I've always thought of cats as being meticulously clean animals. I had a short haired male growing up who always kept himself in immaculate condition. I now have two 10 month old kittens, one male and one female. They are not related, but both have medium long hair. The female is very good with grooming, and keeps her coat in lovely condition. The male, not so much. He does groom regularly, particularly his face and bum, but he's definitely more lax with the grooming than other cats I've owned. For example, he will come in from the garden with all leaves and dirt stuck in his fur, and then go to sleep without cleaning them out first. He will clean them out...eventually....in his own time, when he gets around to it!
He often seems to have a slightly greasy patch of fur on his spine, near his back end. I thought that it might be hormonal, but 2 months after being neutered he still has it. He also occasionally gets small clumps in his fur around the back. I try to brush him most days, but he hates being brushed. I have to bribe him with a box of treats, otherwise he sits under the sofa, where I can't reach him, until the brush goes away. The female, who rarely needs brushing, of course loves being brushed!
So I'm wondering, how clean is your cat? Should I be worried? or is he just a bit lazy? Is this a common issue with longer haired cats?