Elderly cat and grooming

Maz

Any ideas about this one would be greatly appreciated!

I have a very elderly short haired cat (he's 22). He hasn't been able to groom himself for quite some time now, probably 'cos he's not as flexible as he used to be. Anyway, he's got a lot of thick clumps of hair, just down one side which he won't let me try and groom. I think because he's not got much flesh on his bones anymore, the area is quite sensitive for him, poor old soul!

Anyone come across this before and how did you deal with it? He seems quite uncomfortable when he tries to lie on that side and I would like to try and make him as comfy as possible, in his old age.

Many thanks.

mirrorimage0

will he let you us the clippers on him to take it off

rita-rabbit

Approach him v gently & give him lots of attention - do not try to brush out the matted fur. Instead cut the clumps as close to the skin as possible, the matted fur becomes hard & will be unconfortable for him to lie on. Just get a pair of scissors or clippers & snip away until they are gone. He may run away & let him but every time you get a chance have a bit of a snip until they have gone. Subsequently cuddle & run baby wipes over him to get rid of excess fur & dirt periodically.

See if you can get him to eat Burns (wet it if he has no/few teeth), if not introduced some oily fish into his diet (human sort has no additional extras).

Maz

Thanks for that, I'll try the scissors on him later today when he's in one of his comas in the sunshine! I have got some pet wipes but he runs away when I try and gently run one over his fur!

What is Burns btw? He has all his teeth still and eats very well. Is the oily fish good for his coat?

rita-rabbit

(Burns) organic pet food
www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk/
I found it gave my older cat a new lease of life - I think additives in alot of other food slows them down eventually. Used tinned fish - I have found over the years that none of my cats appreciated when I cooked it myself, the oily fish is good for EVERYONE'S coat (lol)!

rita-rabbit

one more thing - the skin under the clumps will be v sensitive - so go gently after removing the clumps.

May be worth investing in a baby brush to groom him with in the future - once the clumps have gone & you have got him used to the ocassion wet wipe. Personally I'm quite particular with my two & I use baby wipes every now & again (less than monthly) on them - much cheaper than pet wipes & if it's good enough for babies it's good enough for cats. I wouldn't wet wipe him too often tho & concentrate on the head/bottom/tummy/paws if you are doing it v regularly & baby brush the rest of him mostly.

Maz

Rita, thanks for all your advice, you're obviously experienced in the care of old kitties! The baby brush is a great idea too!