Mats in a long-haired cat: the worst spots are the ones they least like touched
Published by Planète Pets · managing editor: Clément Lacaille · how our guides are written
In a long-haired cat, mats don't form at random: britches, hindquarters, base of the tail, armpits. Those are precisely the areas a cat least accepts being touched. A study by Ellis, Thompson, Guijarro and Zulch, published in 2015 in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, had 34 cats stroked across eight body regions, sometimes by their owner and sometimes by an unfamiliar person, scoring every negative reaction (see the study). Our grooming guidance is gathered in the cat care and grooming section.
Contents · 4 sections
The caudal region comes out well ahead for negative reactions
Across the eight regions tested, the caudal region — base of the tail and rear of the back — produced the highest negative-response score, at 2.0 versus 0.0 to 1.0 for every other region when handled by an unfamiliar person (p = 0.046). The same gap showed up with the owner. The second finding is counter-intuitive: the order in which regions were stroked changed nothing in the reactions recorded. Starting at the head therefore does not "prime" a cat to better accept having its rump handled afterwards.
And that is exactly where the coat felts
The caudal region stacks up every matting factor: dense undercoat, constant rubbing against the floor when the cat lies down, heavier sebaceous secretions at the tail base, and an area the cat itself reaches poorly as it ages or gains weight. The consequence shows up in veterinary records: the study by O'Neill, Romans, Brodbelt, Church, Černá and Gunn-Moore, published in 2019 in Scientific Reports on 3,235 Persians seen in UK first-opinion practice, puts haircoat disorders at the top of the specific conditions diagnosed, ahead of periodontal disease (see the study).
What this changes in how a session runs
Since order makes no difference, there is no point building a long warm-up ritual: it works better to handle the caudal region in very short bursts, separately from the rest of the brushing, coming back to it two or three times across the day rather than doing one long session. A wide-toothed comb held flat against the skin, with the mat worked from the tip of the hair down towards the root, avoids the painful pulling that permanently links the hindquarters to a bad experience. Our guide to grooming a Persian cat covers the full routine, and our article on stress-free brushing, glove or brush helps pick the right tool for each area.
- 34 cats stroked across eight body regions, by their owner and then by an unfamiliar person.
- Caudal region: a score of 2.0 for negative reactions, versus 0.0 to 1.0 for the other regions (p = 0.046).
- Order of regions: no measured effect on the cat's reactions.
- 12.7% of the 3,235 Persians followed had a haircoat disorder, the leading specific condition ahead of periodontal disease (11.3%).
A cat that twists round the moment you approach its tail isn't being difficult: it is reacting in the area where tolerance to contact is lowest, and that happens to be the area needing the most upkeep. Breaking the work on those hindquarters into pieces, rather than pushing through, stays the best way to avoid the tight mat that ends in a clip-out at the vet.
Frequently asked questions
Should you start at the head to build the cat's confidence?
The study measured no effect of region order on the cat's reactions: what matters more is keeping passes over the hindquarters short and stopping at the first sign of tension.
Why does my cat turn around when I brush the base of the tail?
That is the region triggering the most negative reactions to contact, regardless of who is doing the touching; an existing mat adds very real pulling pain on top.
Can a tight mat on the hindquarters be worked out at home?
As long as it stays supple and a comb slides underneath, yes, working from the tip towards the root; a felted plate stuck to the skin is a job for the vet or groomer, scissors excluded.
See it in the Planète Pets shop: Litter scoop with stand and bag roll in the handle (€20.90) · the whole shop
For your cat, at Le Félin (same family, zero commission): Arbre à chat solide pour Maine Coon (from €219.99)
This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Cats universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.
