Why wont my cat clean himself anymore?

[RGPargy]

Just wondered if it is normal for a cat to not bother cleaning his coat from a certain age? I've never known this before but it's almost like he's trying to grow dreadlocks or something!! He is a short haired cat but his fur next to his skin is just sitting there and getting matted because he wont clean his coat to get out the loose hairs. I'm having to try and comb the loose hair out but obviously this is irritating him so i'll be buying a cat brush soon in the hope that it wont aggravate him as much.

Has anyone had this experience with a cat before? I'd be interested to know if it was psychological issue or quite a normal thing for a male to get lazy and not bother with his appearance any more (lol).

Get a furminator brush, they're supposed to be fantastic for really matted hair.

Not grooming can be a sign of illness, is he ok in other ways? Still purring and eating well?

Yeah he seems to be ok, although he's had issues over the last 18 months where he had a serious illness and it was nearly curtains for him. I think maybe it's since he was ill that he's not bothered with himself so i do wonder if the trauma of a few hospitalisations has affected him, bless him.

Several reasons are possible the most common being dental issues, weight issues or arthritic problems. I would strongly suggest you get him checked over fully by the vet. You may not be aware of certain things just by looking yourself - eg could still eat just fine but actually have dental pain.
Furminators are fab too, but obviously if there are reasons he is not cleaning it is better to get them dealt with.

Thanx BG. I'll give him a good going over with the furminator and then keep an eye on him to check his cleaning routine (if any). Perhaps a check up down the road would be in order tho.....

Our cat stopped grooming and ended up with matted fur (which had to be shaved off). Turned out she had problems with her teeth and her mouth was too sore.

elvislives - aww bless! Will deffo get it investigated.

good luck! Let us know how he gets on.

Took him to the vets today, much to his disgust and thankfully he was given a clean bill of health, with the exception of him being a little more porky than he should be. All i have to do is get him to lose a kg in a year. She didn't really know why he wasn't cleaning himself and didn't seem overly bothered by it either. shrug Didn't get to Pets at Home today as i was too busy but will send DP over there tomorrow for the brush.

That is good news RGP. Weight issues can stop them being able to groom as well. Did you get advice on how to help diet him - cats are incredibly hard to diet compared to dogs. Let me know if you want any help.

Thanx BG, i was given some advice on what to do and he's got to lose a kg in a year so nothing too drastic (i hope!). We concluded it's all to do with his urinary biscuits that he has. Basically he's been stuffing too many so i'm monitoring more closely what i'm putting down for him now. Hopefully that'll sort it.