Soft and Matting Coat on cat

I have a new cat, Stella, who is a long haired calico. Her coat is impossible; she needs combing every day. And she hates it! Unlike a dog it's hard to distract her while I'm combing, and when the comb gets caught in the knots she really gets mad. Is there anything I can do to prevent the matting? I raise German Angora rabbits and never have to comb them; I've bred them for years to get non-matting coats. I wish someone had done this for these cats!