9 Best Cat Hair Clippers for Matted Fur — 2024 Reviews & Top Picks

Sometimes, cats need a little extra help meeting their grooming needs. Whether related to medical issues, laziness, age, or obesity, some cats just won’t or can’t properly groom themselves. This can lead to a variety of issues, including matting. Some cats that need extra grooming support may need their mats cut out to give them relief.

However, removing mats is easier said than done. It can be a risky procedure that can leave your cat with torn or cut skin, so choosing the right tools for the job is essential. Clippers are a fantastic way to safely remove mats from your cat, and when used correctly, they offer a minimal risk of skin damage. We’ve put together reviews of the best hair clippers for removing mats to help you find the best product to meet your needs.

A Glance at Our Winners in 2024

The 9 Best Cat Hair Clippers for Matted Fur

1. Andis Pro-Animal 7-Piece Clipper Kit – Best Overall

The Andis Pro-Animal 7-Piece Detachable Blade Clipper Kit is the best overall clipper for removing matted fur. This kit includes four sizes of attachment combs, blade oil, and a hard, protective case. The clippers themselves have a 12-foot electrical cord, allowing you plenty of space for grooming your cat.

It features a powerful, quiet motor, although the speed of the blade cannot be adjusted. The motor is designed to power through even thick and matted coats. It has break-resistant housing and an easy to hold design for your comfort. The clipper blade is easy to remove for thorough cleaning and replacement.

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2. Patpet Removable Blade Grooming Clipper – Best Value

The Patpet Removable Blade Grooming Clipper is the best cat hair clipper for mattings for the money. These clippers include blade oil and four attachment combs. The clippers are an eye-catching rose gold color, and they feature a battery display, gear display, blade length switch, speed switch, and a lock key button to keep your settings from accidentally being adjusted.

The motor operates quietly, but it does offer three speed settings. It has a rechargeable battery that can be fully charged in as little as 3 hours and can operate for 5 hours of use. Some people find the instructions with these clippers to be inadequate, and it may be difficult to put the blade back in place properly after removing it for cleaning.

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3. Wahl Bravura Lithium Ion Cordless Clipper Kit – Premium Choice

The Wahl Bravura Lithium Ion Cordless Clipper Kit features the premium pick for clippers for removing mats. This kit includes six attachment combs, blade oil, a soft carry case, a recharging base, and an electrical cord. While these clippers run on rechargeable battery power, they can also operate via the electrical cord while charging.

They feature a 60-minute charge time and a 90-minute run time, running at full power until the battery is fully depleted. This is a shorter run time than some of the other battery-operated clippers on the list, though. They are durable and lightweight, and they are low-vibration clippers to avoid stressing your cat.

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4. Andis AGC2 2-Speed Detachable Blade Pet Clipper

The Andis AGC2 2-Speed Detachable Blade Pet Clipper offers two speed settings but does retail for a premium price. These are heavy-duty clippers that can work through even the thickest mats. It comes with a fully detachable clipper blade, blade oil, and a 14-foot electrical cord for maximum mobility while grooming. It features a locking switch that ensures the clippers won’t accidentally get shut off during use.

These clippers offer versatility due to their power and the ease of switching out blades as needed based on your cat’s coat needs. They do tend to heat up quickly, so it’s important to monitor the temperature of the clipper blade to ensure they’re not getting too hot.

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5. Oster A5 Turbo 2-Speed Pet Clipper

The Oster A5 Turbo 2-Speed Pet Clipper uses outlet power and includes blade oil, clipper grease, and a blade cover. It has two speed settings and has a powerful motor that is designed for thick and matted coats. This is a professional-grade clipper that is built to last, although it does retail for a premium price.

The motor operates quietly, and these clippers are built to be virtually indestructible. It’s easy to detach the blade for cleaning and to swap blades. These clippers do start getting hot within a few minutes, so you may need to take frequent breaks and use a cooling spray to keep your kitty comfortable.

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6. Oster A5 Golden Pet Clipper

The Oster A5 Golden Pet Clipper features break-resistant housing and a quiet motor. It offers two speed settings, and the motor is powerful enough to cut through thick mats and fur. The removable filter screen makes cleaning easy, and the blade is easy to remove for cleaning or swapping blades. It includes blade oil and clipper grease for maintenance.

It’s made with versatility and longevity in mind, and with proper care, these clippers should last for many years. Both the handle and blade on these clippers may get hot quickly, so monitor the temperature and use a cooling spray as needed.

