Recently my silky long haired cat developed severe mats on back, sides and in the front leg pits. I used cheap razor combs that quickly shaved out the mats from the top down and at the same time thinned his fur and for the past three months not a single mat has developed. He's a very timid nervous cat but let me comb out these mats without any objection. Those combs were a lifesaver - found them on Ebay.