Felix and his matted fur.

My sweet Felix is a lovely short haired, black cat. He's the sweetest kitty. When I first got him his fur was fine but he does not like his back (closer to the tail) being petted. He'll give you a solid smack for it:rolleyes:. The last few months I noticed he's getting really matted fur near the tail. It's the strangest thing. I try brushing them out but I have had to cut them out before.

The thing is the fur gets matted really fast. We drive down to my parents once a month and if we're gone longer than a weekend (auto feeders) his fur gets matted again. I have never heard of this happening on a short haired cat. I have watched him like a hawk and he does not really bathe himself on the back as much as our cat.

I want to take him to the vet but I'm worried I will get a "Ummm brush your cat, Lady" Could it come down to diet? he gets wet food and dry but it's not the best quality. If it's possible that food is the cause I could argue better quality to my penny pinching DH :o

Any suggestions or similar stories? Thanks!

Could it come down to diet? he gets wet food and dry but it's not the best quality. If it's possible that food is the cause I could argue better quality to my penny pinching DH

Food can definitely be a contributing factor. I would feed less dry and maybe add some essential fatty acids to the canned food (salmon or krill oil are good sources). I'm also concerned about the rest of his health, as it really isn't normal for a SH cat to get matted like that. Perhaps a vet visit (with blood work) would be a good idea.