condiction of coat

Question
My freind has a very sweet older cat. She is about 14. I baby sit their little boy so I have been around the cat quit a bit. She had three very large clumps of hair that could not be brushed out. So slowly cut them out to the point they could be brushed and they are now looking much better. The fur in these clumps was totally compacted and was even hard to cut. By the way I am doing this with the permission of the owner.

What I have noticed about the general condiction of her coat is kind of strange. She has dandruff (that normally means dry skin)but her coat seems oily! Which I think makes it clump together because she develops smaller areas that usually come out with brushing but this happens quiet often.

Any clues or suggestions as to what to do to help the condiction of her coat and skin? Because of her age I am sure the owner wouldn't want to do anything to get her real upset and I can't blame him for that. She does eat moist food.

Answer
The matts of hair are there because the cat is scratching the skin.  So it could be an itchy dermatitis.  If the cat's skin is flaky, it could be dried oils that clump or dead skin, since the cat does not get bathed to remove the dead surface skin cells.