Healthy cats spend many hours licking and biting at their fur to remove dirt and debris. So, if a cat’s coat is greasy and clumping up, something is wrong. Health concerns, either physical or emotional, will be behind the problem.
An obese or arthritic cat will be physically incapable of grooming, leading to greasy and clumpy fur. Dental pain will also leave a cat unwilling to groom itself. Medical explanations include hyperthyroidism, diabetes, and skin conditions. Also, a lack of self-grooming can be an early symptom of cognitive dysfunction.
An unkempt coat will be unsettling for your cat, so you should assist with its daily grooming. You’ll also need to find out why your cat has oily and clumpy fur so that action can be taken to resolve the issue.
Why Is My Cat’s Hair Oily And Clumping Together?
Greasy and clumpy fur is caused by the natural oils in a cat’s coat. When a cat grooms, it redistributes these oils evenly throughout its fur. This is how cats retain a sleek, elegant appearance.
Cats spend up to 50% of a typical day grooming. Cats groom to retain a neutral scent. This is an instinctive survival behavior. It means that potential predators will not be able to smell a cat. This appeals to a cat’s survival instincts.
If a cat has stopped grooming, check that it is still physically capable of doing so. Even senior cats do not stop grooming by default. Lack of grooming is often a case of cannot, rather than will not.
1/ Obesity
As cats grow older, they naturally become less active. Play is less appealing, and the cat is less interested in exploring and scaling trees. The cat prefers to find a quiet corner and sleep away the day.
This is all part of the aging process, but your senior cat’s BMI must be monitored. If your cat moves less but consumes the same number of calories, weight gain is inevitable.
You will need to moderate a cat’s caloric intake or encourage weight loss. Obesity places pressure on a cat’s heart and joints. In addition, feline diabetes becomes an enhanced risk.
Any overweight cat can develop diabetes. It leads to fluctuations in hormones within a cat’s body, leading to greasy, clumped up fur.
Even if your cat is not diabetic, excessive weight will affect its ability to groom. Grooming is a cardio workout for cats. An overweight cat will quickly grow exhausted and give up.
An overweight cat may also be physically incapable of accessing parts of its body. Healthy cats are nimble, able to contort their bodies into a range of positions. Excess body fat makes this impossible. Hard-to-reach spots of a cat’s fur will become greasy and clumpy.
2/ Arthritis and Joint Pain
Senior cats are always at risk of developing osteoarthritis. This stiffness will leave a cat unwilling or unable to groom.
You may not immediately notice that your cat is arthritic. Cats can be masters of hiding pain and discomfort. If a cat is incapable of walking without limping, it will opt to not move. Showing outward signs of discomfort is seen as weakness by cats.
Limping and lameness are also not the most common symptoms of arthritis. If your cat no longer leaps to and from the sofa and has greasy fur, arthritis is likely to blame.
Arthritis cannot be prevented. Cats place a great deal of pressure on their joints while young and active. This eventually takes its toll on the body, when collagen production naturally slows down. Be careful when managing your cat’s arthritis pain.
Massage your cat’s joints regularly and give it supplements. Provide a soft, warm bed for your cat to relax in, and encourage your cat to keep moving.
3/ Dental Pain
If a cat is experiencing dental pain, it will be reluctant to be grooming itself. Grooming to a cat will be as painful as eating with dental issues.
A cat with dental problems will present with the following symptoms, alongside refusing to groom:
Reluctance to eat or drink
Stained and discolored teeth
Pawing at the mouth
Swelling around the mouth
Black gums
Foul breath
Take action at the first sign of dental pain in a cat. Gum disease will be at the root of the problem. If you capture the condition early, it can be reversed. This stage is known as gingivitis.
Left untreated, gingivitis leads to periodontal disease. This will be a steady degradation of your cat’s teeth that cannot be cured. The best you can hope for is pain management.
A cat with periodontal disease will experience regular flare-ups of discomfort. In such instances, grooming the fur will cease.
4/ Depression
If your cat is withdrawn and refusing to eat, depression is likely. The main warning sign is a lack of grooming. Depressed cats lose all interest in taking care of themselves. Reasons for a cat to become depressed include:
Major lifestyle changes
Missing a former owner or fellow cat
Chronic pain
Boredom
Loneliness
Do not wait for your cat’s depression to pass. There is no way of knowing how long this will take. Enhance your cat’s life with a range of stimuli, and ensure it enjoys a reliable routine.
5/ Skin Conditions
Cats can get fungal infections that attack the skin. These infections will, in turn, damage fur. The two most common are ringworm and seborrhea.
