Cat hair/fur knots

[Tom M]

Recently my black cat has hair knots forming around his hips. The hair cannot be combed out as the knots are very dense. The hair is growing out grey. The cat is about 3 years old. Any clues as to the cause or remedy?

[Traci]

Is he indoors only?

What are you feeding him?

Is he overweight?

When was he last examined by your vet? I'd suggest a vet visit to rule out illness/pain/overweight/etc....your vet can try to brush out the mats or shave them.

[Tambrey]

is he overweight and possibly not able to groom himself properly?

Otherwise, I have a longhaired cat that gets clumps in odd places as well...mostly where his feet rub when he walks or his hips rub when he sits and lays down...

I got a seam ripper from the sewing department at WalMart...make sure you KEEP the protective rubber tip on the sharp part of the ripper, then gently slide the seam ripper between the matted fur and his body and the matte will slice right off with no chance of cutting the skin...

[Tom M]

He is an indoor cat only. His diet is dry food. he does not like any canned food, odd isn't it. Our other cat is at my feet the instant the can hits the counter top. I would not say he is overweight such that he can't "reach around" as he's able to groom his rear end.

[Traci]

What is the name and brand of the dry food?

[Tom M]

The dry food is Meow Mix Original.

[Traci]

Can you try to get him on a higher quality diet, such as Hill's, Iams, Eukanuba etc. The MeowMix is a lesser-quality food, and may not have an appropriate essential fatty acids composition to maintain skin and coat.

When was he last checked by your vet? If not within the last year, get him in promptly for a complete exam.

[Tom M]

Traci, thanks for your help. I'll take your advice and see what happens.

[MonaJ]

I agree and do not recommend Meow Mix, it has a lot of filler in it.

Try Purina One Natural, Iams or Nutro. They make a canned Science Diet for hairballs, which works wonderfully to eliminate the hair in the system. I give it to my girls in the am just a couple of tablespoons, along with Laxatone.

Mona