Greasy Fur

What might be the causes for greasy coat? Is it usually dietary issues or related to grooming too? Our new boy Teppo seems to have very greasy coat, mainly the tail and on the back end of his back. He is 3 years old male and we got him about 7 weeks ago from shelter. He is seal point Siamese and pretty chubby guy. At first I though he had trouble grooming those body parts but we have exercised him a good deal, and his “reach†is improving (he does not allow his new brothers to help groom the tail end yet though). I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t think that he is unable to clean himself but the front of the body is definitely in better shape.

I gave Teppo a bath on his second week at home. It helped for a while, then the greasiness returned. (Vet didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t think it was an issue). He seems to have some dandruff on those parts too, and sheds some hair but not excessively. He loves brushing and skin does not appear irritated anywhere. He is indoor-only kitty, so he should not be rolling in anything too suspicious.

Naturally we do not know what he has eaten in his prior life. He was found wandering the streets, and at shelter he had been fed Science Diet. He came home with diarrhoea that resolved but he seems to be a bit prone to get the runs. We free-feed Innova dry food and currently Fancy Feast wet food. He likes both. I am wondering what kind of foods/ingredients are most likely to give fur/skin issues if thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s the case? Neither of our other boys never had greasiness with same food. At this point I am still considering this a transitional time for him but would be interested in hearing any suggestions. (Generally Teppo is very happy/content boy, eats well, drinks a lot, plays and socializes both with humans and other cats).

Was he recently neutered? Sometimes intact males can have "stud tail" which can seem greasy...it may also be a matter of him getting used to a new diet. Or as you mentioned he probably has problems with his...um..hmm..."reach" if he's very overweight or has arthritis in his back.

I would keep up with the regular brushing and get him on a good healthy diet. He may just need time to adjust to a new home. Also keep up the play time! It's good bonding time and will help him lose some pounds.

Our Stan had an awful case of dandruff and a pretty nasty looking coat when we first brought him home, but now he's shiny and handsome

Welcome to TCS

Male kitties can have those greasy tail heads...and if he was just recently neutered it may take him a while to get rid of it; or he may always have a slightly greasy one.

It could have been caused in part by the foods he has been on, as well.

Give him some time to adjust; if he keeps getting the runs, though, I would try something that might be less 'rich' for him, like Chicken Soup brand kitty food. My kitties, all rescues never did well on Innova, or Innova Evo...it was just too rich for them, and they had chronic diarrhea; they were active and healthy otherwise, but that messiness in the boxes...ick! So they are now on Chix Soup and doing great.

I would give him a weekly bath in a degreasing shampoo; like a citrus shampoo, as well, to aid in further getting rid of the dander and greasy build up. It will also help condition his skin and coat as he adjusts to his diet. It will also help him continue shedding out any coat that has not shed out until now. Part of his greasyness could be from old un-shed coat as well, and the skin is just not getting enough air to keep it clean and dry. I use Therapet Shampoos, as these are recommended even for daily use. I was a dog\\cat groomer up till recently, and the Therapet shampoos were some of the best I have ever used. You can find them on groomers.com

Thanks for the suggestions.

Originally Posted by JellyBella

Was he recently neutered? Sometimes intact males can have "stud tail" which can seem greasy...it may also be a matter of him getting used to a new diet. Or as you mentioned he probably has problems with his...um..hmm..."reach" if he's very overweight or has arthritis in his back.

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He had already been neutered when he arrived at shelter, so we do not know the exact time, anyhow it is not too recent. He sure is no “stud†by any other measure, very mellow guy

Originally Posted by JellyBella

I would keep up with the regular brushing and get him on a good healthy diet. He may just need time to adjust to a new home. Also keep up the play time! It's good bonding time and will help him lose some pounds.

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Thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s what I was thinking, I wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t sure if a lot of brushing would somehow aggravate the condition too. I keep on telling him we need to get his “street clothes†off his back. I do not want to stress him too much with bathing and stuff since he is so new to us (though he is a trooper, heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll purr right after unplesantries, heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s just so happy guy). Increased playtime is really the only thing we are doing right now to shed his extra pounds. I have a feeling he just has not been doing much before (poor thing didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t even seem to know what toys were, he is so stunned and happy about anything we introduce).

