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Oily tail syndrome?
In a few weeks, I will be taking one of my daughter's cats. Bailey has what I can only call "mats" from the base of his tail half-way up his back. Her other male cat had this as well, but once cut out, they haven't come back. My male, Izzie, has never had this and I am not sure what to do. Bailey is semi-feral and not a cat who is easily handled. I'd be afraid to try to cut these large, stiff pieces of fur off him. Do I take a chance of alienating my own groomer and take him in? I'm not even sure I can brush him and DH would never help me hold him. And, what if it comes back? Is there a treatment for this? What do you think it is? Is it a "man thing"? Thanks!
Asked by
Izadore (Izzie)
on Jul 8th 2011
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in Grooming
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Answers
Maggie gets those but I think it is just because she is overweight and can not reach that area to groom herself. They are greasy too. Hers usually comb out fairly easily though and I rarely have to cut them. My girls are all easy to handle except Chelsea. With her I just sneak up on her and trim mats one at a time when she is not paying attention. My vet's office does grooming but for Chelsea they would have required IV sedation because she is nuts. I have a bloody gardening glove out back right now from when I attempted to groom her last week which proves you just don't mess with Chelsea, even with gloves on. Just don't worry about taking on Bailey's issues all at once and give yourself time to work on his hairdo after he gets more used to having a new "hands-on" Mom.
Allie
answered on 7/8/11.
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The other poster is right that sometimes this happens if cats can't groom that area for some reason. Usually the cause is either they are obese or have arthritis.
It may also be "stud tail" which is common in unneutered/recently neutered adult males. There is a gland at the base of the tail that produces a waxy/greasy substance that can cause spiky fur and matting on the tail and lower back. If Baily hasn't been fixed getting that done will help resolve this.
I'd take him to your vet as they will have experience dealing with aggressive/uncooperative cats. Since he only needs his back shaving and it doesn't have to look perfect they'll probably be able to do it without putting him under. The vet will also be able to tell you what they think the cause is and any treatment that will help.
If he will let you stroke/pet him you can get grooming mits that would be a good way to help him groom without having to use a brush or comb.
Freckles (1993-2011)
answered on 7/8/11.
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The small of the back and upper tail are an interesting area for a lot of animals.
Watch Bailey closely and see if he can groom this area himself. If he can, see how he handles it. If it seems like he's having trouble or doesn't really want to mess with it, then it's probably the "wax tail" bit.
Farah, one of my cats, had trouble with oily fur at the small of her back for a while and a quick stripe with a razor cleared up the matting real quick but we had to use skin conditioning shampoo on her to fix the problem because her skin was producing too much oil to overcompensate for being dry. The problem is solved now but she was even pulling out her fur before we got it handled!
See if there are any other dry patches on Bailey. Maybe you can use one of those spray-on conditioners for cats since you said he doesn't handle well.
If none of this seems right for you and Bailey, you should probably Bailey to the vet once he calms down and gets used to his new mom and home.
Toby
answered on 7/9/11.
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