Our long haired cat Tony gets really bad matts and the vet said that he has very fine hair. He does not like being groomed as much as it would take to keep him matt free, so once a year he gets a lion cut and I think he loves it! We do it in the summer and he kind of struts around and I really think he is more comfortable.

 

I think it depends on where you live, whether or not indoor/outdoor, etc.!
My longest haired, and thickest furred cat Banjo, aka. Teddy Bear, will lay in front of our vents to enjoy cooling when its hot, of course he'll also lay in front of vents when
he wants to get warm!
I Love the Lion Cut, very stylin'!

 

Mats can really hurt. I cant help but think your cat feels so much better. Plus you know your cat best if he is really upset with his new do! I think its cute and he looks happy to me.

Free advice is just that. Dont take to heart other people critiques. Everyone thinks they are an expert.

 

Two of my elderly longhairs get very badly matted, and neither of them will tolerate me working the mats out of their coats. The mats felt tightly to their skin and make them extremely uncomfortable and short-tempered. So I started shaving the mats out a couple of years ago. Since they're not big on being shaved, either, I end up scruffing them with one hand while trying to shave out the matted areas with the other. As a result, they look rather "massacred" by the time I'm done, but at least they feel better. Since no one has to deal with the way they look except me (and my vet and vet techs), their unsightly appearance is inconsequential. What's most important is making them feel physically comfortable in their own skin, and shaving accomplishes that.

Laurie

 

my 3 boys are all shorted haired and indoor. This year it got so hot and my house has an open conservatory so it gets boiling. I did everything I could to keep them cool but I ended up shaving all 3 of them. OMG did they love it. Oscar spent the whole time purring like a steam engine, rolling around. I guess he loved the feeling of the clippers. Tinker and Wilson enjoyed it too, just laid there, pawing at the air. Tinker got bored before I had finished so I had to keep him in place with a few treats.

After, all 3 of them seemed much more relaxed with the heat. Their bickering stopped and they became cuddly again.

PLUS.. less hair over my whole house Bonuussss!

I wouldn't have done it if they ran away crying but they didn't. I won't make a habit it of clipping them but I wouldn't think twice about doing it again when it gets very hot.

Only down side is.. they looked like c**p! haha!

 

My neighbor gets her Maine Coon look alike shaved every year. She get a lion cut and it's adorable on her. It lasts until fall when the temps start to drop and she begins to get matted (she HATES to be brushed) again in the spring. This has been the routine for 3 years now and it works out great....unless it's a cold spring then she is pretty chilly for awhile.