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Cat dandruff is something that troubles your favorite pets a lot, and it is very unhygienic for them as well. Cats are not just mere pets to us, but they are like an additional family member that we did not give birth to but find ourselves being attached to, nonetheless.
If you ever doubt how much you love your cats, just think of the times when they had some minor issue because of which they would be annoyed and would behave with something resembling annoyance with you. I am sure that you all cat owners have gone through this.
So if you have experienced that, then I am sure you would know of the feeling that you felt at that time that just wanted you to solve any problem that your cat might have so that you and your cat can go back to being lazy creatures that just warmed the couches all day, because that is what we love doing do we not?
I am just kidding, but some of us love doing that, and our cats more so than us. When our cats are perfectly healthy and fed, they love the attention that we give them, and I am sure none of your partners would require so much attention as your cat demands it from you, and if you fail to do it, they will tell you in very profound ways that you have been neglecting them.
Also, it is not like our cats do not deserve the attention that they seek. They are worthy of all the attention that we can give them, and we absolutely love giving it to them. So when any issue arises that troubles our favorite pets even a bit, we absolutely hate it.
Cats Hate Having Anything That Troubles Them
As is the case with everybody, unless you are a masochist, we all hate feeling any kind of pain or discomfort, and cats are no different on that front than us. Some people will even attest that cats hate it much more than we do because cats are like royalties, literally too because they are closely related to the King of the jungle.
Cats experience some issues like hair stains or cat dandruff and they absolutely hate it, especially the cat dandruff because it irritates them a lot and it can also lead to various other issues. So if you do not want your favorite pets to undergo cat dandruff, I am going to be talking about things that will help you get rid of the cat dandruff from your pets.
If your pet has a bad cat dandruff case, it can lead to various problems, one of which would be itching on their skin. So cat dandruff is something that you would absolutely not want affecting your cats. That is the reason why I will tell you about the simplest and easiest solutions for cat dandruff that will help you get rid of it and never let it come back.
You might try some things that work on you nicely and can treat your dandruff problems with ease, but cats are a bit different from us even though they are a part of our family, and the sooner you realize that, the better. Because if you persist in ignoring the issue, your pet is going to suffer greatly from cat dandruff.
So it is better that you start trying out some remedies that will work for your cat if an anti-dandruff shampoo or some other similar things that you use yourself is not working for your cat at all.
What is Cat Dandruff?
If you want to rid your pet of cat dandruff, you will first need to understand what it exactly is because unless you understand that, you might not be able to help your cat get rid of this issue. So what exactly is cat dandruff, and why is it so bad for your cat?
When you use the term ‘dandruff,’ you are being too vague so let me help you understand what it is. Dandruff can be some sort of flaky and dry skin that your cat is experiencing, or it could be just a rough patch on the skin that had irritated sores or rashes on it. These are the pretty basic sources of dandruff.
Cat Dandruff Caused By Seborrhea
Some of the pretty serious sources of cat dandruff include seborrhea. Seborrhea is when the sebaceous glands in the cat skin start producing protective oils in a very excessive quantity. You can easily identify this issue by looking out for cat dandruff and their skin that gets kind of greasy and oily.
When these glands start producing excessive oils, it will interfere with the natural shedding of dead skin cells of the outer skin layer. This can also change the pH of the skin of the cats, and that will create an environment for the bacteria and fungi to settle in nicely on their skins, and that will just lead to newer and greater problems for the cats.
The sebaceous glands are supposed to provide oil to the cat’s skin and nourish and protect it but nothing that is provided in excess can be good. Yes, even money.
If you have to take care of this particular issue that is caused by the sebaceous glands, then you should to your local vet and seek the advice of the professional as to what you should do instead of staying at home and hoping that this issue would resolve itself or that your cat would be good again after a few baths.
If you keep thinking like that, well, then the least worrisome thing for you would be your cat’s behavior towards you.
The skin of a cat is its biggest body part which is the case with almost any living organism. So when the issue of cat dandruff arises, you can be assured that it could spread to the whole of your cat’s body if it does not get the proper attention it needs in time. So if your cat’s dandruff issue is not going away, please consult your local vet.
Identifying Dandruff On Your Cat
If your cat has dandruff issues, then you can tell by the white flecks that you will see on your cat’s skin and fur. If your cat is white, you can point out this issue by keeping a close eye on your cat, and if they start licking and grooming themselves much more than is normal for them, then they definitely have some sort of issue on their skin.
You can also tell that your cat has dandruff if you are able to see some bald patches on their skin or just general hair loss in any area of their body. Also, if your cat has excessive oil on its skin, then the skin cells will gather and then shed off. Dry skin or too oily skin is not the only cause of dandruff in a cat.
