Staticy Kitty Hair?

My kitty has "staticy hair"??? It's very strange. When I pet him his fur sticks up in some places, and shocks me!!! Here's a picture of him with his "static" hair:

[see the little "spikes"?]

I'm not here to debate on whether or not cats should be allowed outdoors, but could it be the cooler outdoor weather that's doing it? Like dry skin or something? I remember my old cat, Dietz's fur doing the same thing, but I don't recall it ever happening in our old house whne he was indoors only. Anyone have the same problem? Dietz was my 1st cat, and he lived to be 8, and when he passed away we got Bosco. I'm not a cat "expert." I love my kitty, and if there's something wrong I want to take him to the vet, but I don't want to rush him in for something that is just a trivial thing. Could it be his diet? He eats dry food, and occasionally has some tuna juice poured over his food. Any help would be lovely. THANKS!

Hey Dixie,

You'll get no argument from me about outdoor cats. Mine come and go as they please - though they are both in at night. I have no idea about static hair on cats. Jerry and Lili and all the cats I have had can go outside and I've never noticed this.

Humans can have static days though depending on what they are wearing where they are ... so maybe it is something in the environment.

You said dry biscuits and tuna juice - what about adding a touch of olive oil once or twice a week. See if that helps.

Thank you! I'll definately try that! I think it's his diet...he used to be on a good quality food, but my parents have switched him to Purina because of our budget. My dad says we should try to give him nutrients in other forms, since he's not getting as much in his food, so we recently started giving him a little bit of tuna mixed in, with the "juice" from the can. He really likes it. I'll try the olive oil!! Thanks again!

It could be a combo of the food and the weather. Colder weather usually means dryer air, well, depending on where you live, I don't recall right off.

I have one suggestion about food expenses that I tell people all the time. Feed him the Purina right now, but save up a bit and when you get at least $20-30 aside, purchase a giant bag of really good quality food. (for example, Chicken Soup and Premium Edge are just $17-20 for the big bag, vs. Nutro which is in the upper $20s for a big bag and not as good of food) It will last forever with just one cat and you won't have to worry about it for a long time! In the meantime you can probably just put aside spare change to save up for the next bag. If you get extra cash, buy a second giant bag and put it away for when the first one is done.

Plus you have heard it said I am sure, but feeding better quality leads to a healthier cat meaning less expensive trips to the vet!