My cat has a scab and matted fur on her back. What can I do at home?

Grooming long haired cats can be a difficult endeavor. I can understand your concerns about trimming all of the matted, or tangled, fur off of Cyrus, but these mats can be quite painful. If Cyrus' fur has become matted, it would be best to trim all mats. It is quite common for long haired cats to be groomed in a "lion cut" to avoid these mats. While their appearance isn't quite the same without the fluff, they can still be quite cute with a shorter haircut! Instead of using scissors, consider using electric clippers, as it is much less likely to damage or cut the skin accidentally. The lesion that you noticed on his skin appears to simply be a small, healing scab. If he has numerous scabs, conditions such as flea, environmental, or food allergies are more of a concern.

It looks like a scab might have fallen off. It is common for cats to over-itch this part of their head near the ears when they have ear mites, ear infection, or other sources of itchiness. I would recommend that you have your kitty looked at by a vet so that it can get appropriate treatment to limit further damage caused by itching.

This could be due to Kitty's age. When cats are older, they can groom themselves less effectively than younger cats, sometimes resulting in hair matting, skin odor, and inflammation. It could also be that she has arthritis, making it painful for her to reach around to groom her backside and sides. I would make an appointment for her with a groomer. They can brush out her matts (they may need to be shaved), and get her coat back into a better condition. Then you should brush her daily to prevent further matts from occurring. It's very important to get those matts removed asap, as they will be pulling on her skin and it will be painful for her. I'd also make an appointment with her vet for a health check, geriatric blood panel, and urinalysis just to see if everything is ok health wise for her. The vet can also examine her to see if she has arthritis, and can prescribe pain medications as needed. Please do not give her any human pain medications, many are toxic to cats and are fatal if given. Give a groomer and her vet a call today. I hope this helps!

It is likely this will not heal until all the matting is removed and it is kept open to the air and bathed daily - manuka honey can help with such slow healing wounds. It is possible she may require sedation for a full groom if she is very uncomfortable and a blood test to rule ot any additional complicating factors also

She could have irritated skin and possibly a skin infection from the hair mat. You could clean the area with an antispetic wound cleaner and apply an OTC antibiotic cream and see if that helps. Otherwise, she should be examined by a vet for treatment. She may need an oral antibiotic and anti-inflammatory to treat.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Little Bit. I recommend having her shaved down by a veterinarian or groomer. A veterinarian is a good choice in case in sedation is needed. I hope this information helps!

Poor Charlie! As a starting point, the matted areas will need to be shaved off with clippers - so you can either do this yourself, if you're comfortable, or take him to a veterinarian or groomer to have it done. Once the mats are out, you'll need to either brush him regularly (if he tolerates this), or have him shaved down regularly to prevent him from getting matted again. If this is a new development for him, I would also recommend a vet visit to find out if there might be a reason that he's no longer grooming himself properly. This can happen due to pain, skin issues, or systemic illnesses such as hyperthyroidism or diabetes.