Dandruff

Question

Okay I ned help my cat has dandruff and I am pretty sure it is coming from the lack of dry air here in the house it has been very cold.. So i am sure there isnt much mositure in the air... So are their any shampoos I can get to help clear this up for a cat like at petsmart??? Also he is on strict dry food diet because his tummy cant handle can food and he makes a very unpleasant mess.. So I am thinking of adding a tablespoon of olive oil to help to.. Maybe that will keep him from drying out during these winter months.. Okay let me know I will ck in later because I know replies here are not so fast.. And if there is a shampoo let me know the brand...

sleepsound · Answer

my cat gets dandruff but the vet says it's nothing to bother about . his coat is lovely and silky. he eats One pouch of whiskas  and a small bowl of dry food each day.
I wouldn't bath my cat ....but I brush him daily ...and he loves it.

nancyjac · Answer

Dandruff is just the shedding of dead skin cells to expose new cells and is not only normal but necessary.  If the shedding is excessive, it may indicate a prior buildup of dead cells that were not properly shed.  I agree with others that shampooing is not beneficial and dries out the skin.  Frequent light brushing is far better for removing dead cells as well as stimulating oil production.  Since yours is a long and thick haired cat, you may not be getting down to the skin level when you brush,  Make sure you are, but with longer and deeper strokes, not necessarily harder strokes.  Unless your cat does not groom himself at all, the only time you should bathe him is if he had gotten into something (e.g. motor oil, fertilizer, or other toxins) that would be detrimental for him to lick off himself.

IMstacie · Answer

Out of my four cats, one has a bad case of dandruff. I bathe him once or twice a year which seems to take care of for the majority of the year. Although, I do feed my cats some dry food I also feed them wet food daily and it has been recommended for cats with dry skin. Fish oils are good to keep the skin moisturized.

Maddie6 · Answer

Hi,
My Manx mix kitty used to have a dandruff problem, and the Vet at the time gave me a spray called Humilac, by Virbac.  It seemed to really help the problem.  It's a spray for dry skin for dogs and cats.  You might see if your Vet caries it or recommends it.  Now she is on Merrick wet before grain canned foods, and she doesn't seem to have the problem.  I never thought of the connection.

alienshadow · Answer

Jade we comb up to 2 times a day because he is real furry and I dont need the fur to get matted...He is a big boy who seems happy and loves the kids he likes to play chase to lol.. I know he isnt sick because he would lay around or show other signs I really think he is having issues with this dry air to be honest...


Zodiac yes he messed his stomach up with the big D!! Thats why we backed off thats when we first got him...I will see what happens I may start in the morning because at night he likes the door to be shut so he can cuddle up on the bed with us... If I leave the door open he sits there and whines.. If he has to use the bathroom in the middle of the night of course he purrsss in my ear and uses those very long whiskers to tickle me.. I think hes human.. And he loves a christmas tree... Especially a real one..


I really believe he used to be human lol...

Jade yes my mood is great today and this cold weather here in N.C. thats about to hit will only be better if we could get some snow like last weekend It would be soooo nice....

zodiacqueen · Answer

Jade read my mind, as usual..lol,  I was talking about the big cans of food.  =)

Alien-what kind of stomach problems were you talking about.....diarrhea, vomiting?

Jade59 · Answer

...one more thing.  Do you brush Boots each day?  Might not have anything to do with it, but if you're not brushing, old fur and dead skin could be building up.  Just a thought.  Love your mood right now LOL.  Yikes, think I'M feeling a little hyper!

Jade59 · Answer

...all I can say about the vets opinion on food is nutrition is not their specialty, you know?

Jade59 · Answer

Alien - I don't know about the olive oil, but my neighbors dog had very flaky skin and he added some sort of oil made for animals so I don't think your original idea is a bad one.  Since you have a large cat, I think the 1 1/2 cans wet and graze on a good dry like Wellness (or whatever else, there are many good ones) sounds perfect.  Jade is a small cat and eats two 3oz cans of wet with a little dry food if she's hungry later.  I'm thinking you and ZQ are talking about the larger, 5-6oz cans of cat food, yes?  If so, sounds good.  

I agree with the shampooing - will only make the condition worse.

alienshadow · Answer

Also reading conflicting information only confuses one.. I know the vet said dry food is a lot healthier with a can of wet food once a week which I havent done after the mess he made yikes... I just want to get the dandruff problem over with so whatever it takes... Thanks ZQ I will let you know how it goes..

alienshadow · Answer

Okay I am sticking to the pro plan wet foods.. And I will start out slowly on amounts because I dont need the mess up stomach... Also I read that some cats maintain well on  dry food only but being his skin is dry I feel I need to start the wet foods.. He is using the box 4 times a day for pee and once or somedays 2 times for the 2 lol... He seems to be on a great track fro my schdule..

zodiacqueen · Answer

Your cat is a big Maine Coon, so I'd give him 1 to 1 1/2 cans a day of food w/ some hard food that he can munch on throughout the day.

Let's wait to see what some of the others say about the amounts of food or different brands to try.  I am curious to see what they think.  Hopefully the other peeps will respond soon!!  =)

alienshadow · Answer

How many times a day for can food once?? Or how many times a week?? I dont know if I should do it daily or not let me know..

zodiacqueen · Answer

OOOPS......forgot to add that I think that shampoo will make it worse.  That's just my opinion.

zodiacqueen · Answer

Hey buddy, feeding cats only dry food is a very very bad idea.  It's terrible for the kidneys(this is the number one organ that fails in cats) and it can help form urine crystals, which can cause a urinary blockage(life threatening in male cats).  Seriously, all dry food is really bad for cats.  There are many members on this forum that would back me up on this AND some have/or are now dealing w/ urinary blockages from the crystals-not fun for kitty and expensive.

I know you said that soft food doesn't agree w/ your cat(boots?), but what brands have you tried?  There are some really awesome, high quality foods out there that are worth trying-Wellness and Evo, to name a few.  It's worth it to try to get him back on soft food, because it'll protect his kidneys and, I believe, will help improve the health of his skin.  

Try it!!  I'm sure that you'll see a big improvement.

Hugs
ZQ