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7. Wahl KM5 Rotary 2-Speed Professional Clipper Kit

The Wahl KM5 Rotary 2-Speed Professional Clipper Kit is available in fun colors, like cotton candy pink, but offers a high-quality product. This kit includes blade oil and a 14-foot cord, as well as a lightweight design to reduce hand and wrist fatigue while you work. It has two speed settings and is ideal for cutting through mats and thick fur.

It’s highly durable and requires minimal maintenance but is built to last for a long time. It’s also a low-vibration clipper to reduce stress for your cat. It does retail for a very premium price, which may be out of the budget for the casual home groomer. Some users have reported finding it difficult to remove and replace the blade on these clippers.

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8. Oster A6 Slim 3-Speed Pet Clipper

The Oster A6 Slim 3-Speed Pet Clipper is available in multiple fun colors but is also a high-quality clipper that is slim and lightweight to reduce hand and wrist fatigue, thanks to the zinc alloy that it’s made from. It has built-in vibration isolators that absorb vibration from the motor and reduce clipper vibration. It offers three speed settings and can cut through matted hair.

It does retail for a very premium price, which may put it out of the budget for many home groomers. It runs via an electrical cord, so recharging is not required for use, but some people do report finding the cord to be very stiff and difficult to work around.

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9. Pet Republique Small Hair Clippers for Detailing

The Republique Small Hair Clippers for Detailing is perfect for cutting out small mats in places like the paws and face. They are made with a small blade, which does limit their use, but they are great for small spaces. They have a rechargeable battery and can run for up to 90 minutes before needing to be recharged.

They operate quietly and are a good low-vibration option. It’s designed to be safe on your pet’s skin and to reduce overall stress during small mat trims. This is not a high-powered clipper option and should not be used across the whole body. It is not made for this purpose, but it is a budget-friendly option for small, quick trims.

Buyer’s Guide: Selecting the Best Cat Hair Clipper for Matted Fur

Choosing the Right Clippers for Matted Fur

This is a complex question to answer because the clippers you need can vary based on your cat’s coat type, the severity of matting, your cat’s willingness to cooperate, and your home grooming skills. If your cat has severe matting or appears to have irritated or broken skin under or around the mats, they should be seen by a veterinarian and may require professional grooming for mat removal and coat maintenance. The best tool you have against matting is preventing them in the first place with routine brushing and coat care. However, that isn’t always possible.

It can be difficult to choose the right clippers to meet your needs, but knowing how tolerant your kitty is of being trimmed will help. For cats that have never been clipped with clippers or who are shy of noise, you may need to start off with extremely quiet clippers, which are sometimes less powerful. If your cat is more experienced with grooming or comfortable with noise, more powerful and potentially noisier clippers may work well.

Price

One of the biggest factors that you are likely worried about is price. There are definitely some expensive clipper for sale, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money for a quality product. As you’ve noticed, we offer a range of prices on our list. This is a good opportunity to opt for our budget option, but if you’ve got a little wiggle room, you could opt for something a bit more expensive.

Power Source

Consider whether you want to use an outlet or a rechargeable battery. While batteries can be a pain to change or charge, many these days are rechargeable. As long as you recharge it every couple of uses, you’ll likely be fine. However, if you don’t want to worry about it dying on you, it’s better to go with one that uses an outlet for a power source. Still, this limits how far you can move with the clippers, so try finding out with a long cord.

Speed Settings

One more thing to think about before deciding on which clippers to purchase is the speed setting. Many clippers today come with multiple settings, and having at least two or three is ideal. The slower settings might be better for pets who aren’t used to the sound of the clippers or to focus on sensitive areas, like the paws. Meanwhile, quicker settings are better for really cutting through those tough mats.

Conclusion

These reviews should serve as a wonderful starting point to help you find the perfect clippers to take care of your kitty’s mats. There are lots of great options, but the best overall option is the Andis Pro-Animal 7-Piece Detachable Blade Clipper Kit, which includes multiple extras and a high-powered clipper. The more budget-friendly pick is the Patpet Removable Blade Grooming Clipper, which has a rechargeable battery life of up to 5 hours. The more premium pick is the Wahl Bravura Lithium Ion Cordless Clipper Kit, which is pricey but also high-quality and wonderfully functional for removing mats.

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Featured Image Credit: Studio Peace, Shutterstock