My lost cat is back! But in a sorry state :(

[Oscha]

He went missing for over two months and has just shown up again-I’m completely in shock and delighted! He’s long haired and is very matted, and his fur feels really coarse. (He used to be silky smooth.) He’s also absolutely starving, and while we’re trying to feed him small meals on the advice of the vet who scanned him, he’s positively wolfing them down.

Is there anything we can give him to help his coat? I’m guessing fish would be good? We’ve only ever given him cat food-should we give him actual fish? If so, what type? Any other tips?

It sounds like he hasn't had a good diet and you feeding him some decent food will improve his coat eventually.

I did see a recommendation on here for Salmon oil which is supposed to be good for coats. (Ern gets a type of dandruff occasionally).

I bought it from Amazon and hide it in Lick-e-lix

I’m glad to hear your cat has returned, you must have been worried sick!

I haven’t had one disappear and come back but I did take on a cat who was not in great health, with a matted coat (albeit short hair). I gave her little meals of cat food (actually had to give her cheap stuff as anything decent she didn’t like), tinned tuna (in freshwater not brine) and chicken to get her eating.

As for her coat, I couldn’t brush the matted bits out so carefully cut them off, bit by bit - mostly because she’d scag me if I did too much! It took a few weeks and she looked a bit odd for a while but the hair soon grew back. This may be the easiest way to do it, unless your cat will allow you to bathe him?

Something like this Salmon Oil

oh good that he is back!
sorry I dont know re coat but imagine it will get better as he does.

awww.

How awesome your cat came back. That's great.
Our cat had surgery and lost an awful lot of weight after. We were advised to feed him with wet kitten food twice a day as it's more calorific and a good quality dry food in a separate bowl for him to munch on throughout the day. I also kept an eye out for reduced meat in the shops like minced beef or lamb for him.
However, be prepared for weaning him back to his usual food after. Fussy little bugger turned his nose up at Whiskers.
I have kept up the good quality dry food as he loves that and he gets mince for a weekly treat now.

Thanks so much-we’ll definitely try salmon oil. I’ve cut a couple of low hanging matted bits of fur (he gets fur balls at the best of times but I’m waiting for him to choke on one with the state he’s in at the moment!!) and will do a combination of as much brushing as he’ll allow and trimming where necessary. He’s so thin, it’s breaking my heart 😣

Jozen we have Whiskas dry-do you think that’s high quality enough? He also usually has Felix AGAIL but we also have kittens so I’ll give him some of theirs too!

I meant to say, his coat returned soon enough. He was a bit straggly but as he felt better, he groomed more ( I reckon) and that seemed to help things.

Don't have any further advice for you, but I'm so happy for you that he's home. Hope he's back to his old self soon.

We were recommended Purina or Iams. I stick with Purina now. Unfortunately it is costly but maybe you could mix it in with the Whiskers to eek it out.

Try Harrington's dry food. It has additives to help their coats and joints. Mine were more than happy to eat that. I would second the kitten food. Not every meal, as they can become addicted to it, but once a day for the calories. You may have to cut the worst snags out of the coat, and try a grooming glove, which is gentler than a brush or comb.

I'm glad the cat is back and hope he is soon back to normal.

He should have a check up with your vet as you don't know where he has been and what's happened to him. They will be able to shave the matted fur off as well.

Whiskas is one of the most rubbish quality dry foods. Look for something grain free, high protein. ZooPlus has plenty of options, or brands like Thrive and Arden Grange are available more widely from Pets at Home, Fetch etc.

Salmon oil is great for. It's. Wonderful that you gave him back!

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I have 2 cats so can empathise, no advice on the fur but just wanted to say am so pleased for you that he's home.

Oh what a relief but also what a worry. You do wonder what they get up to. Ours left one August and didn’t return until October- incredibly thin! That was two summers ago and he hasn’t done it since- though he does come home smelling of perfume from time to time, Mr. Lover Lover.

I wonder if they get lost and then one day, they amble into more familiar territory and remember the way home from there.

So glad your kitty’s home!

Mr Lover Lover 🤣

I didn’t know Whiskas was so bad!! Noted. Will find a better alternative for sure.

He saw an emergency vet briefly yesterday to get scanned, and they also quickly checked him for fleas, but I’ll be taking him to our normal vet tomorrow for a proper check up.

Wiskas dry is terrible. Particularly for male cats (linked to bladder blockages). If you want to feed a male cat dry food you should only get good quality - Applaws, Lily's Kitchen, Orijen etc etc.

I would give him wet food for now.

It's wonderful he's back though - forgot to say that!

He usually has both wet and dry. At the moment he looks like he’d eat anything I put in front of him as he’s so hungry, but I’ll definitely get some better quality stuff!

Is Felix AGAIL ok, quality wise?

For wet food you don't really need to worry too much. Felix is fine - there are better but you're not risking his health. It's cheap dry food (and male cats) that should come with a health warning.

Same happened to my cat when she went missing for a couple of months. Fur was very coarse. We took her to the vet for a thorough check, after that, it was just giving her good quality food (I used Royal Canin mixed with wet food). Took a few months to get back to how she used to feel, but it will happen!

So pleased your cat came back; Lily's Kitchen, Applaws dried food the best ones I've found particularly for shiny coats.

Oh how awful and great at the same time! Do you have an idea of where he’s been?

If he is very matted, it might be worth the vet giving him a full trim. We had to do this with a long haired stray, but he was so bad his skin was tearing from the matts. He looked like a little lion for a while though!

I would try a higher meat content one until he gets his weight back up. I fed mine Sainsbury’s So Delicious (?) range for a while and they all got a bit more plump. They also ate less (so I’m guessing they were full for longer) when compared to other lower meat foods. It’s relatively cheap in comparison to some other ‘premium’ brands.

We now feed ours grain free dry food, usually Arden Grange or James Wellbeloved but the applaws one is highly recommended by others. Seen a massive improvement in coat quality and they aren't sick nearly as much as they used to be. Cod liver oil helps coat quality as well.

Our one long haired gets matts, she can't groom properly and won't let us brush her (or touch her at all usually). We trim them out once they have grown away from the skin a little. Pets at home sell various Matt splitters which may help loosen them until you can cut them out properly.