On weekends I work as a pet-sitter, and one of the regular pets I visit is a very old cat (whom I'll call Mr. B). This cat is rickety, slow-moving, deaf, but as sweet as can be! He's one of my favorites and I enjoy caring for him.

What I've been wondering about, though, is that the owners have allowed Mr. B to get his long hair all matted and knotted. The poor kitty looks like such a mess! He's kind of sad and pitiful looking, although as far as I've been told he's in very good health (except for the deafness and a bit of kidney trouble). He's certainly not strong enough and flexible enough to groom himself anymore, so I'm sure that's how the matting developed.

But I wondered why the owners don't shave Mr. B (to start fresh with the fur when it grows out) and then be good and regular about brushing him? I haven't had the opportunity to talk with the owners as I never see them (only the woman the owns the pet-sitting company I work for is in contact with them).

Do you think they have let the fur get that bad because it may hurt the kitty to brush it or shave it? Is the cat so elderly that it's too sensitive to touch? I have noticed that when I try to pet the cat, I can only really do it on his head. He doesn't seem to like being petted on his body anyway, but maybe it's because it hurts or annoys him.

Do any of you have experience with very old cats and how you cared for their fur when they were too old to do it for themselves?

Just wondering (I mostly also wrote this because I wanted to tell you about Mr. B. I've never seen such an old cat! I wish I had a picture of him to post, but he might not appreciate it! ).