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My Cats Fur Looks Separated (Now What?)

If you have noticed separated fur on your cat, you may be looking for a solution to get rid of it (Click here for my best cat grooming combs to help this) and to understand why it’s happening.

How do I get rid of my cat’s separated fur? The best way to get rid of separated fur is to help your cat by grooming their fur. This is typically done by using a cat comb and it is also a good idea to consider shampooing their fur on occasion.

Later on, in this article, I will give you some advice on how you can groom their fur (Click here to see why I rate this comb so highly), such as de-matting it and other useful techniques.

What does healthy cat fur actually look like?

So by now, you understood how to help to get rid of your cat’s separated fur. But, how do you actually know when you’ve done a good job, and your cat is looking in good shape?

Ideally, your cat’s fur should be shiny and smooth looking. It should have a coarse texture without being brittle, are you with me? It is quite hard to describe this, but once you see it you’ll know what I mean.

As for the skin…

Their skin should be smooth without looking flaky. if you see flaky skin it could be an indication that it could be dandruff or it’s getting dried out. Also, their skin should not be too greasy and without bumps on it. If you can see greasy skin this could be an issue, but more on this later.

How do you get rid of mats in your cat’s fur?

If you notice that your cat’s hair is matted (or clumped-up) then this is a big problem, if you do not get on top of it. This is typically seen in long-haired cats who have fur which is typically hard to manage. This is usually avoided by preventing it in the first instance, such as using a wall grooming brush (Click here to see what I mean and why this is the best one).

Using a simple de-matting comb (Click here for my best choice) and some effort you can help to de-matt your cat’s fur. This is so that it doesn’t have big unsightly mats of fur that it can’t deal with.

Make sure you use gloves

But, before you even think of de-matting their fur, you need to make sure that you put on some heavy-duty gloves.

Why?

This is because your cat is likely to put up some serious resistance when you start combing those difficult and painful mats out of her fur.

Think of it this way, if you had really long hair with knots in it, and someone attempted to aggressively comb them out, wouldn’t you be apprehensive? Let’s be honest, it would be quite painful. And, chances are, you would put up resistance yourself, right? So, be mindful of this.

Adult Cats, without experience, can be hard work…

This resistance is even harsher if it is an adult cat, that has never been de-matted or combed before, as you can imagine.

Therefore, if you find this to be overly difficult, and you find that your cat is getting quite vicious. You need to stop, give it a break and then maybe try again at a later date, are you with me?

If all fails, get a professional groomer

If you find that even after you’ve given it a break and attempted to do it again, your cat is still not enjoying it, or shall I say not co-operating, because in hindsight they never really will enjoy it.

Then you need to think about getting a professional groomer involved. This is because they have the experience and knowledge of how to do this without injuring your cat or aggravating you in the process.

Why is my cat under-grooming?

If you notice that your cat is not grooming properly, it is a very good chance that it is connected to some health-related problems. The challenge is finding out which particular problem it has.

To give you an indication of what is possible, I’m going to list a few of these potential problems and then provide detail about them.

• Arthritis
• Old age
• Injured
• Dental issues
• Obesity

Arthritis and old age.

Arthritis and old age typically go hand in hand. As your cat gets older they will find it harder to do basic tasks such as grooming themselves.

As you may know, arthritis causes serious joint problems in your cat. And, can make grooming a painful exercise. Therefore, you could find that she is not grooming properly because she is in pain.

Injured

If your cat has been injured in some way she may not groom herself properly, which could cause problems. This is simply because basic grooming techniques are going to cause problems and aggravate the injury.

Therefore, it is a good idea to consult your vet to understand exactly what the injury is. Especially if it’s not obvious.

Dental problems

As you probably know, cats use their mouth (and tongue) to groom themself. And, therefore any dental related problems is likely to cause them to stop grooming.

Sometimes these issues are quite obvious. However, there are occasions where it’s quite hard to see or your cat is keeping it to itself.

