Our question this week was:

Hi, I have a cat that is almost two years old. Her hair on her lower back is knotting all over, or matting I guess you could say. I was wondering if there was anything serious to worry about? I'm not sure of her breed, but she does have longer hair.

Thank You,

Brandi B.

Answer

Hi – thanks for your email. A lot of cats will begin to get mats over the lower back or sides – areas that they can't groom as well. This most commonly occurs in cats that are obese (can't reach anymore) or cats that don't feel well. Some cats just don't groom a lot and will mat as well.

Is your cat otherwise acting okay? Eating okay? Losing weight? Drinking the same amount or more? Urinating okay? If he has having any health problems, I'd recommending taking him to your veterinarian for evaluation just to make sure there is not an underlying health problem that is making him not feel well.

If everything checks out okay and he is healthy, you may need to start brushing and grooming him on regular basis to minimize future problems.

A couple articles that might be helpful to you are Grooming Your Cat and How to Remove Mats.

Best of luck!


Dr. Jon


P.S. – Do you have any great pet tips? I love learning from pet owners and have been looking for some pet tips. I might try to share some of these with other PetPlace users! Send me your pet tips!






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