If we’ve ever had a long haired cat, chances are we’ve grappled with The Knotty Question.

How do we get those knots out of their fur?

And live?

As seen here, I have long haired cats. Shelters in the Northeast tend to accumulate such mixes.

(Olwyn looks like she’s quite a distance away from RJ, but she’s not. She’s rather petite, and RJ is just that big. Click on the picture for full size.)

But while I have long haired cats, they don’t give me the same coat grooming challenges. James Bond (medium length) and Olwyn (long length) never get knots; Puffy (long and very fine) used to get them if I didn’t stay on top of it twice a week, and Reverend Jim (long and very thick) will accumulate them on his hips if I don’t pay special attention.

There are three factors:

The length. I know it seems obvious, but the longer the fur, the more surface opportunities to knot up and create the impenetrable mass that resists combing and brushing. James Bond has fine fur, but it’s not long enough to give either of us trouble.

The texture. A cat with recent Persian influence will have very fine fur that knots when you look at it. “Natural breeds” like the Maine Coon, Norwegian Forest Cat, and Siberian tend to have fur that is thicker individually, and less knot-prone. RJ has a fine undercoat that is short, and his longer fur is thicker and coarser.

The guard hairs. These are the thick, stiff variety of fur which sheds water and snow. They are missing in many breeds designed to have long, soft, fur. When a cat does have them, it tends to keep the fine undercoat separated, and less knot-prone. Olwyn has long, very fine, fur, but it’s interspersed with abundant guard hairs.

Our cat’s coat will dictate the number and kind of grooming tools we use, and how often. I realized RJ had knots on his hips when I was delivering some scritches there. The comb had been gliding over them without my being aware of it; since he has protrusions of bone there, I don’t bear down in such a tricky area. So now it’s time for the right tool; a mat splitter.

Far too often, people try to either rip them out, or cut them out. But both of these plans are fraught with peril. We often don’t have a cat who is patient enough to let us tease them out, so then we are tempted to dig in with the comb and just get them out. But we certainly wouldn’t like this option tried on us. And we risk our cat never letting us near them with a comb again.

Likewise, we can sensibly decide yanking them out is a bad idea, but cutting them out with scissors can be an equally poor option. We still have to immobilize the cat, and our scissors can catch sensitive skin. Now the cat is planning to never let us near them. Period.

The mat splitter is a guarded razor blade in a handle. We notch the point into the mat, and cut through it, while the part which touches the cat’s skin cannot cut them.

Unlike a scissor, it tends to leave the unmatted fur behind. Since it cuts through the mat, it doesn’t pull on our cat’s sensitive skin. A few passes, and our comb can take the rest of the mat out with unbelievable ease.

Now our cat’s coat is matfree, we didn’t hurt them, and their fur doesn’t have a big hole in it!

For extra safety with squirmy cats, we can get a dematting rake. This has the razor blade embedded in the comb’s teeth; not quite the same professional look afterwards, but much safer for both the cat and ourselves.

When we get our cat used to a grooming routine, we eliminate 90% of our knot chances. But even though my cats love the ritual, and the treats afterwards, knots can still pop up. Here’s what to watch out for:

Speed. Puffy used to need grooming twice a week. Persians will need it every day. That’s how fast a knot can form.

Spots. All along the spine is often where knots appear, because the angle makes it difficult for cats to groom there. Their chest and neck have similar access challenges. Sometimes it doesn’t matter, as on their face, where the fur is short. But places where fur mingles, such as where their legs meet their body, is probably trouble.

Sensitivity. RJ got his knots right where his hips are close to the skin. I wasn’t bearing down there because it would hurt him. But now that I know he can get knots there, I’ll have to slow down and check with my fingertips.

All long haired cats have a Persian base. But for many breeds, it was far in the past, and mixed with more rugged attributes, such as their guard hairs. This can create mixes who need no more grooming than a short haired cat; or mixes who need the same daily fussing as a purebred’s coat does.

Kittens take a while to develop their guard hairs, so we can’t tell how much grooming we are signing up for when we adopt them at a young age. But since we are planning to make grooming just another bonding experience, it shouldn’t matter too much.

In addition to mat tools, I also have shedding tools, like the FURminator. Pulling out the dead underfur keeps knots from happening even better than combing or brushing does, and will keep fur off our furniture, floor, and clothes; and out of our cat’s digestive system.

Win-win.

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