Matted Fur

Hi ,

my youngest cat, Nelix, is a black and white domestic short haired moggy and he's almost 3 years old. We've had him since he was a kitten.

During the last few weeks, I have noticed that his fur is getting matted in some areas on his chest and his sides. I have brushed him weekly since we've had him using a proper cat comb.

At first, I just thought it was because he was losing his summer coat and his winter coat was coming through but now I'm not sure.

Could it be something to do with his diet? He is healthy and is eating well. I don't want to start trying to brush out the matted areas in case it hurts him . He's never had this problem with his fur before.

Can anyone suggest why this has happened?

Many thanks
Jayne XX

Brushing out the mats will be uncomfortable, but they do need dealing with - imagine how painful it must be if your hair mats so it is pulling your skin!! You might want to see if the vet thinks they are bad enough for him to need shaving - my vet just brushed my cats out for me. My male cat had this prob, I changed his food to one that had a higher meat content and also gave him a supplement of lecithin and brewers yeast, and after a few weeks, his fur finally started to feel normal. He still doesn't like being brushed though, even though I was just doing a little bit every day, and giving him a treat afterwards. What kind of brush do you have? I found using a stainless steel comb and trying to hold the mat as much as poss (while brushing the mat backwards) seemed the easiest way to deal with them