Which mat cutter is best for cats: straight, curved, how to use it, how much it costs

Keeping a cat's fur in perfect condition is a troublesome task. Long, capricious fur can quickly become tangled and matted. Mats appear more often in those cats that periodically go outside. They are less common in domestic animals, but are also not excluded. This problem is not divided into breeds and species - every pet can develop tangles. To gently and effectively remove unsightly hairballs, any cat owner should have a cat hair cutter in their grooming arsenal. It is a hybrid of a comb and scissors and provides gentle and safe removal of tangles.

What it is

A hair cutter is a device that is both a comb and scissors. It comes to the rescue in cases where hair matted into a dense ball cannot be sorted out with a regular comb. Such a device must be in the arsenal of grooming products for all owners of long-haired cats, such as the Nibelung.

Chlorhexidine and furatsilin solution for care and rinsing of eyes for cats

Special cosmetics

To ensure that your dog always looks smooth and well-groomed, pet cosmetics manufacturers have developed a line of anti-matt care products. The essence of the action is that they eliminate static electricity in the pile and make it slippery. Some manufacturers take into account not only the length, but also the color of the pet. For example, BioGroom and Beaphar have such products.

Special cosmetics should be used to care for the coat.

Table 1. Anti-tangling cosmetics.

Varieties

Essentially, a webbing cutter is a knife. With its help, you can carefully remove a matted clump of fur without causing any inconvenience or pain to your cat.

Manufacturers offer the following types of tools:

• vertical;
• horizontal.

Vertical webbing cutter

Vertical

Outwardly, it resembles a classic comb, since it has one row of long blade teeth. There can be 4 to 12 of them in total. But don't worry - they pose no danger to your pet.

Long and medium teeth are suitable for the following breeds:

• Persian;
• Maine Coon;
• Siberian;
• Somali;
• Burmese;
• Turkish Angora and others.

A short-toothed tool will help remove tangles from short-haired breeds:

• British;
• European;
• Oriental;
• Siamese;
• Scottish;
• British and others.

If the cat does not like to be combed, then you need to take a mat cutter with curved blades.

Horizontal tangle cutter for cats

Horizontal

A horizontal wedge cutter visually resembles a knife for slicing vegetables in the shape of noodles. It has several blades located parallel to each other. Moreover, one edge is sharpened, while the opposite edge is rounded. This design guarantees the safety of the pet device during use.

Like the vertical, horizontal webbing cutter can have 4 to 12 blades of different lengths. The tool is suitable for removing mats from cats of almost all breeds.

Colt cutters are also available mechanical and electric.

Mechanical

Mechanical devices do not have an electric drive. You perform all movements of the instrument yourself. These are both rounding and forward movements. As a rule, such a gadget is perfect for home use, provided you follow the rules for its use.

Battery-powered electric

Electric

Electric braid cutters are powered by batteries—usually AA batteries—and the knives are driven by pressing a button on the handle body. A similar, more complex gadget than the one described above is intended primarily for professional groomers. Although at the same time, even professionals most often prefer a mechanical welt cutter.

Small but convenient webbing cutter Drop

A drop

If necessary, you can buy a welt cutter for narrow applications. It is teardrop-shaped and is used for hard-to-reach areas, such as cats' ears and paws. It is a plastic hook for capturing a tuft of wool and a sharp blade for cutting it, as in the photo. Some skill is required to use this tool.

Causes

Mats appear for a variety of reasons, listed below:

Wet, washed fur clumps into clumps. The rolling process occurs because after washing the shaggy pet, no one thoroughly wiped it or dried it with a hairdryer. In addition to the appearance of mats, there is the problem of wool overheating, which can lead to an unpleasant odor throughout the room;

Soap mats are another common problem in dogs. This problem occurs due to the fault of the owners who, when bathing their pets, soap and rub the fur too hard. To avoid such troubles in the future, shampoo must be applied evenly and smoothly, gently rubbing it into the animal’s skin with your fingers, as if massaging. This way the fur does not get tangled;

When purchasing clothes for your dog, you may encounter a similar problem. This problem occurs in the place where the seams adjoin the animal’s skin. When purchasing clothes for your pet, make sure that the lining of the jacket is smooth;

Burdock and thorny bushes. On a walk, very often your pet climbs into bushes that are full of this vegetation, plus eats the ground. It is extremely difficult to combat such a scourge - when you pull out a burdock, it begins to crumble into factions, which only complicates the process. If it gets on the fur, it is better to pull the burdock out immediately, so as not to suffer later and not to cut off the damaged areas;

Do not use a simple fine-toothed massage comb. Outwardly, the dog will look neat, but over time the undercoat rolls off like felt, which even professionals cannot remove. In this situation, only a haircut will save you;

Often, tangles appear due to the fault of overly loving owners. By stroking and ruffling your pet's skin, you can easily confuse the hair, which leads to the appearance of tangles; Some veterinarians associate the formation of mats with a pet’s illness - if, in addition to mats, dandruff appears on the fur and it has faded, you will have to seek help from specialists and treat the dog.

