Expert: Tomay - 9/17/2004

Question
My cat Bee is 16 years old - very hard of hearing but nevertheless well except for the knots and fleas which I battle against on a regular basis. She hates being groomed; and the knots are so bad sometimes I have to cut them out with scissors. I would welcome some ideas. She has also, just recently started licking coal from the coal bucket!  Would love to hear from you. (Her sister, same age is short-haired,  but none of the problems!)

Thanks Sandra Vanner

Answer
Older cats can present more of a challenge, as their age can limit some of the things you can do to make them comfortable.  Cutting out any matts should be done VERY VERY carefully, as cat skin is very thin and can cut and tear very easitly.  Put a comb between the matt and the skin before cutting too insure no nicks.  Bee is probably not a good candidate for a professional groom, as she hates being groomed and the stress may be too much for her to bear.  Sedating at the vet would be the next option to just shave off the matts and knots, but again, her age will prevent that.  The flea situation only worsens the matting and knotting situation.  Check with your vet to see if frontline or advantage flea products would be okay to use on a cat Bee's age.  That would take care of the fleas on her.  Then the enviornment MUST be treated to rid the area of fleas, to prevent reinfestation. It is important to take care of the flea problem, as tapeworms are caused soley by fleas, and tapeworms (or any kind of parasite) can be especially dangerous for a cat Bee's age. While you have the vet on the phone, check with him also about her new habit of licking the coal.  This may be an indication of a nutrient of somesort she is lacking.  Hope this is helpful, and good luck with Bee!
Thanx for your inquiry
Tomay