There are other things that can cause cat dandruff as well, like obesity or arthritis. These things can also result in the cat not being able to groom itself and remove the flakes or the dead skin cells gathered over its body. There are a lot of reasons that your cat can get a flaky coat, and to get more advice on that topic, visit your local vet.
Symptoms Of Cat Dandruff
You can identify dandruff on your cat if you look out for certain symptoms. As I mentioned before, your cat can have flaky skin, but that is not the only thing that can say that your pet has dandruff.
Along with flaky skin, there are other indicators as well that will tell you about an infection or some other health condition that needs to be looked at by a professional with haste. These indicators are:
- Itching on the skin
- The cat grooming itself more often
- Redness or rashes on the skin
- Loss of hair and bald patches
- The cat is not feeling well and being less active than what is normal.
What Is The Difference Between Cat Dandruff And Dander?
The cat dandruff and dander might sound like they are the same thing, but you should keep in mind that it is not true and that both these things are very different from each other.
Dander is believed to be something that can cause allergic reactions in certain human beings, but that is not true either. The primary allergen is found in the cat’s saliva and is then transferred to their fur and skin when they groom themselves.
The skin flakes that are made when things come off from the main body of the cats are dander. Cat dandruff is skin flakes that come from the scalp of the cat skin, and they are made out of epithelial skin cells.
Now that you have some basic information about what cat dandruff is and some basic things that can cause and also how to tell the difference between dander and cat dandruff let us talk about all the major things that can cause cat dandruff and some of the solutions that you can try out.
Common Causes Of Cat Dandruff
If your cat is experiencing the problems of cat dandruff, there are a few things that might be the cause of it. Dandruff can be a symptom of ringworms, a fungal infection that is caused when spores enter the skin of your cat via a bite or scratch and then go on to attack the outermost layer.
As I mentioned, you might notice different things like hair loss, or rashes on your cat’s skin, along with dandruff. This issue can be easily treated without much fuss, but you should go to a vet before you try anything weird on your cat.
Below are some of the most common causes with their solutions that you can treat at home, but if it does not help, seek professional help.
Lack Of Moisture
If your cat has dry skin that is causing a lot of dandruff, it is obviously because of the lack of moisture in their bodies. In the case of dry skin, it would be a good idea to treat the issue thoroughly. It is common knowledge that cats are a bit hesitant when it comes to water, be it for bathing or for drinking.
If the cats do not consume enough water, then the moisture level in their bodies will drop. When it comes to the cats who live in the wilderness, they get most of their moisture from the food they eat. When it comes to domestic cats, we tend to feed them dry kibble diets, and a short term of mild dehydration does not affect them much.
Or it is believed to be so, but cats can get dry skin due to lack of moisture in their bodies. This can also result in the reduced production of natural oils on their skin and that will make their skin prone to inflammation which will lead to itching.
Solution
The simple solution to the lack of moisture in your cat’s body is to provide them more liquid or a diet that includes more moisture in it. You can add more wet foods and also add more water, bone broth, or milk to their diet. You can feed your cats these things as a side meal as well, and it does not necessarily have to be the main meal.
Cats are very fussy animals, so it might take you some time to get the perfect combination as to what your cat will eat and what is off-limits for them. They might not like bone broth but might easily take to a thick pate style wet food and eat that with fervor.
Not Consuming A Proper Diet
Cat dandruff can be caused due to improper consumption of food as well. The type and amount of food cats eat, and just the overall quality of your cat’s food can have a huge effect on its health. The quality of the food decides how much nutrients the cat absorbs.
If the food is of poor quality and it has been cooked at too high or too cold a temperature, then that food will have its useful nutrients stripped away from it, and the cat would not be able to consume the number of nutrients that it needs to eat. If the amount of nutrients in a meal is high, the health of the cat will be great.
All these factors can lead to a decrease in the level of the healthiness of your cat and its skin and hence, cause cat dandruff.
Solution
If you want to feed your cat with the best quality food, make sure the meals are full of nutrients. To do that, you can use fresh and good ingredients for the food, and if you can opt for raw materials, that would be great too. Raw food will have a lot of nutrients in them, and it would be easily digestible as well.
If not raw ingredients, then make sure whatever food you give your cat contains very limited synthetic additives and is full of natural nutrients. Meat would be a good option for the cats. But make sure you do not give them food that has a high level of carbohydrates because it is best if they consume animal protein.
If you want to buy cat food that is naturally made, go for the brands like Open Farm or Acana. If you can give your cats food that contains fish oils and other similar omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, then it will be great. Salmon, sardines, and cod liver are good for them as well.
Cats use up 30% of their total nutrients consumed to renew their dead skin cells and that is why they require such a nutrient-rich diet. Vitamin A rich food would also be a great option for cats so that they do not face the issue of cat dandruff.
