the mat was far enough away from the skin I could cut it out that way; if not, I could still cut off part of the mat, which sometimes helped me comb the rest of it out.
My cat was old and docile so the fact that this required two hands (one or the comb and one for the scissors) wasn't a problem. If your cat resists combing, you would need a second person to hold/calm him.
Answered By - Monica Cellio