Cat dandruff seems to be one of the top concerns of cat owners. And repeatedly, obvious treatments such as cat anti-dandruff shampoos are reported as not solving the problem. But cat dandruff can actually be treated. So, what is cat dandruff, why does it appear and how to treat it? And better yet, how to prevent it?
Cat dandruff is usually nothing more than dry, flaky skin. Do not mistaken it for cat dander. Cat dander is the natural shedding of dead skin from your cat while cat dandruff is excessive dry and possibly itchy skin. Cat dander is just natural for the cat, although it is one of the main causes of human allergies to cats. On the other hand, cat dandruff doesn't usually cause human allergies, but it is unaesthetic and it signals sometimes that the cat has parasites or a serious health problem.
The most common causes of cat dandruff are improper diet, obesity, sunburn, parasites, dry air, sensitivity to something in the cat's living area, and medication that causes dry and itchy skin. Less frequent causes include systemic disorders and certain diseases such as thyroid problems and diabetes. If you notice persistent cat dandruff associated with additional symptoms such as scabs or increased lethargy, take the cat to the vet to determine if your cat is not afflicted by a more serious health problem.
The effective treatment of cat dandruff depends mainly on the initial cause. As the most common cause is improper diet, the dandruff might be treated simply by providing better food for your cat. Dry cat food should be replaced with moist canned food, or raw food. The reason is that cats might develop dandruff simply because of not getting enough moisture from their diet. Cats in the wild hunt live prey and eat it getting from this food the needed moisture. By comparison, domestic cats that eat only dry food get very little moisture and are unable to compensate in other ways for this (cats just don't really drink water). A diet low in omega 3 fat acids can also be the cause of cat dandruff. One way to solve this is to add to your cat's food a bit of canned tuna fish (a few forks full should be quite enough).
Obesity can cause dandruff because an overweight cat is simply not able to groom itself properly. In this cases the dandruff is most likely to appear first in places that are harder to reach such as the base of the tail, but it can spread in time all over the cat's body. The only solution in this case is to put your feline friend on a weight-loss track.
Sunburn can also cause cat dandruff by drying the cat's skin. Cats are naturally protected from sun by their thick coat, but they can still get sunburned in places where there is less hair such as the ears or the nose and anywhere they might have bald patches. One solution to avoid this is to let your cat outdoors for less time or less exposed to the sun and especially to the noon sun.
Parasites living on the cat's body can also cause dandruff. The treatment in this case consists in anti-parasite treatment, usually applied to all the animals in the house. In some cases it can be enough to give your cat a quality grooming to get rid of both the parasites and the dandruff.
Especially during winter, when the air is cold and dry, many cats might develop dandruff. This can be accentuated by the fact that cats like very much to sleep or just lie down for long hours next to the fireplace in strong heat. Although they enjoy it very much, this heat also dries their skin very fast and, combined with the dryness of the air is a sure cause of dandruff. The treatment in this case is to get a good air humidifier. And by the way, getting a good air humidifier would also do you good because very dry air is not good for humans either. Also consider moving your cat from time to time from her favorite position in front of the fireplace.
Your cat might also have dandruff simply because it has an allergy to something in the house or in the yard. Such allergies can include quite everything, from perfume or a new cleaning liquid to some particular piece of furniture or a new tool. Consider all the new additions to your house in the period when your cat started developing dandruff and try to isolate the cause and then get rid of it.
Finally, if nothing else seems to work, you can also try a cat anti-dandruff shampoo. Do not use a human anti-dandruff shampoo as this is too aggressive for the cat's skin and is more likely to increase the amount of dandruff rather than to decrease it. The issue with using a cat shampoo is that once it gets on the cat's scalp it is very hard to thoroughly rinse. Any remaining shampoo dries in time and will again increase the amount of dandruff your cat experiences. This is actually one of the potential causes for which cat anti-dandruff shampoo does not work. So if you decide to try a shampoo be sure that you are really able to thoroughly rinse.
If you correctly identify the cause of your cat's dandruff you have already solved half of the problem and the treatment is most likely to solve it completely. However, keep in mind that any treatment is likely to take time for concrete effects. Whatever treatment you are applying, allow it enough time to act before deciding on whether it has effect or not. Usually dandruff can disappear or start disappearing in anything between 2 to 8 weeks.
To prevent cat dandruff, just try to avoid the above possible causes: give your cat quality, moist food, keep the air in the house reasonably humid (does good to you too), don't let the cat spend too much time in noon sun and in front of the fireplace, and don't let it become overweight. It's just that simple and healthy!
Some links on the same subject:
http://www.catdandruffaway.com/
http://www.petpeoplesplace.com/resources/advice/cats /213-how-to-prevent-cat-dandruff.htm
http://blogs.dogster.com/vet_blog_information_advice /what-causes-dandruff-in-cats/
http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/home-remedies- for-cats-ga3.htm
http://ezinearticles.com/?Cat-Dandruff-3-Easy-Ways-T o-Cure-Cat-Dandruff-At-Home-Without-Spending-A-Fortu ne-At-The-Vet&id=963063