My cat is quite old now, about 14 and for the past week she's started to smell funny. I think it could be coming from her fur.
She has long hair which is usually fairly glossy & soft, but now it feels quite grimey.
As a result of this her fur's starting to get slightly matted.
I do brush her but only with a soft brush as her fur is thick & a fine tooth comb pulls on her fur.
I couldn't bathe her as she'd claw me to death.
What do you recommend?

Hi, Natalie,

Difficult to say what is the cause of your cat's 'sticky coat. It may be dietary - have you changed her diet recently?
She may just have stopoped grooming herself, and needs to be 'kick-started' into doing it.
I think a bath would be necessary - cut her claws first! If you vcannot face it, your vet will have someone on his staff who could bath her for you.

W

I recently took in 2 cats from my sister in law. Before taking them in, I had them taken to the vet so make sure they were healthy and were updated on their shots (as I already had a healthy cat at home I wanted to protect). They both received a good bath and brushing, but one of them seems to give off an odor from his coat. He has somewhat long fur which is very soft. I cannot understand where the odor is coming from ? I thought maybe it was his breath that is transferring to his coat when he cleans himself (although his teeth are in good shape) ? Any suggestions ?

Hi, Lisa,

It may be worth asking your vet to check his anal glands. Problems with these structures ( 'scent glands'- one on each side of the anus) are much less common in cats than in dogs, but they can become infected and produce a very offensive smell.

W

Hello, My cat isn't too old now, I'd say under three years.

Recently he came up with a patch of dry skin on his right side between his neck and leg area, the patch has no fur on it, its just light pink with a few scabs on. He also for a long time now has been smelling quite bad, we have tried bathing him a few times but it doesn't seem to go away. he is a very outdoors cat and so we are under the impression he may have a form of skin cancer which has caused the patch of skin and the weight loss. However there may be another possible explanation to both cases and i hope in you i can find them.

Thankyou

Hi,

Is he neutered?

W

Hello,
my cat is older, and I do bathe him, but lately when he cleans himself, he is making his coat very gross feeling, slightly matted and grimy, I will brush him and then he will go back to work making himself gross..
We did recently change his food, to indoor cat food, less hairballs, more vitamins, as he is skinny, but what causes his tongue enzymes(?) to be soo gross?

Hi

I think you are saying his breath smells and his tongue is sore as well as his matted coat. He's getting older and you say he's thin so I would be concerned about an internal problem such as kidney disease which can cause bad breath and sores in the mouth. I advise he has a check up with a vet to discover the cause of the problems.

Cathy Wickenden BVet Med MRCVS
Barton Lodge Veterinary Centre
1 Midland Road, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 5BH
Tel: 01442 216048 24 hours
[www.bartonlodgevets.co.uk]