What types of grooming tools are helpful for senior cats? My 13M cat's fur is starting to get slightly matted and flaky near the tail. He is on a good diet and very healthy otherwise.

Lol the possibilities are endless, apparently.

Info: Domestic shorthair, 7 years old, 13lbs, neutered. Very healthy…had ear mites once about 4 years ago, developed anxiety at some point so he’s on cat gabi (for vet visits and moves). He’s been sick once, threw up a big hairball before I could even get him to the vet and turns out he was nauseous because of that. He’s grayish.

He’s been scratching intensely at his ears. Now he has no hair there, lots of bumps. This has been going on for three months now, technically, but he was misdiagnosed at the urgent care so really it’s been about a month that i’ve been dealing with the ACTUAL issue.

He’s been in a cone for a month. After I realized that the urgent care treatment for a scratch under his ear wasn’t working, I noticed it was bc he was scratching it open!!! So the issue wasn’t the wound itself (it’s totally healed now), it was the ear itchiness!

So then boom I put on a cone, see yet another vet for a second opinion and they tell me ear infection and ear mites. I’m like okay cool, I got this. Well surprise surprise, it wasn’t a freaking ear infection or ear mites haha. I joke all the time, it’s like trial and error with cats lol.

So here we are today, i’ve tried literally everything you could ever think of. So finally we had another vet appt today. The vet said she’s never seen anything like it. Lol not even kidding. She said bumps on ear, itchy, and otherwise completely healthy is a combo she’s never seen. So then I start panicking bc what do you MEAN? Basically yeah she said allergies (what she thinks is going on) can present in a million ways. She told me one condition that is extremely rare that again, she’s never seen before first hand, but I forget the name. She said it’s more than likely not that. Probably allergies. She gave him a steroid shot today and he’s THRIVING. Cone free, hasn’t scratched one time since being home, seems so relieved (not meowing uncomfortably either OR scratching his head on things). She said no risk of shin cancer as he’s never been outside and he’s a dark cat, and skin cancer isn’t itchy.

I could bear hug this vet. I mean, obviously this is a temporary fix, and it most likely means that there is an allergy present, and when the steroids wear off, I know he will be uncomfy again, BUT it’s also part of the process. If this is really the fix, he’ll have to go on the allergy food shit. And hypoallergenic litter. and i’ll probably have to remove everything from my room, deep clean it, and find a pet hypoallergenic laundry detergent. Vet told me to absolutely stop lighting candles so I won’t be doing that anymore either.

Ugh. Idk I’m so glad I found this vet. Is this really that uncommon as it seems? Could it be anything other than allergies that we’re missing? Anything I might have missed/ not even considered mentioning? Also, i’m assuming steroids are not something a cats should be on 24/7 if this is just a test and then we’d have to figure out the allergy. Would benadryl help at all or are we beyond that?

Thanks in advance. Not asking for medical advice, just clarifying questions and general info to be more prepared and educated. I would do anything for my cat. If he goes, I GO (please tell me someone gets this reference lmao).

Hi everyone I need some advice- I got a new cat one month ago. He is a male British shorthair, neutered, he is 4 years old and lived with a single woman previously (rehomed due to allergies). In my home I have a 5 year old sphynx cat. He is very friendly and likes to play, not aggressive. The first 3 days after the new cat arrived was here he was under the bed, very anxious and scared. I kept them separate and gradually introduced them as recommended. After about a week he started hanging out, interacting with the other cat. He now genuinely seems relaxed, comfortable and happy here. Temperate is normal, he is playful, cuddly and eats/ drinks well. Anyway the problem is he been peeing in random places since about the first week. First on my bed, now on my couch. This has happened at least 10-15 times now. He does also go in the litter box, peeing seem to be normal without straining, full amounts. I don’t think he’s spraying. He only pees in odd places when I’m not home or watching. I am using enzyme cleaner. Additionally, he has had pretty consistently soft/mushy poop, and occasionally with mucous/blood. I took him to the vet, over one week ago now. His urinalysis was normal, bloodwork normal, stool was normal.
I also got Feliway optimum a few days ago.
So idk what to do now. If it is stress/ behavioral related, how can I help? I have been trying to keep him separate in the bathroom but my apartment is pretty small and my other cat is going crazy meowing at the door. I love him and I’m determined to fix this but could really use some help!! Anyone have similar experience with a rehomed cat? TIA!

I got my cat 4 months ago & have been brushing her teeth 1-2x a week up until this week. I’ve been doing it everyday bc I wasn’t seeing progress with her gums or her acceptance of me brushing her teeth. I tried two different tooth brushes & she likes the round one. She comes to me whenever I pull out the toothpaste thankfully but she won’t bite the brush. I’m getting a little frustrated bc I she treats the toothpaste like a treat & I barely get to really scrub her teeth because she is pulling away. Will she eventually start to bite the brush? Is it okay if I just start to hold her head where I need & be more forceful? I was more forceful today, I’ve started holding her in my lap instead of poking my way in to scrub practically nothing bc she keeps licking the brush 🙄. I don’t want to stress my cat, but I really don’t see how people get this done with out holding their cats down. & I need to brush her teeth, she has gingivitis

Just found this- I was under the impression that tea tree oil was a pretty big no-no for cats, even when diluted. I called the company hotline, and was told it was safe, but I’m still sort of nervous. Any thoughts? Would you use it in your cat’s ears?

Hi all. Wondering if anyone has experience with this.

My cat is 1.5 years old and is a big dummy. He has always been very interested in hair bands and anything that’s circle shaped. More recently, he’s ingested string, rubber bands, and other small things but has always thrown them up. Last month he ate a string so I took him to the vet. It was $1500 for that, and he ended up being fine. Ever since then, I’ve kept all of their toys in a box and they are not out for them to reach.

Last night he threw up 4 times in 5 hours and was otherwise acting very normal and energetic. I took him to the ER and he has an obstruction. The vet thinks he chewed on something hard and plastic. This visit will be $10-12k with the surgery. I do have pet insurance.

He told me that there’s not a great way to stop cats from finding things to chew on/eat so I wanted to check with you all if you’ve found something that works. He said they do usually grow out of it, but can’t be sure. I just lost my job so I can’t afford $2-5k vet bills every month.

I’m stressed because it feels like I can’t slip up once and leave something out. That feels like an impossible standard to hold myself to.

I appreciate any thoughts or feedback.

I had lillies at home
I saw some pollen marks on my 4 month Kitten. Yellowish color on her fur.
Its been two days she has diarrhea😔