EEK! She looks p***ed! So would I. *lol*
Think she would look pretty in green.

Yikes, that's severe! If I were her, I don't think I'd want my picture taken either!

Out of curiosity, why did you get such a dramatic cut?

moonie, I know she looks mad but really she was purring when I took the picture. Here's another picture:

And I agree, she would look smashing in green.

Alison, we have to have her clipped because she is a terrible self groomer and her "nether regions" can become a big, messy problem. The other times I brought her in for a grooming they cut it about 1/2 inch long. This time they asked if I wanted a lion cut and I decided to try it, but I didn't realize they would shave her so severely. She's very velvety and soft (not bare naked as she appears), but it's shorter than I expected. Next time I will know to ask them to shave it longer.

Hard to believe a groomer did something so severe to a cat this time of year.
Don't be surprised if she doesn't like the sweather.............especially if it's tight fitting anywhere.

Poor Kittie! LOL It will probably grow out fast though. I can't believe how fast the hair on my cat's tummy has grown since her surgery. I had a friend years ago that raised Persians and she would clip them all over in the summer,even their heads and faces. They looked like drowned rats! LOL I always felt so sorry for them. I hope she isn't one of your outside/inside cats? Don't know if it's as cold in your part of the country as it is here right now but if so she will deffinitely need a sweater.

I think she looks beautiful:-))). I am going to have my youngest cat shaved next summer. He was long haired as a kitten and now is somewhat fluffy, but his tail is really fluffy. I think he will look adorable with a lion shave (I would like the body fur to be a little longer, tho). My DD volunteers at our vet and their "house cats" all get the lion shave in the summer.

If your cat is an indoor cat, why would she need a sweater? I can't imagine a cat wearing a sweater, mine would have a fit if we tried to put clothes on them!

What a cutie! That's the kind of cut I used to give my Persian, about twice a year. You get used to the look. Those mats can be so close to the skin, that you have to shave close. I think it's good to get a clear look at your cat's body and skin every once in a while. Your kitty's skin looks great!

Why did you clip her this way?

My in-laws have a Maine Coon and they get him shaved like this when his fur gets really matted.

This past summer we had a terrible heat wave and my longhaired boy was having a tough time of it. We could not keep up with the shedding by brushing and he was getting terrible hairballs.

So we took him to a groomer recommended by our vet to get him shaved. Long story short, she wouldn't do it. She was very anti-shaving but I can't remember all the reasons why. At any rate, she gave him a bath and then did a vigorous brushing and blowout. I think it reduced his fur by about half. Whatever shampoo she used left his fur super silky and soft.

He doesn't have much trouble with mats but I imagine that similar treatments would help with that problem too. Here's a recent pic of him:

Paige -- that cut makes sense if she doesn't clean herself very well. I spent all summer carefully cutting out the bazillion mats from my neighbor's cat -- would have been much quicker to get her trimmed! I did have the vet shave around her butt when she went in for a checkup -- she's still a bit too stout to clean back there!

(I'd never really thought about the importance of seeing their skin occassionaly noinwi; what do you check for? Lumps, discolorations?)

I don't know how your cat is adjusting, Paige (that has to feel a bit weird, suddenly feeling the breeze!) but I imagine she feels like a velour hot water bottle when you snuggle!

My jaw just dropped when I saw this picture. My first thought is -- why in the world would you do that to your cat. I'm sorry -- it just looks way to severe to do just because of hair mats.

I just can't imagine a kitty would be happy like that. I can see shaving the trouble spots (like the rear) some -- but was it necessary to that to his tail? Maybe I am over-reacting but I could never do that to my kitty.

This might be a good post for the Debate page!

Different strokes, I guess! :)

Bet her little butt is cold on that tiled floor. Wonder if she itches? You girls know what I mean? ;)

To those who are wondering why she has such a close shave, read my posts again please. As I said, I did not ask them to shave her that close. I have brought her in many times before and they have always left about 1/2 inch or a little more hair length. It never occurred to me that they would do this to her, or that this is what a "lion cut" involved. They suggested the lion cut, I thought it would just involve leaving a little extra "poof" around her head and tail, so I said "sure, why not?" I never would have let them do this if I knew in advance. In retrospect, perhaps I should have asked, but she's been shaved many times at this same vet and it was never this short. The reason we do the whole body is that her fur is very, very fine and she gets matts everywhere.

She was a bit out of sorts last night. She doesn't seem to know what to do with herself. So I spent all evening giving her lots of attention and even attempted to let her sleep in my bed (strictly forbidden normally!). She wouldn't settle down, though. She seems to not want to lay down much. So far tonight she seems a lot better. I'm sure she will adjust, and next time I will specify the fur length I want!

