Matted hair on shorthaired cats back

fro9etb8j5qsl2

I've just noticed this evening that one of our cats has a few matted patches on her back We adopted her last year and although she is friendly with people (ie not timid) and very social with our other cat, she doesn't like to be petted or handled at all. She spends most of her days out in the garden half sprawled under the hedge and only comes inside when it's bed time or dinner time I have no idea how she became matted as she is shorthaired and is always cleaning herself Our other cat is semi longhaired and needs to be brushed regularly but because this particular cat hates it so much, we only brush her during the summer when she's moulting. What could have caused the matting and how do I get rid of it? The rest of her coat is lovely and sleek and shiny bar these 3 patches

SillyMangoX

Is she old? Sometimes older cats wouldn't have the mobility to twist around to get at those spots. Also, it could be possibly that she might have some sort of injury in her mouth or trouble with teeth as this would make them reluctant to groom. Might be no harm to get a check up with a vet just to be sure. As for getting rid of the mats, if she will tolerate it you could try just snipping them off with a scissors but if she's adverse to that you could talk to the vet about getting a general anaesthetic to have them shaved off. I know in the past a friend of mine had a cat with thyroid problems and arthritis who would be constantly matted and needed to be brushed every day. He was not happy about it but needs must!

fro9etb8j5qsl2

Thanks SillyMango She doesn't seem injured but she is overweight since we adopted her, she is on a special restricted diet on advice from the vet but has somehow managed to get bigger again in the last month so maybe that is preventing her from cleaning herself. I was hoping a good bath would sort her out (strangely enough she doesn't mind getting bathed at all..... Go figure!) so that we wouldn't have to resort to cutting or shaving?

boomerang

If they're not bothering her, don't shave them or clip them, it's too cold at the moment.

damagegt

My sisters cats used to get this and it was from going under cars and getting oils and what not in theirs coats.Might be worth a look