barn cat with unusual coat matting

[blob99]

I have horses and the barn where I board my horses until very recently had 2 barn cats. One was an older cat (mid 20s), who just passed away a couple of weeks ago and the second is a 2 year old female.

The younger cat, has recently developed some strange matting of her fur towards the second half of her back. The rest of her coat looks clean and shiny, as one would expect from a young cat. But as you get closer to her tail, it looks like fur that is dirty, matted, and possibly falling off as well. I've attached some pictures.

Does anyone have any idea what this might be caused by? It looks like it could be some kind of parasite or fungus. I don't think it's fleas, as the rest of her appears fine and we have not been able to see any flea dust--though it could be! This isn't my cat and she is semi-feral, so some treatment options will be harder than others.

 

[stephanietx]

Is it possible she has an abscess?

 

[blob99]

We scruffed her and felt through the area the other day and the skin underneath felt and looks normal

 

[di and bob]

it could be ringworm, but it would have spread like mad by now and to you too! it looks like a wound more than anything. Like she was attacked from the rear and got her hair pulled out. It could have been a male trying to mate with her. You might treat her with topical anti flea medication, one that would take care of parasites too, like Advatage multi. it kills fleas, mites, and worms. It is a little expensive but cheaper on the internet on PetMeds, etc. Just stroke her if you can, and then quickly apply it high up on her neck almost between her ears and down. if she can twist and lick it if it is applied too low, there is horrible foaming at the mouth and running!

 

[Willowy]

Honestly, I have a couple semi-ferals with the same matting. I suspect they may have dental issues that prevent proper grooming. They're tame enough I can pet them but they aren't willing to let me comb them, look at their teeth, or put them in a carrier, so I can't confirm until I'm ready to trap them and have the vet sedate them. But it's either that or they're suddenly too lazy to groom themselves, which seems unlikely. So once I get that done I'll let you know what it was. . .

 

[blob99]

W Willowy thank you! interesting that you have ones with the same matting. What's interesting is that most of this cat's coat is clean and well maintained it's that one patch

di and bob advantage multi is a good idea! it certainly won't hurt for an outdoor cat!

 

[fionasmom]

I have an indoor only cat, for 10 years now, named Camilla who has a very similar issue to what you describe. I cannot rule out that your cat does not have some other issue, but in Camilla's case, she is a little portly and does not groom herself. She is very unfriendly, probably an indoor feral, and once in a great while I corner her someplace like a walk in closet, put on a jacket and gloves, and use a mat breaker comb to remove the mats. They grow in exactly the same place you describe and the rest of her coat is quite nice tortoiseshell. This time she evidently made a promise to herself that I would not be allowed to do this and so the mats persisted. Finally, they either fell off or she managed to get them off as they are gone now. If you can handle this cat, and if you are sure there is no underlying skin condition or wound, you might try removing them yourself.

 

[blob99]

thanks, fionasmom that's helpful to know! I think i will plan to give her advantage multi, since that can't hurt. And when i grab her to do that, I will also check the skin again to make sure there is no wound I missed. And then can cut out mats

 

[Willowy]

Be super careful if you cut the mats. A cat's skin is thin and gets pulled up into the mat, so it's extremely easy to cut the skin. And that kind of cut tends to be rather gaping and alarming! A better option would be to get an undercoat rake and get the loose ones out with that. It won't get all the mats but because it's coat change time, most of them should be fairly loose.

 

[fionasmom]

I have a Hertzko mat cutting comb for small animals and it works very well. The blades are in a position that if you just comb through the mat it will cut off without getting to the skin. I have even used it under entirely unsuitable condition and never cut anyone with it.