Question:
My cat is around 8 years old and she is a long haired maine coon type of looking cat. She has been having problems lately with mats. I have been trying to keep up with the grooming but it never ends. She conitnues to get mats. The last time I shampooed her, I brushed and clipped out some mats that were really bad. I noticed she has very dry skin or white dandruff looking type of stuff at skin level. What can I do to help prevent mats as bad as she gets, is it diet, and grooming or is there a product I can buy to help her until it starts to take care of itself.

Answer:
Cats with this type coat cannot really groom themselves thoroughly, and this tends to get worse as the cat ages and becomes not so agile and/or overweight. You need to brush her every day. There is no alternative.

Bathing is probably not helping either, as it strips the oil from the coat and skin. Also you should never bathe a matted animal.

Diet can certainly make a difference in coat, but this problem will never "take care of itself." Does she eat dry food? Canned food - with so much moisture - may help somewhat, but won't eliminate the need for very regular grooming.

There are also oils you can add to the food. Someone else here may be able to tell you what they are.

Answer: