Does matted fur just fall out?

Question

Because that's what is starting to happen to our long haired cat. Or is she finally realizing she has mats in her fur and is pulling them out? A large clump of matted fur is hanging off one side of her at the moment. On the other side smaller clumped matts are starting to come away from the skin. She is 13 years old. She has also started throwing up almost everything she eats for the past 2 years, we took her to a vet but they said to just try another food. So far nothing has worked 100% and she still throws up at least 4 times a week. We know this can't be good for her but we don't know what else to do.

We only took her to that vet once and weren't planning on taking our cats back there again. We tried cutting the mats out but my mom ended up nicking the skin (it's healing nicely, we've kept an eye on it) we were more traumatized by it than the cat was. The mats are extremely close to her skin and we do not want to hurt her again so we are extremely hesitant to try cutting them again.

Answer 1

Hi there

Hope I can help a bit. Firstly I wouldn't be too confident in your vet if your cat is still throwing up 4 times a week or so. I would be seriously inclined to try to get a recommendation for another vet.

We have a cat who had a vomiting problem and it turned out she has Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Our vet put her on steroids and a special diet, the Royal Canin Sensitivity Diet. The great news is that, three years down the line, she has been able to come off the diet. She still has to have the tablets and probably will for the rest of her life. But we can tell she is delighted to be back to normal food (and our bank balance is improving!). So I would definitely advise that you ask that your cat be tested for this.

Re the matted fur, I think this is quite a common problem with cats as they get older, as some of them stop grooming themselves as efficiently. The best thing we have found is to get the cat nice and comfy, do a bit of stroking and grooming and then VERY carefully snip away the matted fur. Depending on the size of the clumps you may have to snip bit by bit and may not always be able to get the whole clump off in one session.

And if your cat is a scratcher it might be a good idea to wear long sleeves and gloves while doing this.

Alternatively, if there are loads of clumps you can do as we once did with my late father-in-law's cat and take her to the vet to have it done under sedation.

As I've said some tend to go like this as they get older and a bit lazy with their grooming. So, when all the clumps have gone, guess who has to do the grooming now...yes, you! Get a good brush that has bristles and teeth and you will find it is a fun, nice way of bonding with your cat.

Good luck!

Answer 2

The matted clumps should be cut out. They are uncomfortable & can hide sores that can become infected. Try brushing her a little every evening. As for the throwing up, did the vet run any blood tests? I'm thinking it is a metabolism thing. 13 is not old for a cat. I suggest finding another vet or asking your vet to run a full blood panel to find the problem. She maybe scarfing her food & that is causing her to throw up, but I doubt it. She should have blood tests run on her assure that she is in good health. You should also, like I said, brush your cat to keep the hair from matting & when it does, GENTLY cut the mats away.

Answer 3

You'd do her a favor by cutting the mats out; she can only do so much for herself, and if her fur is really matted, getting them out is going to be a big job for her. Just get a small pair of scissors and cut them out; she may look a little scruffy for a while, but you will reduce the possibility of skin problems considerably. If the mats are too close to the skin, then use a razor just as you would with your own skin to get the close spots.

Answer 4

Baby oil does NOT kill flea eggs! Very likely your cats do still have fleas, or are about to become reinfested very shortly. Flea shampoos wash off fleas, but they are not a preventative, so the cats will not stay flea free for long. Get some proper treatment from a vet like Frontline Plus - this actually does kill flea eggs and larvae as well as adult fleas and will keep the cats protected for about 6 weeks. Your long haired cat requires combing every day so you'll need to keep that up. If the fur is actually falling out, he's quite likely to have a flea allergy, making it doubly important to get some proper treatment. There are plenty of things that may cause hair to fall out, besides fleas - it could be a hormonal problem. I suggest you get this problem sorted out properly. Chalice

Answer 5

It shouldn't be matted, it's your job to comb her. It will not fall off you will have to clip the matted parts but don't do that yet if she is an outside cat. The matted fur will bind tighter and tighter which will cause pain.

The throwing up could be caused by a blockage in her stomach or it can be the fact that her bowels are backed up to the point that she is throwing up. That happened to my cat and what they did was give me some medicine that had oil in it that helped the bowels process better.

Answer 6

i have a long haired cat and he occasionally gets his fur matted. to minimize this we brush him everyother day (even though he doesn't really like it) and we also feed him food that helps with hairballs. as for the matted fur, we cut the matts off (usually they are not that large), just be sure not to cut off any skin. if the matt is very large and stuck very close to the skin you may want to take your cat to the vet to have the matt removed( usually that involves shaving off the matt).

Answer 7

She is getting older and it's hard for her to groom herself..many cats stop grooming when they are sick. Go get her a potty patch at the vet..they shave her behind..(i bought a pair of men's hair clippers and shave my maine coon's behind in the bathtub (no water in it). She probably wont let you shave her now that she's 13. I switched my cats food to nutro products..max cat and natural choice..their isnt any bad by-products in it. My cat was licking it's belly raw and i finally made the decision to switch..it's growing back now after 1.5 months..he was also throwing up every meal but now he has energy to play and no longer throws up. It's alittle more expensive but it will prolong the life of your cat. I buy the little cans and split it between my 2 cats. I thought i would go broke buying it, but it turns out that they dont eat as often as they did on the other food..(whiskas, special kitty, purina, ect.) I'm glad i finally gave in and bought it. Their stools are also not so smelly and the cat that used to go #2 on the carpet has started to use the litterbox again...i think because it's more formed and not as uncomfortable for him to pass. Good luck,,if you love your kitty as much as i love mine and if you'll just buy the right cat food you'll see it will make a wonderfull difference in how they feel ..healthy. Good luck..oh..you can find it at petsmart or pet partners..i get mine at pet partners because they have alot more variety in the wet cat foods. Also long haired cats get furballs..alittle butter or regular vaseline wil lhep pass them...yep vaseline, it's safe dont worry..thats what the hair ball formula they sell for 6-7 bucks a pop is made of. they love the taste to..and butter..they love the taste of that too. I had to go through this after a 500.00 vet bill and exrays that showed my cat was full o poo that wasnt coming out..butter and vaseline will help alleviate constipation or hairballs.

Answer 8

My vet and groomer said that matting can be PAINFUL to the cat. They way they said, the mat starts to twist their hide making the cat uncomfortable to downright painful.
I own a Himalayan and he gets buzzed 4 times a year.

Answer 9

you need to cut the mats out i tend to cut the matts till there is a lump of fur left so you can gently brush the fur that sleft rather than get close to the skin.are you sure your cat isnt vommitting fur balls if its so sick and obviously has long fur.try to groom more often not easy if its a grumpy cat like mine was!!

Answer 10

Go to a pet grooming place and get them out, then try and keep her brushed, the clumps irritate their skin making them red and other infections, the vomiting could be from all the licking and hair clogs, to help put teaspoon of cooking oil down her throat. She could also be up and down with her body heat. Good luck.