Originally Posted by faith's_mom

It could have been caused in part by the foods he has been on, as well.

Give him some time to adjust; if he keeps getting the runs, though, I would try something that might be less 'rich' for him, like Chicken Soup brand kitty food. My kitties, all rescues never did well on Innova, or Innova Evo...it was just too rich for them, and they had chronic diarrhea; they were active and healthy otherwise, but that messiness in the boxes...ick! So they are now on Chix Soup and doing great.

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It seems like he has now adjusted to the Innova dry but thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s interesting to hear. I do occasionally rotate dry food but for now weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll see how things are. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll keep the Chicken Soup in mind, we never tried that one.

Originally Posted by faith's_mom

I would give him a weekly bath in a degreasing shampoo; like a citrus shampoo, as well, to aid in further getting rid of the dander and greasy build up. It will also help condition his skin and coat as he adjusts to his diet. It will also help him continue shedding out any coat that has not shed out until now. Part of his greasyness could be from old un-shed coat as well, and the skin is just not getting enough air to keep it clean and dry. I use Therapet Shampoos, as these are recommended even for daily use. I was a dog\\cat groomer up till recently, and the Therapet shampoos were some of the best I have ever used. You can find them on groomers.com

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Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll take a look at those. Do they have strong perfumy odors? I prefer pretty neutral stuff myself and hate it when I canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t sniff beforehand.

To hlep with greasy coat, use Goop handcleaner by rubbing it into the coat well, down to the skin. Some say to leave it in for at least 5 minutes but I've never had to do that and the 2 Persian breeders that mentor me don't either. Then rinse it out and wash/condition with your regular cat shampoo. Follow up with a rinse mixture of a few tablespoons of white vinegar to a couple gallons of warm water. When I used to use this method with my Jake (RIP), he would stay grease free for about 4-6 weeks.

I didn't like how greasy my older cats fur was getting, and he too had some dandruff and what seemed like excessive shedding. I read up on good food for skin, and found Avoderm. It contains avocado oil, something they proclaim helps skin condition. I tried it and my cat has been on their dry food since then and his fur is so much nicer now. He also seems to like it more - he eats more of it. In his case this is a good thing, he's a skinny little thing. I would recommend trying it

No idea, but I think that diet can play a huge role.

Matilda has greasy fur, I am switching her to a grain-free diet. Her skin seems to produce a lot of waxy substance, which I think is why she is so prone to feline acne on her chin. Avoderm might be worth trying, I know that they make a supplement too.

Thanks for bringing Avoderm to my attention, had never heard of it. Gotta check if any of the shops here have it. Teppo's coat got so awfully dandruffy I gave him another bath. Will need to get better shampoo for him.

I am kind of hesitant swapping his dry food now that he seems to have finally settled on Innova. He is very much a wet-food lover, so maybe I'll try to hunt down the Avoderm cans first. Maybe if he has been on all-wet this change to dry+wet is giving him issues too? He certainly is kinda snorting at the dry-times... like GIMME the real stuff puleez...

My cat tried and didnt like the Avoderm wet food, so I have no experience with it. However he's always been more of a dry food lover.
It's important you don't change too much too fast. Skin condition can take a while to be affected by diet, so whatever you do try - stick with it a few weeks before changing again. This will also lower your changes of having a kitty with an upset tummy. I hope your kitty likes the wet food and it works as well as the dry food did for my little guy

I haven't tried Avoderm dry, but Riley likes the wet chicken

Good luck!

I was going to say something about avocado being toxic because id read many articles saying such but just now another articles says ok for cats and dogs but not for other animals. Not sure what to think now. So many different reports out there saying opposing things on avocado.

Jesse Berden said:

I was going to say something about avocado being toxic because id read many articles saying such but just now another articles says ok for cats and dogs but not for other animals. Not sure what to think now. So many different reports out there saying opposing things on avocado.

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Welcome to TCS
You might want to start a new thread in the Nutrition forum with your questions about avocados. This thread is 5 years old and a lot of the members who posted are no longer active, so I don't know how much attention your question will get here.