My cat started paroxetine (Paxil) for an aggression issue about 2 months ago. It’s been working well and we are getting to the point of being able to ween him off which is great. But around the same time he started, I began to see a change in his coat. One of the side effects of the med is decreased grooming, but all of this also played out during winter where I live. So I’m unsure if it’s the med decreasing grooming, the winter weather, or another factor at play. He feels super soft and not greasy at all, he’s a tiny bit dandruff-y but not bad at all, and his skin doesn’t look overly dry or irritated. Eating, drinking, peeing, pooping, and acting normally. No change in diet, and he just had bloodwork done in October and was given a clean bill of health. Does anyone have any experience with this happening to their cats coat? Is it normal?
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Cats fur looks greasy, but feels soft/normal?
- Thread starter vsvpflex
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Winter could explain the dry skin (dandruff), but since the med says grooming might be an issue, I would write it off to that and see what happens once you wean him off. Tbh, his coat looks pretty good even though it has that 'shelf' look which is common with lack of grooming. If you think it should look better, try brushing him - that will help spread the natural oils which should help with the dandruff and the smoothness of his coat.
My cats fur is very very shiny!. Your cat's fur is beautiful !
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He's beautiful and I hope he continues to improve!
Is he shedding? This looks like how my cats always look/looked when they were ready to start a heavy shed. Even my short haired cats will get that separated look when there is an abundance of undercoat ready to come out. If he'll allow, brush him as often as you can and follow up with a medium toothed comb to help catch any extra shedding coat.
Is he shedding? This looks like how my cats always look/looked when they were ready to start a heavy shed. Even my short haired cats will get that separated look when there is an abundance of undercoat ready to come out. If he'll allow, brush him as often as you can and follow up with a medium toothed comb to help catch any extra shedding coat.
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I brushed him for about 30 mins last night with a furminator, and got a sizeable amount of fur off of him. I’m unsure as to when cats start to shed for season. For context I live in Northern Michigan. The coat change began about 1.5-2 months ago and has gradually gotten more separated. Could it be that he is gearing up for a shed? How do you tell?
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- #6
thank you for the reply! It gets so easy caught up in worrying. Pretty much anything you look up online regarding a change in a cats coat instantly says it’s due to health/medical problems so it makes me panic. But he’s exhibiting no other strange behavior, just the change in fur. And I will say, since he started these meds, I have seen him groom far less than normal
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Looking up vague symptoms online can be a blessing, or a curse. (Ask me how I know!
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