Cat not grooming self properly

[Teeko]

I have a 3-year old long haired cat named Tufty. He is an extremely affectionate docile fellow. I have since adopted another rescue cat that was semi-feral and has since been tamed to a certain degree and a lovely little Shih Tzu. Although Tufty tolerates the other cat (Bart), he does not really want much to do with him.

Since I got the dog, he spends most of his time sleeping on my bed. He stopped grooming himself and his fur became very matted so I had to take him to the groomers twice before someone told me I should be using a comb rather than a brush.

Also, his poop is dry and often becomes caught in his hair which is also dry. I feed him Royal Canin Special 33. I've also tried him on their regular adult food and the one for skin and coat. Nothing seems to improve the condition of his fur. The other cat's fur is beautiful and healthy. I've taken Tufty to two vets and they both told me he's ok. Any ideas what's causing this?

[Love4himies]

The first thing I would do is change his food. That food is really NOT good for your kitty.

Here are the ingredients:

Ingredients: Chicken meal, corn gluten meal, chicken fat, rice, corn, natural chicken flavor, chicken, brown rice, wheat gluten, dried brewers yeast, dried beet pulp (sugar removed),
.

Look at the first 5 ingredients and ask yourself if that is what a carnivore should be eating?? Your cat is probably chronically dehydrated. I think you will find if you change your cat's food to one that is nutritious and meets a cats needs, you will find him more active, less shedding/matting, and less health issues .

For comparison here are the ingredients of a quality canned:

Go:
Chicken, turkey, chicken broth, chicken liver, turkey liver, turkey broth, duck, salmon, dried egg, carrots, peas, sweet potatoes,

Nature's Variety:

Chicken, Turkey, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Ground Flaxseeds, Montmorillonite Clay, Eggs, Peas


Here are some great websites: This one is written by a vet.

http://www.catinfo.org/

This one gets into the technical side of cat nutrition and will give you a full understanding of a cat's needs.

http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm

A short and sweet one:

http://www.cathealth.com/digestive.htm

Sooo, here are some very good foods (canned only of course so he can get his fluids)

Wellness, grain free:

http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/produ...completehealth

Nature's Variety Instinct:
http://www.naturesvariety.com/Instinct/cat/can/all

Organics by Nature:

http://www.bynaturepetfoods.com/prod...nnedcat.php#tc

And Now by peturcan

http://www.petcurean.com/index.php?page_id=155

Soooo, in saying all this, I think if you change your cat's food, then you will eliminate your problems .

[catlover2]

Mats can cause a cat pain, particularly if they are pulling and next to the skin. This would be enough for your cat to stop grooming.
You should also trim his fur away at least 1 in. in diameter from around his anus. Blunt-nose moustache scissors or bandage scissors do a good job. This will prevent poop getting tangled in his breeches.
Any good canned food is better than dry kibble. He will have better coat condition on canned food, such as "Wellness" brand, or a better quality no-grain kibble (no corn, rice beet pulp, wheat, soy), such as Evo, and likely better energy as well. They will cost a little more, but you will find you'll actually feed less to maintain a proper weight.

[14+kitties]

What tests were run so you could know your cat was "ok"? How was the dog introduced to the cats?