What would cause matted hair with a cat?
Asked by
mrentropy (
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September 10th, 2010
A few weeks ago my short-haired cat started getting matted fur. I brushed him and used a “comb” (actually a multi-bladed curved bladed tool that looks pretty wicked) to get the mats out. I was kind of surprised the short-haired one was getting them and not the long-haired one.
Now the long-haired one is getting them. I brushed him out last night.
Anyway, I’ve never seen either of these cats get matted hair before, and they used to roam around outside all the time. But now they’re solely indoor cats.
What could be causing this? Could it be diet? I noticed that the food I usually give them changed something (I’m not sure what, but the bag says it’s different). Or could it be that because they don’t get outside and caught in trees, bushes, etc, that the hair is building up?
Is it a psychological thing, maybe? They used to have a huge house to roam around in and now we’re packed like sardines in this tiny apartment.
Any ideas?
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8 Answers
Not to scare you…but could your cat be poorly?
By nature, cats are attentive to grooming themselves. When a cat grooms, it spreads natural oils throughout its coat, keeping the fur shiny and smooth. have you seen your cat grooming itself?
Yeah, they still do that. Noisily. The short-haired one started getting them kind of high up on his back, and I could see where maybe he couldn’t reach there. Now they’re forming lower down, but I do see them preening themselves quite a bit in that area.
one of my cats gets matted on his bsck and loins because he is too fat to groom himself back there. I have to brush him often to keep him nice
@mrentropy I’m no expert but can sympathise having two of my own….i would pop to the Vet’s and get them checked out, just in case.
If your cats are older they might be less flexible, and thus less able to reach some spots while grooming. The not outdoors thing might play in as well, if they rubbed against bark or another rough surface while out.
How old are they? Older cats don’t tend to keep themselves as well groomed. They may have arthritis, bad teeth, or just not feel well enough to spend much time grooming.
It is odd, however, that both cats are having the same problem at the same time. That sounds more like an outside influence, and the food may be a factor. If you’re having a seasonal change (just turned the heat on, etc.), that may also be affecting their coat.
And while I wouldn’t expect both cats to have a similar problem at the same time, but there are some medical conditions that can affect the appearance of a cat. An unkempt coat or a general unthrifty appearance can be an indicator of underlying health issues.
Cats shed. If it is summer shedding season, they shed more. If they are inactive they tend to lie about on the shed hair and pick it up. And, especially if they are long-haired, this causes mats. The older the cat, the more confined the cat, the longer-haired the cat, the more matting issues the cat will have.
The reason your cats seem to be getting them is confinement and concomitant inactivity.
I spent a few years in an efficiency apartment with no outdoor access and my elderly angora cat who was used to outdoor access got mats so horrible they had to be cut out by a vet. When I moved into a place with an enclosed garden the mats decreased significantly, but did not stop completely [this was partly due to becoming more sedentary with age].
They aren’t kittens, but they’re not very old. They’re pretty active when it comes to chasing each other around at 2am. But these are very tight quarters and there’s not a lot to do besides chase each other around when I’m trying to sleep.
I’ll keep on brushing them, then, until I can move to a place that’s big enough to swing a cat around in.
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