My oldest cat, Henry (4 and 1/2)is handicapped. He has very short front legs and cannot jump. He is Himalayan and has very long fur. Everytime he goes to the vet (his 'annual' is early January)they ask if I mind if they shave his butt, because of the long fur he tends to get litter-filled mats there. I always say yes. Well, now that shedding season is upon us, I noticed his underside is full of several (somewhat loose) mats. He also has the 'butt mats'. Now he doesn't like to be handled. He likes to be petted, but when you try to pick him up he will either dig his claws into carpet or 'back up' if he's on a smooth surface. I can pick him up tho, because he's small (right under 8 lbs.)and tends to walk slow due to short legs. Last night I picked him up and worked on some of the mats. I got some off fairly easy, but when he started digging his claws in and biting on my wrist, I let him go. I feel I can continue this (some, like the 'butt mats' may need to be cut with safety scissors)I may need a little help with the butt. But should I? Do you think I'll traumatize him too much? Or will shedding take care of things eventually? There's quite a few and he never got this bad in previous years, just an occassional butt or ruff mat that I removed. It would probably take a few sessions, but I don't want him to start avoiding me.

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