Why Is My Cat’s Fur Matted on His Back? 10 Vet-Reviewed Reasons

The station Why Is My Cat’s Fur Matted connected His Back? 10 Vet-Reviewed Reasons by Misty Layne appeared archetypal connected Catster. Copying implicit full articles infringes connected copyright laws. You whitethorn not beryllium alert of it, but each of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, truthful they aren't considered nationalist domain. However, we admit that you similar the nonfiction and would emotion it if you continued sharing conscionable the archetypal paragraph of an article, past linking retired to the remainder of the portion connected Catster.com.

Our feline friends walk a bully magnitude of their clip grooming themselves, but adjacent with each that enactment and attention, they occasionally get mats successful their fur. This is particularly existent erstwhile it comes to the back, arsenic matted fur on the spine is reasonably common. But wherefore does your cat’s fur get matted connected their back?

The fur of a cat’s backmost tin get matted for assorted reasons, which we’ll look astatine successful item below. We’ll besides stock wherefore matted fur is atrocious for your feline and what you should bash to assistance them, truthful support reading!

The 10 Reasons That Your Cat’s Hair is Matted connected His Back

1. Difficulty Grooming the Back

For immoderate felines, the contented is that they simply can’t groom their backs precise well. After all, the backmost is simply a hard country for immoderate feline to reach, and if determination isn’t different feline astir to assistance them groom that area, they tin easy make mats. Difficulty grooming the backmost is simply a much important contented successful cats who are overweight, arsenic they whitethorn conscionable person excessively overmuch wide to scope astir to get to that portion of the body. Matted fur connected the backmost tin besides beryllium much apt to hap successful felines experiencing symptom that stops them from bending their spine to scope the back.

If you’ve noticed that your feline seems to beryllium struggling with reaching their backmost for grooming, ascertain whether they’re showing immoderate signs of being successful symptom oregon if they mightiness beryllium a small chunky. Take them to the vet if you judge they’re hurting, and if your feline is overweight, talk to your vet astir however to assistance them shed a fewer pounds.

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2. Age

As cats age, they often suffer immoderate flexibility, making it much challenging to scope their backmost to groom. So, if your feline is getting up determination successful years, there’s a bully accidental this is wherefore the fur on their backmost has gotten matted. While it’s ever important to brushwood your feline (particularly if they person longer fur), it’s captious to bash truthful erstwhile your feline reaches an property wherever they can’t groom arsenic overmuch of themselves owed to being little flexible.

3. Doesn’t Groom Often

Another crushed the fur on the backmost tin get matted is that immoderate cats conscionable don’t groom themselves arsenic frequently. While this could beryllium owed to your feline being a small lazier than different felines successful this area, it could besides stem from immoderate benignant of oral problem. Dental disease, stomatitis, oral tumors, oregon a chopped oregon sore successful their rima whitethorn marque it truthful they won’t privation to groom themselves. If your feline has ever been a small lax successful the grooming area, it conscionable means you’ll request to brushwood them much often. But if your feline formerly enjoyed grooming but doesn’t groom often now, it could beryllium owed to an contented with their mouth.

Oral problems aside, a feline that isn’t feeling good for immoderate crushed whitethorn not groom themselves arsenic much. So, if your kitty is showing immoderate signs of illness, specified arsenic not eating, a alteration successful behaviour oregon litter container habits, a alteration successful h2o consumption, oregon thing other that seems off, spot your vet.

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4. Friction

Cats are perpetually rubbing up against stuff—your legs, furniture, blankets, feline trees, and more. All that rubbing against things equals friction, which tin marque it much apt for fur to get knotted, tangled, and matted. So, if your kitty is fond of rubbing their backmost connected things oregon enjoys rolling astir connected carpets, this could beryllium wherefore the fur is matted connected their back.

5. Long Hair

Cats with agelong hairsbreadth are gorgeous, but each that hairsbreadth makes them much apt to make mats. Whether they conscionable person an overabundance of fur oregon a heavy undercoat, longhaired feline breeds are much prone to mats, which could amusement up connected their backs. If you person a longhaired feline, it’s captious that you brushwood them regularly to forestall mats from happening!

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6. Shedding

All cats shed. However, if a cat’s escaped hairsbreadth isn’t regularly removed from the remainder of their haircoat, it tin summation the chances of matting. Again, this is particularly existent for longhaired kitties due to the fact that their lengthy locks are much apt to tangle.

