A cat’s thick, dense coat, short or long, has as many as 130,000 hairs per square inch. And the cat’s coat is more than just a beautiful adornment.
Cat’s fur offers protection from the elements, provides the cat with information about surroundings and helps in the manufacture of nutrients.
If your cat’s coat is looking a bit dull, not quite what is should be, there can be a few reasons why this happens. Poor diet, being overweight, age-related, illness or disease, allergies, parasites, bathing too often, can all make your cat’s coat look like – well, something the cat dragged in. But a bad hair day (or more) can be reversed.
Your cat should have a complete examination at the veterinarian’s to rule out any illness or disease.
Diet plays a very important part in keeping your cat’s coat in top shape. Perhaps your cat needs a change of food. Be sure to feed a high quality, high protein, low carbohydrate diet. Cats are obligate carnivores and require good sources of protein. If you need to change your cat’s food, do so gradually as quick changes can cause liver disease.
Older cats can suffer from joint pains, arthritis, and can’t reach all parts of their body to clean well. Brushing often and using a fine-tooth comb can clean the coat as well as spread natural oils.
Cats don’t need to be bathed often unless they’ve been rolling around in mud or some other smelly stuff. When you do bathe your cat, use a conditioner made specifically for cats as a rinse.
Cats are generally clean pets and besides making them feel better by caring for their coats, you and they will enjoy the extra attention and bonding time.
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