My Old Cat Has Matted Fur

First some background on how your cat got into this trouble.

My old cat has matted fur.

It may take several days and several sessions to get to all the tangles. Keep in mind that shedding dead hair is normal and it s a process. If her fur is bad enough that the mat is just one giant stretch of knotted hair that s a situation that probably calls for a professional as shaving her fur might be necessary. Believe it or not your cat has limits especially if the fur is gorgeous long and thick poor kitty can do only so much grooming.

Dry food has been linked to matted fur problems and some owners have reported a positive change in fur health after switching away from a dry food diet. Matted fur occurs more frequently in long haired cats but this doesn t mean it won t happen to short haired cats. Often it looks as though the hair has been glued together. The clumps are basically tangled hair.

While a lack of grooming sometimes is just part of old age many times there may be a medical cause for it in your elderly feline. Although it may not appear ugly at first glance these conditions are not good for a cat s fur. When your cat notices this change they start to groom more which could increase the amount of hair they ingest and cause other health problems. It is just natural to miss a few spots.

You might also start adding more oils into your cat s diet for example fish oil capsules if they prefer this to coconut oil treatment. The matted clumps can vary in size from barely noticeable to very large clumps. How to clean an old cat s fur. Illnesses such as hypothyroidism hyperthyroidism hypertension and kidney problems can cause dandruff and matted fur and these conditions are common in older kitties.

The hair gets so knotted and tangled up that it becomes a hard bunch of hair. Grooming and brushing several times a day will reduce the. Written by richard parker. Dental issues the easiest place to start your investigation into why a senior cat isn t autogrooming as often is their mouth.

In this article you will learn several options you can try at home if you want to know how to remove mats from a longhaired cat. When a cat no longer shows an interest in grooming it s important to look for the underlying causes as an old cat with matted fur may be indicative of an underlying health issue. Take your feline to the vet or groomer if you can t untangle the stubborn mats. Once the matted fur has been separated with scissors brush the area with fine toothed comb.

Matting occurs more in spring and autumn when cats are molting. Use clippers to shave away particularly stubborn knots. Matted cat fur on the other hand damages tissue by preventing oxygen and moisture from reaching it. Now when the cat keeps missing a few spots that is when the dirt and debris mixes up with the natural sebum in the fur and creates mats.

Skin flakes dead fur dust and skin oils cause matting. This can lead to dry scaly and sometimes irritated skin.