7. Humidity

Interestingly, humidity tin besides origin a feline’s hairsbreadth to mat connected the backmost and successful different areas. So, if you unrecorded successful a peculiarly humid portion of the state oregon your feline is often extracurricular erstwhile humidity hits, this could beryllium causing their mats.

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8. Foreign Objects

This crushed is likelier for cats who walk clip outdoors, but overseas objects tin get tangled up successful the fur and pb to matting. This could beryllium anything, but the objects astir prone to tangling see sticky substances, burrs, and twigs. Of course, overseas objects tin get lodged successful the hairsbreadth of indoor felines, too, but if your favored is moving astir successful the backyard, they tally a bigger hazard of getting thing caught successful their fur.

9. Skin Conditions

Has your feline been dealing with tegument allergies, dermatitis, oregon different tegument condition? If so, this could beryllium wherefore their fur is matted connected their back. Skin conditions specified arsenic these tin origin irritation and itchiness, which pb to excessive licking, scratching, and biting astatine the affected area. These behaviors tin origin fur to go matted if they spell connected for excessively long.

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10. Stress

It whitethorn look unusual to deliberation of our pets getting stressed, but they do. For cats, accent tin beryllium caused by important beingness changes, specified arsenic a caller babe successful the home, moving, oregon the decease of different pet. If your cat is experiencing stress, they could beryllium grooming excessively oregon not astatine all. This could pb to the fur connected their backmost becoming matted. If your feline is stressed, they whitethorn besides amusement signs similar deficiency of appetite and predominant hiding. You tin effort to assistance your favored with their accent oregon speech with your vet if it seems similar what you’re doing isn’t helping.

Why Is Matted Fur Bad for Cats?

A fewer tiny mats present and determination whitethorn not look similar a large deal, but matted fur is often uncomfortable for felines. Plus, if the fur gets incredibly matted oregon ample areas are matted, the mats could origin symptom for your pet. Worse than that, mats successful a cat’s fur halt the tegument underneath the mats from receiving caller air, truthful tegument tin get hot, dry, itchy, flaky, oregon adjacent infected. And there’s more—matted fur is the cleanable spot for parasites similar fleas and ticks to hide; your feline mightiness person these connected them, and you’d ne'er adjacent know.

Keeping your kitty’s fur arsenic mat-free arsenic imaginable is captious to their wellness and well-being!

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How Can I Help My Cat With Their Mats?

If your cat’s fur is matted connected the back, you tin assistance them retired a mates of antithetic ways depending connected the size and severity of the mats.

If the mats are small, you tin usage a metallic mat comb to effort to enactment them retired (gently!) Hold the matted fur adjacent to the tegument portion you comb with abbreviated strokes to alteration pulling connected the skin. You whitethorn besides privation to effort an oil-based detangler connected your pet’s mats.

If mats are large, the comb astir apt won’t enactment connected them. Instead, you tin effort pulling them isolated (again gently!) with your fingers. If that doesn’t work, the mats volition request to beryllium chopped out. Unless you’re experienced successful grooming, you bash not privation to chopped a mat retired yourself. Feline tegument is incredibly delicate and tin easy beryllium chopped oregon nicked. Instead, take your favored to a groomer oregon your vet to person mats removed.

And if you privation to forestall mats connected your cat’s back, brushwood them regularly! Not lone volition this marque kitty consciousness better, but it besides offers the 2 of you an fantabulous accidental to bond.

Conclusion

Cats tin make mats successful the fur connected their backmost for respective reasons. This tin hap erstwhile a feline ages and loses flexibility, has an contented with their mouth, isn’t feeling well, is stressed, and more. You tin assistance forestall mats connected your cat’s backmost by brushing them regularly, but if the feline already has mats, you tin effort mildly detangling them with a comb oregon your fingers. If this doesn’t work, the mats volition request to beryllium chopped out.

Featured Image Credit: Pezibear, Pixabay

The station Why Is My Cat’s Fur Matted connected His Back? 10 Vet-Reviewed Reasons by Misty Layne appeared archetypal connected Catster. Copying implicit full articles infringes connected copyright laws. You whitethorn not beryllium alert of it, but each of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, truthful they aren't considered nationalist domain. However, we admit that you similar the nonfiction and would emotion it if you continued sharing conscionable the archetypal paragraph of an article, past linking retired to the remainder of the portion connected Catster.com.