Senior Cat Comfort & Care

Hair loss is part of the normal shedding and aging process. It can also be a sign of more serious issues: poor nutrition, gastrointestinal problems, poor grooming, pain, parasites (fleas), bacterial or fungal infections, hormonal dysfunction, or emotional stress. Your veterinarian can help narrow down possible causes and treatments.

Matted fur is another potential issue as senior cats lose the ability to groom comfortably and spend more time lying down.

These mats can be very painful and cause skin irritation!

Ask your vet if special grooming tools or techniques could help or hurt coat health, such as bathing more or less often, regular brushing, or shaving areas most prone to mats.

Whatever you do, don’t remove mats yourself with scissors. Veterinarians have seen way too many incidents of deep skin cuts. Clippers are safer or get help from a professional groomer or your vet.

Make sure you ask potential groomers about their senior cat-handling techniques and tools. This is not your average grooming, especially if your senior hasn’t been positively exposed to professional grooming in the past.