My cat has really greasy hair

Although it doesn't bother me that much, my cat has very greasy fur on his back. I have had him for just under a year now and for about the whole time there has been a strip along his back of really greasy hair. Searching the internet has come up with nothing so I would like to know if this maybe a sign of something more serious. I would like it not to be greasy if I can do something about it, but like I said before it doesn't bother me much and doesn't seem to bother him so its not a huge deal (if its not serious).

Could this be a sign of something? He is very active and is completely healthy looking otherwise.

Thanks!!

what does he eat??? wet?? dry ?? mix of

Yasmine had this once before on the top strip of her back but the hair was thinning out. It didnt seem to be bothering her either but i called the vet and he put her on a pill and it cleared up. I'm not sure what was wrong but you might want to call the vet just to be on the safe side. Good luck

Originally Posted by sharky

what does he eat??? wet?? dry ?? mix of

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He is now eating a mix of dry food and wetted down dry food.

brand?? some ingrediants tend to cause some issue

Originally Posted by sharky

brand?? some ingrediants tend to cause some issue

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Sorry I don't know for sure as my girlfriend buys the food. I do know its kitten food still, it is a different kind of food than what we fed him for the first few months when we first got him. If the food is the problem then I will be greatly relieved. My main concern is the localization of the greasiness. Are there certain ingredients I should stay away from that cause greasy hair?

corn wheat and soy seem to be culprits as does low fatty acid levels...

The kind of food we feed him is "Purina ONEÂ[emoji]174[/emoji] Healthy Kitten Formula"

Could be a food allergy. This food has a lot of potential allergens in it.
Also, could be lack of functional fats/essential fatty acids - a food can contain fat, but not always what is needed to promote growth, development and healthy skin. Ironically, lack of fatty acids can cause greasy fur. You'd think it was the opposite, but if the are lacking the fats that they need, it can happen. Or, could be another issue you may want to ask your vet about.

Oh, just saw you've had him for a year, why is he still eating kitten food?

Many of us feed kitten past a yr for different reasons.. the food the op is feeding while IMHO not good is a all stage

http://thecatsite.com/forums/showthr...=grocery+foods

http://thecatsite.com/forums/showthr...cery+dry+foods

Originally Posted by sharky

Many of us feed kitten past a yr for different reasons..

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Yes, this is precisely the reason I asked OP the question. If I felt that someone was wrong with that, I would have posted that it was my opinion that kitty should be switched to a different food. I was simply asking the poster a question.

Additionally, supposing the pet owner maintains proper portions and caloric levels appropriate for the age/weight/health status of their cat, that is just fine. However, many folks don't know to do that.

Originally Posted by Fenleebe

Yes, this is precisely the reason I asked OP the question. If I felt that someone was wrong with that, I would have posted that it was my opinion that kitty should be switched to a different food. I was simply asking the poster a question.

Additionally, supposing the pet owner maintains proper portions and caloric levels appropriate for the age/weight/health status of their cat, that is just fine. However, many folks don't know to do that.

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I was just FYI ing too ..lmao..

your last paragraph is far far to true

Wow - someone else has this problem! Frodo, who is a biggish boy, and white, just can't stand to groom himself (maybe can't reach all the way around?). His fur is pretty greasy but his tail is just nasty! He eats IAMS and has never had any other health problems, but the hair on his tail is so dark and gross. Yes, what should we do?

Originally Posted by redhairedgirl

Wow - someone else has this problem! Frodo, who is a biggish boy, and white, just can't stand to groom himself (maybe can't reach all the way around?). His fur is pretty greasy but his tail is just nasty! He eats IAMS and has never had any other health problems, but the hair on his tail is so dark and gross. Yes, what should we do?

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first find a food higher in fattys acids...

where do you buy the iams???

then look to find a food without by products of a meat .... corn is one I would limit but it is high in fatty acids...

fatty acids should be at least 3% ... i like 4% or higher for linoleic or omega six

Common cat allergies which can cause this

SOY

Wheat

Corn

Whitefish( yeah what is it )

the unnamed fish

potato

Originally Posted by sharky

Whitefish( yeah what is it )

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You know what it is, you can find it in the same aisle as "animal liver" or "oceanfish"

Originally Posted by Fenleebe

You know what it is, you can find it in the same aisle as "animal liver" or "oceanfish"

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Yup.. now I know

Originally Posted by Fenleebe

Oh, just saw you've had him for a year, why is he still eating kitten food?

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Because I have some left in a bag and I thought it wouldn't hurt to finish it up.

Originally Posted by sharky

Many of us feed kitten past a yr for different reasons.. the food the op is feeding while IMHO not good is a all stage

http://thecatsite.com/forums/showthr...=grocery+foods

http://thecatsite.com/forums/showthr...cery+dry+foods

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Thanks for the links. I will take a look at some of those foods.