Diabetic cat developing mats in fur

[SarahKaye12]

Morris is 15 years old and has had diabetes for a couple of years. Over the last few months, he has developed mats all over his back, and he never has had them before. Could this be a sign of anything to do with the diabetes?

 

[Wendy&Tiggy(GA)]

Do you test his blood at home? If he isn't feeling well he may not be cleaning himself as well. Or it could be arthritis making him too stiff to reach.

Time for a quick vet check up..

 

[BJM]

Sometimes you have to help out older animals. Get a mat cutter for a small dog. It looks like a comb with thicker curved teeth. On the inside of the curve, the edge is sharp and cuts through the mats.

Take a section of fur between a couple of fingers and beginning at the outer edge, start combing through. Always keep your fingers between the skin and the mat cutter.

 

[badams]

You can get spray on hair detangler for babies, and spray that on the mat before you try to comb it out, and it helps, too.

 

[Deb & Wink]

Is the fur kind of dry looking? greasy looking? or shiny and silky?

Plenty of water in your cats diet?

Dry food or wet being fed?

Wink had awful matted, dry fur when he was unregulated. He did not feel well enough to groom himself, especially around his hip area. Once he started eating wet food instead of dry, he perked up, started pulling the mats out with his teeth, stopped have frequent UTI's and his fur is now shiny and silky.

I think the increased water content in the canned food made a major difference in how he felt.