Now that we know the main reasons for the occurrence of mats, we will directly answer the question - how to comb out mats from a dog and what is required for this.

Manufacturers and prices

The cost of the product depends on several factors. The main ones are:

• the material that was used to make the blade;
• model size;
• type of handle material.

Horizontal devices for removing tangles can be purchased for 350 – 740 rubles. Purchasing a vertical webbing cutter will be less expensive: it will cost 190 – 520 rubles.

The following models receive good reviews from cat owners:

Hello Pet "Drop"

Convenient for travel use. Stainless steel is used to make the blade. During processing, a minimum of intact hair is removed.

Artero

It has proven itself well for removing complex tangles in long wool.

ZOLUX

The blades are made of stainless steel. The device has a rubberized non-slip handle.

Collun cutter for cats in a package

Who is at risk?

Reviews from owners indicate that cat tangle cutters are most often purchased by owners of long-haired breeds. For example, Maine Coon, Persian, Norwegian cats. These representatives have very thick and long fur. Most often, cats themselves are not able to provide their fur coat with proper care, the fur becomes tangled and tangles form.

The main reason is poor coat care. It is constantly updated, and you need to get rid of lost hairs with a brush. If the owner does not do this, the lost hair becomes entangled with the growing hair. As a result, a tangled tuft of hairs forms on the fur. Most often, mats are located on the tail, neck, ears and paws.

Mats can also appear on the fur of short-haired animals. But this is a very rare situation.

Poor health of a pet is immediately reflected in its coat. Mats can appear due to problems with hormones, excess weight, lack of vitamins, and metabolic disorders.

Here is a list of possible problems:

• Metabolic disorders provoke excess weight and problems with the coat: the undercoat dries out and the coat becomes oily. All this leads to tangling of the coat and the formation of lumps.
• Lack of protein has a bad effect on hair growth. The pet's shedding is prolonged, and the hair falls out in places, forming tangles.
• Lack of vitamins and Omega acids - because of this, the wool does not receive proper moisture, dries out and falls off in large quantities.

Pros and cons of the tool

When used correctly, the tangle cutters offered by manufacturers do not cause even minor discomfort to the cat.

Advantages of webbing cutters:

• a variety of models, which allows you to select devices for removing matted hair from cats of all breeds, including pets with very thick and long hair;
• high-quality and painless removal of mats for your pet.

The disadvantages include the rather high cost of the product. Especially if you plan to purchase an electric model.

Terms of use

And lastly, let’s figure out how to use the webbing cutter. The technology for its use is quite simple:

• try to catch the animal in a good mood; it’s good if the cat is half asleep;
• take the animal in your arms, caress it and carefully feel where the tangles accumulate;
• if there is such a possibility, then it is advisable to treat matted wool with a special spray or powder, which facilitates the combing process;
• Using a mat cutter, carefully begin to comb the wool, moving along the mat itself, while the blades should “look” down;
• comb the tangle several times until the matted bun is completely straightened.

Try to pay more attention to the condition of your pet’s coat and the problem of mats will go away. Even the most expensive accessory will cause a slight, but still noticeable feeling of discomfort to your cat. Remember this!

Operating instructions and how to use it

The device is easy to use. The main thing is to follow the recommendations of experts:

1. The pet needs to be calmed down. To do this, treat him with his favorite treat. Removing mats should be done when the cat is in a favorable mood.
2. Holding her by the body, begin to carefully and slowly comb out the tangles. You need to move the tool in the direction of hair growth until the lump is completely removed. There is no need to apply excessive force, otherwise you may injure the skin.

To facilitate and speed up the procedure, the mat can be treated with a special gel or liquid. This will help soften the lump and speed up its combing out.

Secrets of removing tangles

If the tangle is caused by burdock or string getting into the fur, it can only be removed by first thoroughly soaking the plant. In this case, the hooks from the plant will soften and become more amenable to removal.

When chewing gum gets tangled in the fur, do not immediately run for scissors, as the problem can be eliminated with the help of another one. You need to chew the gum and apply it to the previous one, pressing a little to get a homogeneous mass. Next, you need to carefully pull the lump. This method will eliminate the lump almost completely, and it is recommended to wash off the remaining residue with warm water.