The best thing to do is to consult your vet to understand exactly what the issue is. Because in some cases it could be a simple fix. And, in some cases, it could be fixed and get them back to grooming again.

Obesity

If your cat has gradually become overweight, to the point of obesity. This could be causing her to stop grooming. Believe it or not, if she doesn’t look after her weight it can affect her doing basic things like grooming.

What about if your cat is over-grooming?

Overgrooming, as you can imagine, is the opposite of under grooming. It is when your cat is grooming himself to the point of injury. This will be quite obvious because you’ll see skin irritation, patches or other obvious signs.

Usually, this is to do with some kind of parasites or irritation that has occurred in their skin. And, they are overcompensating by continuously biting, nibbling or excessively licking the infected area.

The best way to deal with this is to consult your vet to understand exactly what the issue is. This will help to see what can be done to get rid of the root cause of the problem. Rather than just dealing with the symptoms, are you with me?

If it is a flea problem they may give you a good flea shampoo (Click here to see my best fleas shampoo) which can help to get rid of it. But, either way, your vet will have some good advice on this.

Greasy or Clumpy fur

If you notice that your cat seems to have greasy or clumpy fur. This again could be due to some physical problems. The best thing to do is to consult your vet to understand what the issue is.

But, in the meantime, you can intervene by lending a hand with grooming by using a wide-toothed comb to clear up some of the greasy or clumpy areas of the fur.

Why does my cat only have fur issues at specific times of the year?

If you have noticed that your cat only seems to have fur issues it may be due to the season and their skin. For example, in dry cold winters, some cats have issues with the lack of humidity. Which can cause their skin to get dry and irritated.

Other examples are allergies to pollen. So, this may flare-up in the spring season due to the increase of pollen in the air. The confusing thing is, each cat is different. So, your cat’s issue could be the opposite of another.

Why does my cat groom itself excessively?

A cat may appear to groom itself excessively because of fleas or parasites. This can cause irritation and drive your cat to keep licking or biting at its fur.

If you fear this could be the reason there are many flea products on the market. But, understand it’s not an overnight fix. And, if you have concerns it’s not fleas, then consult your vet to check.

Can a humidifier help my cats fur?

A humidifier can help with your cats fur. This is applicable if its skin is getting dry in your home. This can happen in certain seasons, such as the winter. The humidifier will help to ad moisture in the air to help your cat.

Although the skin is the root cause, it can affect the appearance of the fur. So, if you deal with the skin issue, it should help the fur long term.

Why is my cats fur looking separated near its bum?

If you have noticed that your cats fur looks separated near its bum this could be because this hair can sometimes be a more loose hair, known as the undercoat. If it is not groomed well it can cause it to clump up or look separated.

Other cat owners have seen some success with using a cat brush, such as a Furminator, to keep this fur tidy and in order.

Why is my cat’s fur changing?

Your cats fur could be changing due to its age. For example, an older cats fur could gradually become lighter or gray. This can be from the sunlight over time and age in general.

A kitten, on the other hand, may find that its fur gets darker as it age, depending on its original fur color and age.

Related Questions:

In this section, I am going to answer some questions related to cats and fur. If you have some other related questions that you need answering, please feel free to drop a comment below.

Q: How often should I bathe my cat?

As you know bathing your cat is sometimes required (Click here for the full article). Not all cat owners do this because cats are quite good at grooming themselves. And, in some cases, you can get away without doing it.

However, there are situations where this is necessary and some cat owners do this on a regular basis regardless.

To cut a long story short, you shouldn’t bathe them too regularly and anything less than every 4 to 6-weeks I would suggest is not a good idea.

Q: How does their diet impact their skin and fur?

Like us humans, cats rely on their food intake to regulate how the body functions.

Therefore, the right level of protein (Click here if your cat has drunk your protein shake), carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals is needed to maintain a healthy-looking coat and skin.

The challenge with this is these things are not instantly noticeable. And therefore, a lack of one particular macronutrient is not instantly noticeable, but, can cause deficiencies at a later date. Therefore, it is important to monitor this.