WRITTEN ON December 26th, 2008 BY admin AND STORED IN Cats
Tags: Black Hair, Cat 5, Groomer
She is 5 years old, healthy, and has not been spayed. But never goes outside. She has long black hair and has stopped cleaning herself. She is getting knots in her hair and I am trying to help comb her, but she does not like it. I have thought about taking her to a groomer but she is very unsocialable, and can be a real snot.
5 Responses to “Why has my cat quit grooming itself?”
tropi_kay wrote on December 26th, 2008 11:28 pm :
i dont think there is much you can do here. she may return to her normal self soon enough. is she still as active as she used to be?
Kim R wrote on December 29th, 2008 4:31 am :
Make an appointment with your vet. This almost always a sign of illness. Cats are meticulous about keeping themselves clean. When they don’t feel well they will stop taking care of themselves. I also have a long haired cat and have to help him out especially on his chest area by trimming matts out. But unlike yours mine doesn’t mind a little help from me.
Baba Yaga wrote on December 30th, 2008 7:10 pm :
A cat that has stopped grooming itself is sick and should be seen by the vet. Be sure to tell the vet about any other changes in the cat’s behavior, such as eating, drinking, using the litter box, walking, socializing, etc. I had a cat who did that and was diagnosed with a brain tumor and had to be put down. Run, don’t walk, to the vet. Good luck.
slythyr wrote on January 2nd, 2009 3:47 pm :
Can be several reasons.
Sometimes cats that have long hair have a problem with furballs.
Very big furballs can block the digestive system, and stick, unable to come out.
I think when that happens they typically stop grooming themselves. How has her eating been? Does she have an appetite, has she thrown up recently?
Feel her stomach area if you feel any sort of hardness.
I hope this is not the case, it is very serious. Sometimes with heavy intestinal blockage, surgery is needed.
I don’t want to worry you, but that is what it sounds like to me. You need to get her to a vet.
I can’t be sure though. It can be a number of reasons, sicknesses. It can be stress.
Cats can stress out about things we think insignificant; the moving of furniture, (even if we change our deodorant, we have a different scent)
A new cat in the neighbourhood, whose scent can be caught onthe wind.
A regular visitor at your house that she is not used to, especially if you give them a lot of interest, (romantic interest?)
Many things can stress your cat out.
Think about anything that could have stressed your cat out.
Also, think of any other changes you may have noticed in her behaviour.
But, you definitely need to take her to a vet.
It’s usually a sign they’re ill or have some sort of medical problem. It’s reason enough to visit a vet, never a good sign for a cat.