Yesterday I spent over 2 hours working on Shadow's mats. I used a small pair of scissors and clipped a few hairs at a time on the mats. He would roll over and I would have to move to another mat for awhile. I now have most of the mats off of him. There is still a section on his right hindquarters that needs doing and a fairly small one on his belly between his front legs. After that I shall try to tidy up the overall appearance and let the fur grow back. I can tell that it feels good for the mats to come off because as soon as I get a section off, he licks it clean. I think it is a little itchy under there and he is able to soothe it with his rough tongue. I love this fellow! He is so brave and willing to try so many new things. He comes out every evening and interacts with me and with the other cats. They do not love him, but they are getting used to his presence. He comes on the couch with me and sits in various locations around the room, observing the other cats and how they act. He comes out and watches me feed the other cats and he chirps at me to feed him too - which I do, of course. He makes himself at home on the bed. He is as bright and curious as a kitten. Everything interests him. It is so amazing to think that he was a feral cat and that back in September my main hope was to some day pet him! MC is slower than Shadow. I leave their door open as much as possible, but she prefers to stay in the room. I go in and socialize with her. She is very affectionate with me now. She climbs right into my lap and she lets me pet her soft belly. She needs to adjust at her own pace.

Yesterday I spent over 2 hours working on Shadow's mats. I used a small pair of scissors and clipped a few hairs at a time on the mats. He would roll over and I would have to move to another mat for awhile. I now have most of the mats off of him. There is still a section on his right hindquarters that needs doing and a fairly small one on his belly between his front legs. After that I shall try to tidy up the overall appearance and let the fur grow back. I can tell that it feels good for the mats to come off because as soon as I get a section off, he licks it clean. I think it is a little itchy under there and he is able to soothe it with his rough tongue. I love this fellow! He is so brave and willing to try so many new things. He comes out every evening and interacts with me and with the other cats. They do not love him, but they are getting used to his presence. He comes on the couch with me and sits in various locations around the room, observing the other cats and how they act. He comes out and watches me feed the other cats and he chirps at me to feed him too - which I do, of course. He makes himself at home on the bed. He is as bright and curious as a kitten. Everything interests him. It is so amazing to think that he was a feral cat and that back in September my main hope was to some day pet him! MC is slower than Shadow. I leave their door open as much as possible, but she prefers to stay in the room. I go in and socialize with her. She is very affectionate with me now. She climbs right into my lap and she lets me pet her soft belly. She needs to adjust at her own pace.