My cat's fur is sticky with white specks after cutting mats. Is it serious?

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.

Even if you do not see a problem with the skin, it is likely that Bootz picked up a parasite infection or bacterial or fungal infection from the dog. I suggest you take Bootz for an exam to your veterinarian. Some of those infections can be given on to humans, so don't wait too long. Your vet may want to culture a skin swab or do a skin scraping and look at it under the microscope to help with the diagnosis. Treatment is according to the findings and can include specific medicated shampoos, antibiotics, antifungals or an injection/tablets against mites

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Harley! Sometimes there can be a dermatitis or an infection under the mat of hair. You can clean the raw spot well with warm water and a mild soap, dry it well and then apply a topical triple antibiotic twice daily as long as she can't lick it off. It is never wrong to have Harley looked at by a Vet. She may need antibiotics, with out seeing her or a picture I couldn't say. But if you want to try the above first since she feels fine then I think that is ok. I hope this helps and I wish you and Harley the best!

These dark specs are essentially embedded dirt. This stuff is difficult to remove, but will eventually return to normal with regular bathing and a few weeks of time. This is generally not concerning, and there's no signs of infection or irritation, but this can indicate a flea infestation, so it's good to check her carefully for any signs of fleas. Below is a helpful article about fleas. https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-get-rid-of-fleas/ For now, I recommend bathing her with a cat shampoo once every week for the next four weeks. The skin should look normal again after a month. I hope that helps and all is well with Theadora.

If her hair is matted then she will need to have the hair trimmed with a pair of clippers. She could develop a skin infection if the matted hair is against her skin. You could also bathe her and see if that helps.

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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. As long as there is not redness or irritated skin where the mat was, then it may not need any more attention. However even if she is grooming herself, brushing her daily or several times weekly can help to prevent matting in the future.