# Norwegian Forest - Grooming & Fur



## vise09 (Mar 27, 2010)

I have a 4 year old Norwegian Forest Cat.
As of late - his fur has become extremly difficult to take care of - its has clumped up at places, and the 'under-fur' is like a carpet. It is very stressful for both him and us - and I would appreciate any help on how to avoid such incidents.

He was fully shaved last year because it was over the top - he wouldnt even let us groom him and there were hairballs all over him - and now its happening again..

Please please help!


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## Catlover2 (Oct 12, 2009)

Have you tried the furminator? It's fantastic!


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## PinkPaws (Jan 4, 2010)

Hi, poor kitty! Poor you too  I can imagine that it's very stressful and it must be pretty hot for him under all that fur!

I think with long haired cats it's very important that you train him to be groomed. You could try the Furminator as the above poster says but if it's matted then I think you'll just have to shave him again  As his fur grows back remember to groom him everyday, with the furminator if possible(it's expensive). You could also trim his really long bits such as his trousers to help keep things in check.

There are lots of articles and websites on training cats so just check google, you could even try clicker training  maybe not for tricks but just so that you can train him to let you groom him.

Hope that helps.


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## ambercat (May 4, 2009)

vise09 said:


> I have a 4 year old Norwegian Forest Cat.
> As of late - his fur has become extremly difficult to take care of - its has clumped up at places, and the 'under-fur' is like a carpet. It is very stressful for both him and us - and I would appreciate any help on how to avoid such incidents.
> 
> He was fully shaved last year because it was over the top - he wouldnt even let us groom him and there were hairballs all over him - and now its happening again..
> ...


As the others have said, you may need to get the matted areas shaved again so that you can start from scratch (no pun intended LOL!). Either at your vets or maybe see if there is a groomer locally who could help. A good groomer will show you how to keep his fur in good nick afterwards (with tips on how to get him more used to grooming).

I adopted a chinchilla persian a year ago, she was pretty much ungroomable, so I said I'd take her on to see if I could get her more tolerant of grooming (I'm a cat groomer by profession) - its taken the best part of a year to get her to the point where she actually comes into the grooming room (voluntarily, LOL!) when she hears me getting the brushes and combs ready. Having some pieces of cooked chicken to hand may also be a factor in why she is so keen!  .

Once the mats have been taken care of, its a case of taking it slow and gentle - and its easier if you can stand your cat up on something to groom, table, worktop etc. I start by standing the cat on the table, then offer the treat, then brush/comb a little, offer another treat, brush again, treat - then finish for the first session. Just build the sessions up in length over a period of time.

Don't use the furminator on longhaired cats, it will strip the coat (top coat too), try the Mikki mat breaker - it can be used like a comb, you lift the top coat and comb gently down the undercoat with the mat breaker. Mikki Matt Breaker with Spare Blades at UKPetSupplies.com Then use a metal comb and finish with a slicker brush. If, despite all those efforts you do still get the occasional little knot, this battery trimmer is brilliant for quickly removing smallish knots. 
Wahl Pocket Pro Hair Trimmer Battery Black Rubberised 8066-717: Amazon.co.uk: Health & Beauty


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## vise09 (Mar 27, 2010)

Catlover2 said:


> Have you tried the furminator? It's fantastic!





PinkPaws said:


> Hi, poor kitty! Poor you too  I can imagine that it's very stressful and it must be pretty hot for him under all that fur!
> 
> I think with long haired cats it's very important that you train him to be groomed. You could try the Furminator as the above poster says but if it's matted then I think you'll just have to shave him again  As his fur grows back remember to groom him everyday, with the furminator if possible(it's expensive). You could also trim his really long bits such as his trousers to help keep things in check.
> 
> ...





ambercat said:


> As the others have said, you may need to get the matted areas shaved again so that you can start from scratch (no pun intended LOL!). Either at your vets or maybe see if there is a groomer locally who could help. A good groomer will show you how to keep his fur in good nick afterwards (with tips on how to get him more used to grooming).
> 
> I adopted a chinchilla persian a year ago, she was pretty much ungroomable, so I said I'd take her on to see if I could get her more tolerant of grooming (I'm a cat groomer by profession) - its taken the best part of a year to get her to the point where she actually comes into the grooming room (voluntarily, LOL!) when she hears me getting the brushes and combs ready. Having some pieces of cooked chicken to hand may also be a factor in why she is so keen!  .
> 
> ...


I thank you all for your help.

I already have a furminator - but I have noticed, personally - that it did little to help and felt like it _thinned_ the coat:S

Perhaps shaving him is the best option for now... however I may have to go to a different groomer, last time he came back .. he was covered in scratches and cuts.. we had to cream him daily, but he is in a fantastic condition now. I cant tell if it is the groomers fault or if it was because of the horrible condition his fur was in.

ambercat thank you for that post. I see that it mustve taken a while to write it out and I appreciate it very much  
I have ordered Mikki Matt Breaker, and will try that soon.

Can anyone please suggest worthy articles that can perhaps guide me on how to *properly* care for his coat? Its a nightmare, and he isnt fond of it all what so ever!

He is quite a difficult cat as it is  ><


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## ambercat (May 4, 2009)

Your welcome  always happy to help with grooming.

Done carefully, the skin shouldnt get nicked by the clippers, so yes, I think you need to find a different groomer, or maybe have your vet do it (although they may want to sedate).