And yes, Alison, she does feel exactly like a velour hot water bottle!

Why the hell did you let them do that to her (she is gorgeous)? Does she have a skin problem that has to be addressed?

Could you help her with her "intimate grooming" every couple of days, or have them just give a less invasive clip in the "nether region"?

I'm sorry, Paige... that looks more like a Halloween prank that something you'd actually pay for. Please take that in the spirit with which it was offered... we had a long haired cat and she occasionally "had a messy one" and required some attention back there. She was the only long haired cat I've ever had, BTW.

The cat I've taken in had more that "an occassional messy one". She was so bad her behind was raw -- so I have sympathy. Paige's cat may have similar problems. And as she said, this is not what she usually requests, this cut was more severe the cat's gotten in the past.

I can understand why it may throw her off a bit, Paige. At one point a cat I had had his belly and backside shaved and you could tell it was a bit of a surpirse everytime he sat down!

I did the very same thing! My cat was three years old when I got her and her hair was very, very long and wispy. Last summer I decided to have her groomed and decided to get the lion cut described to me by the attendant in the front office. O so little did I know! I picked my girl up and didn't really check her out (she was in her crate) I thought the groomer was acting a bit anxious to get me out of there. I took her home and got her out of the crate and discovered a HAIRLESS cat! She was skinned! She also had two or three little nicks right down to the skin. She had a little tuft left on her tail but other than that, she looked like E.T!!!!!! I will never do that again. It's been three months and she's all grown back. Her fur is much thicker and beautiful than ever before. I think it's because she is being fed better and is a "single" cat which she adores. So, don't worry too much. Give yours about three months and she'll be back to normala, better than ever.

I wouldn't worry about the way she looks, Paige, the hair will grow back before you know it. Different cats have different coats. Some are silky and easy to manage, and some are just not. You do what you have to do to make them comfortable and that's the important thing.
Alison, after my cat's first haircut, I discovered he had dry flakey skin...not all over but in certain areas. He also had some scabs where he'd been scratching at the matted areas. I got him some moisturizing shampoo, and added EFA's to his food and it definitely helped his skin. And he really liked getting a rub down after his cut. He seemed happy to be rid of his mats. His haircoat was exceptionally "cottony"...that's the only way I can describe it. It was probably the result of bad breeding, but he did have a sweet disposition to make up for it.
Anyway, the haircuts are much more common than a lot of people realize, and many times the groomers have to go short due to the mats being so close to the skin.

As I've said, we've only had one long-haired cat. She was essentially abandonned by seasonal neighbors (now gone!). She was a lovely, very petite, slate grey kitty.

She was a total "fluffy-kin"; with knickers that were cotton-y. Occasionally, she had "cling-ons". It was a totally gross "surprise" to people who loved the fastidiousness of cats (domestic shorthairs). But we'd scoop her up and "help her out", sparing her the "s--t meal".

If the cat in question has more than an occasional "bad day" I'd look carefully at the diet, personally. Unless the cat is obese and "can't reach", I've never known a cat that wasn't careful about hygiene (and I've known several long-haired cats none of whom were "messy"). And, as I said, I'd look into a less invasive, proprietary "clip".

That cat looks like a joke gone wrong. JMO

When I was first on my own I got a Persian and he would get terrible mats. He was not a good self-groomer, and Persians have a double coat. The inner coat is like fine silky fuzz. One night I was brushing him and couldn't get a mat under his front leg off. I decided to cut it. You probably know where this is going. The mat was so tight it had actually pulled the skin into the mat (the vet later said this can cause the skin to get infected). I cut a hole in his skin. He didn't even cry. I put a warm, wet wash cloth on it (and I cried) and my X-H called the vet. They were a 24 hour vet, so they took him that night. They said I wasn't the first, especially with cats like Persians that have easily matted fur and somewhat stretchy skin. The Persian lived to be 15 1/2, so no permanent damage. I felt awful, of course. And I learned a lesson, just because the cat doesn't meow when you pinch the mat doesn't mean there isn't skin in there!

I have a Ragdoll now. They don't mat.

I have to say, most cats don't look good "naked", but that I one healthy looking cat! Not rat-like at all!

Do you have another one that you can dress like the Tin Man or the Scarecrow?

Thanks you guys, for making me laugh! I do feel really bad. She looks hideous, really, and I never would have done this had I known. Live and learn. She is healthy looking though, I must say. All 3 of my cats had their annual within the last two months and they all got excellent bills of health, including Molly (above). She only weighs 7 pounds.

