Short haired cat has fur balls:(

Ok this is my first time on here) So if I do something wrong Please forgive)
I have a 5 year old short hair cat. His name is Max. I brush him on a regular basis. In the last month he has been geetting balls of matted hair on the top of his back along the spine. Poor thing I am having to chase him all over the livingroom today to brush him( Anyway, He has never had these ever. I and my husband are concerned there is a problem. Anyone suggest anything?

Hi Greg,

I am going to move this to care and grooming.

Geg, Is Max overweight? Sometimes even short hair cats who are overweight don't groom properly and they get mats. The other issue may be a health one. Sometimes when they arent feeling well, or have mouth problems, they stop grooming as much. If neither are the case, you can try supplimenting his diet with some Omega 3 fatty acids. They make it in several forms that you can add to his food. Most are combined with fish oils, which help the coat.

I agree with the last poster re: oil supplement... when I put my cats on weight control food, their fur really went downhill, and Winnie, my lazy groomer, got all matted even though she's a short-hair. Since they weren't losing any weight, I put them back on regular food (with more fat/oil) and their fur perked right up and no problems since...