There is a grooming DVD which I'd recommend, its geared towards Persian grooming and maybe more towards professional groomers - but it has useful grooming tips that make it a worthwhile buy I think. Canine Coat Care Dog Grooming Videos - Long-haired Cats Grooming DVD (PAL) (there is a video version too)


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## Milly22 (Sep 15, 2008)

vise09 said:


> I thank you all for your help.
> 
> I already have a furminator - but I have noticed, personally - that it did little to help and felt like it _thinned_ the coat:S
> 
> ...


I agree regarding the furminator, possibly okay for once a month. In the winter. 

I will have a look for some articles.


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## silverhorse (Nov 2, 2008)

vise09 said:


> I have a 4 year old Norwegian Forest Cat.
> As of late - his fur has become extremly difficult to take care of - its has clumped up at places, and the 'under-fur' is like a carpet. It is very stressful for both him and us - and I would appreciate any help on how to avoid such incidents.
> 
> He was fully shaved last year because it was over the top - he wouldnt even let us groom him and there were hairballs all over him - and now its happening again..
> ...


I have a persian with similar problem My answer was to have him sedated at the vets and a professional groomer came in and took out all the knots with a rake and did not shave the cat. since then i groom every morning with a steel comb and this seems to work well. It only takes a few minutes each day now and he gets no more knots. I live near Chorley Lancs where they have a professional groomer at the vets. If you are in another location you could ask around the groomers or you may need to shave again just this once unfortunately.Dont leave it too long as he may get sore on his skin.


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## helvissa (May 19, 2010)

Hello, I'm new to the forum. I just wanted to say that this thread has helped me with a similar problem. I adopted a long haired cat in November and it looks as if he has a bit of Norwegian in him (he was abandoned by his owner so I doubt he's pedigree!). He arrived covered in clumps which were shaved off by the vet (sounds of the razor and Vincent's mews will never leave me!) but I suppose because of his neglect, he really doesn't like being groomed - especially on his tummy where the problems with matting is particularly bad!

I've tried pinning him down with one hand while trimming him with scissors but I end up covered in scratches - so I've bought a Furminator and a Mikki Matt breaker to see if that'll help (thanks for the advice!). I've managed to locate a parlour that'll groom cats (there's a "pet" parlour in my road - they were amazed I asked if they did cats, as if somehow pet=dog and nowt else).

I read that Norwegians need baths occasionally but I don't really want to go down that road as I'm not sure Vincent would enjoy it! Unless the cat parlour can do it - I have asked them what they'd be able to do to sort him out.


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## poshmog (Mar 2, 2009)

I have 2 NFC's who are shown on a regular basis and have never found their coats to be a problem.
I have a matt breaker which is a god send ,but on the whole I use a wide toothed comb just to go through the coat,I do shampoo them both ,and use a good conditioning shampoo.
The furminator is very good but ,not for LH cats or dogs as it will strip the coat ,NFC's have a double coat ,and the under coat as he is moulting will be the one that matts .
Try giving your cat Rescue Remedy ,and very gently a bit at a time ease the matts out with the matt breaker ,mine always get a treat after grooming so they associate it with something good.


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

I have fostered cats with terribly matted coats. I had 4 terribly neglected tea-cup Persian (adults) whose coat had never seen a brush or comb. I think the only way to go is shave the bits that are really badly matted, then ensure that they dont get matted again in the future, and that generally involves daily grooming. With the Persians for instance, no way could they be put under anesthetic, they were just too sick but they had to be groomed as the skin under the fur was badly infected from the matting. I combed what could be saved I trimmed with scissors where I could and took the clipper to the other parts. They had never been brushed, so I bought an especially soft kitten brush and in the beginning just brushed them with that every day till they got used to it even brushing the bald parts I had shaved. Slowly but surely I introduced a proper comb and brush, and within about 6 weeks they were reasonably well behaved with grooming. Not perfect, but enough to ensure they remained matt-free.


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

I have an 11 week old kitten with longish hair, mother Birman and father thought to be maine coon. She has a strange fuzzy coat which looks shaggy as if it has had a bad haircut ( she hasn't ) Anyway, I want to get her used to grooming straight away to prevent any problems as she grows. 
Is it likely that her coat will change when she matures? 
I note the comments above re the furminator, which is great for my other cats but really does nothing for her (used VERY gently ) The Zoom groom also just passes over her coat.
Any suggestions 'grooming guru'!


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## ambercat (May 4, 2009)

Paddypaws said:


> She has a strange fuzzy coat which looks shaggy as if it has had a bad haircut ( she hasn't ) Anyway, I want to get her used to grooming straight away to prevent any problems as she grows.
> Is it likely that her coat will change when she matures?


She is very cute!  At the moment her coat won't need much in the way of grooming, but as you say, its good to get them started young, so I'd use a small metal comb (with fine and medium spaced teeth) gently through the coat, followed by a slicker brush (most cats like the feel of a slicker) - like these (the comb is smallish, no more than 5 inches long).










You will find the adult coat starts to kick in around a year old - then you will notice a difference in texture etc. My Joe used to have a 'sticky out' coat like your kitten, when he was a kitten - but his changed to silky and is very easy to care for. Blue coats like your kitten has, can tend to be a bit 'cotton wooly'.


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