Chelone, Molly was from a litter that was abandoned by their mother when they were babies. They were hand-fed by a loving foster family until they were ready to go to good homes. We took Molly and one of her sisters (who later died, sadly). Neither one had any kind of grooming habits at all. They simply never learned how to groom. One of my other cats, Lily, will often try to groom Molly when she's in bad shape, but Molly doesn't tolerate it. So we're not talking about the occasional hygiene problem, we're talking about a constant problem with serious mats (mattes? matts? how do you spell that?). That's why we have her clipped all over her body. But as I said, she has never been clipped that severely and I never would have sanctioned it had I known.

Unfortunately, Lily is now treating her as a "new addition" to the household and it being quite the b*tch. She is hissing at her at every turn. I'm going to seperate them for awhile.

Amazing the reaction to this type of cut. My husband freaked out when I brought my three long haired cats home with the lion cut. Boy, did it make a huge difference with the cat hair shedding. Their hair grows back so quickly. My groomer only charged $35 for this cut, which included a wash and blow dry. I liked the decrease hair shedding around the house, that I took my golden retreiver dog in for the same cut...no kidding. I thought my husband would divorce me...tee-hee.

I like the lion cuts myself (they crack me up) :-) and they're pretty popular in my area for cats and chows. I think normaly though even more hair is shaved down the legs than on your kitty.

We have a Red Persian who loves to be brushed but is a terrible groomer himself..He often gets a nasty behind and my husband will do the trimming...Their fur is unbelievable, like Sue36 posted, and when I'm done brushing, I have a pile of fur that would make another cat! Along with the brushing, we do take Simba to the "beauty shop" every 6 weeks or so for a bath, nail clipping etc., and I always tell them to make sure they trim around his behind very short...Our groomer charges $35.00 and it's well worth it...I was just thinking, if I went and had my hair done and they charged that much, I'd be furious, LOL What we do for our furbabies......

I have never needed to take either of my long haired cats to a groomer but if I did, and they shaved them like that I'd sue them. Poor kitty.

I have to laugh only because I do this to my Maine Coon girl AT LEAST 4 times a year!!!
Not only does it save HER on HAIRBALLS, GROOMING HERSELF, and SHEDDING.... it saves me on cleaning time with the vac :)
Not to forget the pain it saves her. I've tried brushing and helping her with grooming since she was a tiny little thing. She has hated it ever since her eyes were open. IF MATS ARE NOT TREATED IN TIME, THEY WILL PULL THE SKIN AND HURT YOUR ANIMAL. The trick is to never prolong a visit to the groomers, and PETSMART usually charges under $50 for a great cut.
Baby might not love it at first, but gets real comfortable real fast. Like if you couldn't brush your own head of hair, couldn't take care of the bulk, wouldn't it feel great to just shave it all off? My kitty loves her HAIRCUTS>>>:)

http://www.thecatgallery.com/himalayan_cat_models_page_8.html
I hope this works. I don't know how you guys put links on this forum. Anyway, you must see the picture that goes with the story below. It's hilarious.

"My sister-in law is from Oklahoma and has a slight accent. She has cats and when she lived in the south she would take them to the groomers and have what is called a Line Cut. To her a line cut is when all of the fur hanging down below the cat's tummy is taken off (because it gets matted or snarled).

When she moved to Chicago with my brother, one of the cats fur got all tangled up during the move so she took it in for a line cut. She was quite surprised when she heard the price as it was twice as much as it was down south. She confirmed with the groomer that he understood what a line cut was and he said "yes, I know what a LION cut is." It seems her accent came out sounding like LION not LINE and this is how her cat was returned to her. (see PHOTOS) She cried for a week...but not as much as the cat. It was November in Chicago and the cat needed all the fur it had."

Gas in car to go to groomers.....$4.50
Cat car carrier.....$32.99
Grooming fee.....$80.00
Getting the look from one seriously ticked off cat.....Priceless!

Here's the pictures, beeanne.

Here is a link that might be useful: Yikes!

LOL yep Rhizo that's the one and it cracked me up AGAIN! Guess I'm easily amused. :-)

*lol* yep, I'd say seriously ticked off! gotta go look at those pics again.

That cat even looks like it has boobies. Poor thing, I'd be ticked off too if they took my picture without a bra.

*hehe* i noticed the same thing beeanne.

Those cuts are so funny! Of course, none of my cats would ever forgive me if they received one. Sassy, our resident fluffball gets matts that require help, but her big problem is the litterbox situation. We have multiple boxes lined up in a row. Sassy will use one, then prop herself up on an edge to bury it, letting her puffy tail dangle into another box, snagging a nice lil' turd. She never has any clue that she has something...extra hanging from the tip of her tail, and will run up and greet guests, whipping it around their ankles!

Alia