Fungal conditions are most common in outdoor cats. When a cat roams outside, it may meet other, infected felines.
Seborrhea
Also known as seborrheic dermatitis, seborrhea comes in two forms.
Seborrhea sicca leads to dry, flaky skin. Seborrhea oleosa leads to oily, greasy skin. Many cats experience both kinds of seborrhea simultaneously. Alongside greasy fur, cats with seborrhea present with dandruff.
Seborrhea is sometimes hereditary. It can also take hold as a secondary condition, alongside another illness. Treating the primary cause of seborrhea will typically clear up the condition.
In the cases of hereditary seborrhea, there is no permanent solution. You can only manage the issue with topical steroids.
Ringworm
Ringworm is a highly contagious fungal infection. Ringworm causes a number of spherical, dry and flaky rings on the cat’s skin. These are caused by inflammation.
The fungi that cause ringworm symptoms are known as dermatophytes. These fungi feed on the keratin found within a cat’s fur. This makes the fur discolored and greasy. Before long, the hair may fall out in clumps.
Ringworm will resolve itself in time, but it is contagious to cats and humans alike. This means that treatment will be necessary. A vet will diagnose oral antifungal medication and a specialist shampoo.
6/ Parasitic Infestations
Congregations of fleas and mites will adversely affect your cat’s fur. These parasites attach themselves to a cat’s skin, causing irritation.
The cat will bite and scratch at the fur near-constantly, attempting to relieve this itching. This will damage the appearance of fur.
Unfortunately, preventative treatments can also cause greasy and clumping fur. This will be due to the chemicals released by the remedy.
The issue will typically be confined to the shoulders, where the treatment is administered. Switch to a different brand if this occurs.
Parasites can also lead to secondary health concerns. Seborrhea can be caused by flea bites, as well as allergic reactions. This is one of the reasons why it is critical to find a suitable preventative treatment.
7/ Hyperthyroidism
The risk of hyperthyroidism increases as cats grow older. Hyperthyroidism is a glandular disorder. The thyroid gland is located in the back of a cat’s throat. This produces a hormone called thyroxine-a, aka T4.
If your cat is living with hyperthyroidism, thyroxine-a will flood the body. As this hormone is linked to a cat’s metabolism, an excess will cause a range of side effects. These include:
Sudden and inexplicable weight loss
Increased thirst
Bursts of hyperactive energy
Panting
Diarrhea
These symptoms are easily confused with other ailments. This why you should pay attention to greasy or oily fur, which is often the first sign of hyperthyroidism.
If a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism is made, your cat will require lifelong oral medication. Hyperthyroidism itself is not fatal.
This will have a major effect on the quality of life of senior cats. Your cat’s thyroid levels must be regularly monitored.
8/ Poor Diet
A cat that lacks appropriate nutrition in its diet will suffer from poor-quality fur. If your cat’s fur is oily or clumping, check the nutritional value of its food. Common issues include:
Insufficient or low-quality protein
Insufficient or low-quality fats
Food prepared or served at high heat
Excessive carbohydrate content
Age-appropriate food becomes increasingly important when a cat grows older. Senior cats have different nutritional needs. Maintain high-quality protein and keep carbohydrates to a minimum. As obligate carnivores, carbohydrates serve no nutritional purpose to a cat.
Wherever possible, prioritise wet food for a senior cat. Dry foods are lacking in amino acids, as these are found in protein and animal fats. Amino acids are building blocks of hair follicles in cats.
9/ Cognitive Dysfunction
A senior cat may be struggling with its mental faculties. Behaviors that were previously dismissed as just ‘old age’ are now universally recognized as symptoms of cognitive dysfunction.
This form of feline senility starts to manifest from age 10. Cats aged 15 or older may experience a sharp uptake in symptoms.
Feline cognitive dysfunction often presents alongside other conditions. The most common symptoms are missing the litter box and yowling loudly at night.
If your cat has cognitive dysfunction, it will live in a state of regular confusion. The cat will forget basic tasks, including grooming. You will need to lend a hand to your cat. Actively groom with an appropriate brush.
Feline cognitive dysfunction isn’t curable, but its progression can be slowed down. Engage with your cat regularly. The more your senior uses its critical faculties, the more it will remember. Give it more attention and playtime especially in its senior years.
Never write off greasy and clumpy fur as just a cat being lazy. Even the most sedate cat will wish to retain a clean scent and appearance. There is always a reason for a lack of grooming.
If you would like your cat examined by a Lush Pet Care Grooming Specialist, please call or drop us a line on +61 418 760 232 or email info@lushpetcare.com.au
Sydney Australia.
Open 7 days.