Health Problems of Untreated Matted Cat Fur

Self-grooming is not always enough to keep cats with long hair looking their very best. Even small tangles can quickly turn into knots and matts if the tangle is not brushed out. When fur stays matted for too long it can cause health problems for the cat as well as make the cat appear dirty and poorly cared for.

  1. Skin Irritation

    • When hair is left to tangle and becomes matted, the mats can become quite heavy and pull on the cat's skin. Having heavy, thick wads of hair pulling against the skin is uncomfortable for the cat and can cause redness and general skin irritation. Small amounts of matted hair may cause minor irritation but larger, heavier sections of matted hair can cause the cat significant discomfort.

    Chewing

    • If the matting is severe enough, the cat may scratch or chew at the area where the matted fur is located. Chewing and scratching is the cat's method for trying to remove the tangle and sometimes it does work. Other times, the chewing and scratching only serves to damage the skin around and underneath the matted fur, which can lead to further irritation of the skin.

    Infection

    • When the raw, irritated skin underneath the matted fur gets dirty or wet the cat risks having an infection develop. Infections do not typically occur with small areas of mounted fur but an animal who is severely matted and living in a situation where he is unlikely to receive human help with his hygiene is likely to develop infections. Infections are especially common when matted fur is preventing feces and urine from being deposited in the litter box and instead bodily fluids and feces are becoming trapped in the coat. If infections go untreated, the cat may suffer serious illness or even death.

    Other Problems

    • A severely matted cat will have a difficult time getting rid of flea infestations because flea treatments are unlikely to reach fleas that are hiding in the matted fur. Hair loss can also be caused by severely matted fur and the resulting skin damage. In some cases, severely matted cats may suffer from overheating because their tangled coats do not let airflow reach the skin.