Weird clumps in fur

[Almondmum]

I'm a bit baffled by this as it's suddenly come on..

Got a 15 year old cat who has weird clumps/matted bits in her fur. She's a short hair cat but quite fluffy. Never really needed brushing until she's got older and a bit less efficient at grooming herself. She's never had clumps like this though.

There's no obvious substance - it doesn't smell or look discoloured. I've cut a couple out and there's no grass seeds or anything. It's like her fur is suddenly matting together.

I've given her a wash but that didn't really help. I'm brushing her but that's not enough to get it out.

Any ideas of what it could be and how to sort it? I can keep snipping bits out but she'll look very patchy!

My old cat had this.We called it her dreadlocks ! I presumed it was just that she couldn't groom herself as usual.She was 20 years old though !!
I just used to cut the clumps off and give her a good brush

My cat got fat and is now having these, just matted fur.

She's old and less flexible and can't groom herself properly so you need to start taking that job on. Once it gets matted near the roots it's extremely painful.

Forgot to mention, try taking her to a vet as they can give a mild painkiller if she is starting to get arthritis. Totally changes them if its that.

I think it can be a sign of arthritis at that age, they can't bend fully to groom themselves properly. I think the only thing is to cut them out and keep combing with a proper cat comb, our vet recommended one that got through the fur to stop it getting matted.

My cat got these as she was older/unwell. They were around her back legs/hips and I'd gently cut them out when she was sleeping on my knee, then I got more regular with brushing as she was obviously not able to keep on top of it herself. Don't try brushing them out, it will pull the skin and be painful.

My geriatric puffball has got these for the first time, all very close to her skin, rather than further out, which would always tease out without much effort. I reckon it's because she spends so much time sleeping and can't be doing with grooming herself anymore. They feel dry and solid, rather than the natural moisture she's always had before.

She really isn't appreciating the use of a Furminator clump remover/dematter to take them out without risking cutting her as they're so close.

I'm using it incredibly gently and just for a couple of minutes a day, holding her skin so it doesn't drag on her and she's still telling me exactly what a bitch I am. I was worried that it meant she was in pain or I was hurting her, but apparently not. She's too old and fragile to be anaesthetised for shearing, so I'm going to have to stick to doing this very, very gradually.

I'm thinking of adding some more healthy (for cats) oils to her diet to see if that helps her skin and fur condition, as I'd rather not bathe and condition her until after the mats have been cleared.

Thanks all, yes they are quite close to her skin. I'll try buying a different comb or the furminator mentioned previously to see if we can tease them out. She's definitely slowed down a lot too, she doesn't really do much other than sleep and have the odd mooch in the garden.