If a dense tangle has formed that cannot be untangled, there is no need to cut it out immediately. First, you should use products containing fat. When none of the methods help, it is recommended to cut the lump lengthwise several times and try to untangle it again. This will help keep not all the wool, but at least some of it intact.

How to choose

The selection of webbing cutters is very large. Therefore, in order not to make a mistake with the product model, you need to know what parameters to pay attention to first of all.

When choosing a device you need to consider:

1. Number of blade teeth. If a cat's fur is regularly groomed and combed, mats will form very rarely. In this case, you should give preference to products with a small number of teeth. But if the cat is free-range, then it is better to buy a tool with the maximum number of them.
2. Blade length. The average length is universal, then the mat cutter can be used on both long-haired and short-haired cats. But if there are large tangles, you need to use products with long teeth.
3. Blade material. When purchasing, you need to look at what the blades are made of. If they become dull, you will not be able to sharpen them yourself. Therefore, experts advise buying a tool whose blades are made of high quality steel. Only in this case will it last as long as possible.
4. Pen. It is desirable that it be rubberized and fit comfortably in the palm of your hand.
5. When choosing a tool, you need to carefully examine the box. If its integrity has been compromised, then before using it, the mat cutter must be immersed in boiling water. This will keep the blades clean and sterile.

There are three types of wedge cutters, depending on the length of the blades. You can buy products with long, medium and short teeth.

What toothpaste and brush are required for cats, their price and how often should you brush your teeth?

Prevention of tangles

In order to eliminate tangles with minimal wool loss, you need to do this immediately after they are discovered. It’s even better if combing is done regularly, which will form the basis of prevention. You need to wash and comb your pet's fur as often as necessary. It is advisable to brush some breeds daily, for example, collie, chow-chow. Almost all long-haired breeds need to be combed every day if they roam freely on the street and get caught in burrs, puddles or sand.

In the process, you need to eliminate tangles, only as a last resort by cutting them off with scissors; as soon as they begin to appear, you can easily untangle them. This will avoid causing pain to the animal. Key attention should be paid to the armpits, ear and belly areas, where hair is most prone to matting. For a high-quality result, you need to choose a good slicker, which will minimize discomfort for the dog.

Anti-tangle shampoo is an effective preventive measure that prevents their formation. The product is ineffective against already formed tangles. In this case, shampoo should be used in parallel with combing. After taking a bath, you need to dry your pet’s fur with a hairdryer, combing out tangles as you go. A dog should not be allowed to run around with wet fur, as it will quickly become tangled.

Expert advice

It is advisable to use the mat cutter only as an emergency aid for your pet, when the fur is very matted and it is no longer possible to sort it out with a comb. When cutting the clumped areas with blades, serious damage to the structure of the coat can be caused. And subsequently it will take a long time to restore it.

Cats have very thin skin, so it is easily injured. If you have little experience with working with a tangle cutter, then it is advisable to choose models with blades in the form of hooks. This will reduce the risk of skin injury.

What are they?

To make your pet look well-groomed, you need to brush it regularly. During this procedure, dust, dirt and dead hairs are removed from the fur. Combed fur looks much more elegant than uncombed fur, and the procedure itself, if done correctly, is also a massage for the pet’s skin. And during the molting period, combing becomes a necessary procedure, since otherwise the whole house is strewn with fallen hair.

When choosing a comb, you should focus on your pet's coat type.

Based on coat type, dogs are divided into:

• smooth-haired (pug, boxer, great dane, etc.)


Smooth-haired dachshund

• straight-haired (Rottweiler, Labrador, Akita, Beagle and others)
• wirehaired (many terriers, griffins, schnauzers)
• medium-haired (Pekingese, collie, Spitz, Samoyed, Caucasian Shepherd, etc.)
• long-haired (Yorkie, Lhasa Apso, Maltese, etc.)
• long-haired with corded hair (komondor, corded poodle, puli)


Corded Poodle

• soft-haired (poodle, bichon, bedlington terrier, etc.)
• hairless (hairless Mexican, Chinese crested)

Dogs with different coat types require different care: for some, brushing with a massage brush once a day is enough, while others need long and thorough combing, as well as complex haircuts and grooming.

To achieve a good result, you should buy only high-quality combs for dogs, and this is best done in specialized stores.

ATTENTION! You can’t limit yourself to just one comb: to tidy up the coat of a long-haired or wire-haired dog, you use several combs and brushes that differ in shape and size of teeth.