Not Having An Environment Suitable To Them
Cats might seem like they can endure anything, even a fall from a 5 story building, but they are not invulnerable. Something as simple as the environment or the weather can affect them greatly. That is because cats are usually very sensitive to their environments.
The issues cats face on their skins like cat dandruff and rashes can be increased if the air quality around them becomes poor. That can happen when someone around them smokes or uses chemical cleaners or other such things such as air fresheners or perfumes. All these things can irritate their skins greatly and cause a lot of problems that include cat dandruff.
Another thing that can affect them a lot is the change in humidity in the air. If they are suddenly exposed to some extreme climate, they would not be able to adapt to it quickly enough, and some problems would develop on their skins.
Solution
The very simple thing to do to avoid these things would be to not use things such as air fresheners or perfumes around them and not smoke either. You should make your house well ventilated so that the proper amount of air can travel in and out of your house.
If you live in a small and enclosed space, consider using air purifiers to solve this issue. You can use air purifiers in the winters as well when people want to keep the windows of their house closed. If the region you live in is very hot and the air very dry, buy a humidifier for your house.
All these things will ensure that your cat’s skin does not face these issues and get dandruff on itself.
Improper Grooming
Cats love to be groomed, and that is not just because they love the feeling. Grooming their fur helps in removing all the dead fur and takes broken hair out of their skin, that is why you should brush their fur more often.
When you brush their fur, it also helps in massaging their skin, and the blood flow is stimulated nicely, and all that will encourage proper oil production on the skin of your cat, and that will help in keeping the cat dandruff away.
You should note that cats do not need to be bathed as regularly as you would bathe a dog, and that is because cats have more sensitive skin than dogs. If you start bathing them a lot, that will get rid of the necessary oil on their skin and thus will lead to dry skin and skin rashes, and bacteria infecting them due to an imbalanced pH.
Solution
As I said, cats love it when you brush and groom them because that can make them feel happier by relieving stress. You should brush your cat at least twice a week, and you can use a simple brush or slicker to do it.
Also, as I said, do not bathe your cat too often as that will remove their natural oils from their skin. You should not bathe them more than once a month unless they get very dirty, and even then, just use water if you have already given them a bath that month.
You can use warm water and just a bit of baking soda if you need to clean a certain dirty spot but do not use shampoo because most shampoos have chemicals that will dry their skin which will lead to cat dandruff.
Pests
More often than not, the cat dandruff is caused by some issue with the health of your cat, but sometimes, that might not be the cause of the problem at all. Sometimes, when you can’t find a reason for your cat’s dandruff, it might be caused due to some unwanted intruders on their skin.
These intruders are pests that make a home on their skin and leave behind a lot of waste that might look like dandruff to you, but in actuality, it isn’t. One of the most common pests are fleas, and you can spot them easily on your cats. If you want to know how to proceed when you see fleas on your cat, you should consult your local vet.
Your vet will also tell you about any other kinds of pests that might be causing issues to your cat. You can easily get rid of these pests with the help of certain products such as Bayer Advantage II.
Cheyletiella mites are something that can be very easily mistaken for dandruff, and they are often referred to as walking dandruff. These mites are responsible for a lot of flaky skin on your cat. They are called walking dandruff because they move around a lot on the skin of your cat.
Solution
The simplest solution to the problem of pests is that you can keep checking them regularly to see if anything is causing them any kind of irritation. If you groom them regularly and take them to the vet to get regular check-ups, then you would not have much to worry about.
There are certain things you can do to prevent pests from causing problems to your cat, and those are getting flea and tick treatments that do not allow the pests to make a home on your cat’s skin.
Cessation | Cat Dandruff
Hopefully, this article helped you understand what cat dandruff is and all the possible causes and treatments for it.
Dandruff in cats can be caused because of a lot of things like improper diet, lack of moisture in their bodies or reduced humidity in the air, and the presence of chemicals in their living environment, as well as excessively bathing them or not grooming them enough.
You should try to feed them proper food with enough water and nutrients in them and make sure you use natural ingredients or as much raw food as you can in their meals. You should regularly brush their skin to remove dead skin cells and dead fur.
You should not bathe them more than once a month and should definitely not use shampoo on their sensitive skins. Make sure you keep the environment of your house suitable for them to be living in. Make sure your home has proper ventilation or air purifier and humidifiers.
You can use certain products and treatments to prevent pest infestation on their skins. If any issue arises that you do not know how to handle, you should directly head to your local vet and take advice from them as to what you should or should not do.
You should not try to do something that you believe will help your cat, but in reality, it might be just making the case worse for them. All in all, you should keep in mind that the health of your cat comes before anything else.
If you can show them the proper love, support, and care that they deserve, then there is no reason why they would not be healthy and happy forever.
