What Causes Dandruff in Cats and How Can You Get Rid Of It?

Should you discover your cat has flaky pores and skin, it might be dandruff.

A mere bathtub won’t work, although. Particularly if there’s an underlying situation that causes flaky pores and skin. So, what’s cat dandruff, and what’s it not? We’ll study it on at the moment’s weblog.

Cat Dander vs. Cat Dandruff

In reality, cat dandruff is a little bit little bit of a misnomer. “Dandruff” is solely a time period referring to flakes on the pores and skin, nevertheless it has lots of causes.

Though seemingly comparable, cat dandruff is totally different from dander. Feline dander is a standard and wholesome shedding of pores and skin cells.

Dander can be regularly mistaken for a offender in triggering an allergic response in individuals. Nonetheless, the essential irritant is the cat’s saliva, transferred to the pores and skin and hair when cats groom themselves.

What Causes Cat Dandruff?

Dandruff develops for a number of causes. Listed below are some: 

Dehydration. Cats want water—round one ounce per pound of physique weight each day. In case your cat just isn’t effectively hydrated, it could actually set off dandruff within the pores and skin and different pores and skin infections. As an illustration, an arid setting—an overheated dwelling within the winter season—may also create pores and skin dryness.

Grooming Points. Should you see flakes or hair clumps simply close to the bottom of the tail and the decrease again, your feline may not have the power to get to those areas to groom appropriately. This concern is widespread in overweight cats as a result of they’ll groom themselves and take away lifeless pores and skin cells is proscribed.

Absence of fat of their weight loss program. Cats want a balanced weight loss program to proceed being wholesome. You probably have a kibble-only weight loss program, they won’t get sufficient vitamin and hydration from their meals. Like omega-3 fatty acids, fish oil can be important to maintain a wholesome pores and skin, so in case your cat’s weight loss program doesn’t have these essential vitamins, this can be the supply of their dandruff.

Many cats have undiagnosed meals allergic reactions that trigger pores and skin circumstances, resembling dandruff and irritation. In case your cat exhibits indications of a meals allergy, like consisting of scratching, biting at their pores and skin, looseness of the bowels, vomiting, and different abdomen points, name your vet.

Seasonal allergic reactions. Springtime and summer time have an effect on us people, particularly these allergic to plant pollen. Felines additionally take care of plant pollen or seasonal allergic reactions. Often, your kitten will sneeze or cough, have watery eyes and discharge from the nostril. Contact allergic reactions may also harm your cat’s pores and skin. These irritants embody cleaning soap, hair shampoo, material softener, and different chemically primarily based objects.

Attainable well being issues. Cat dandruff can generally have underlying well being points, like parasites resembling fleas that trigger harm to the wellness of your cat’s pores and skin and layer. These parasites make life uncomfortable in your cat, however you may do away with them via month-to-month preventatives. Verify your cat for parasite signs, and do not wait. It is usually essential to notice the distinction between an occasional flaky pores and skin episode from a continual dry pores and skin. Seek the advice of your vet to remove attainable well being points and discover the very best therapy.

What are the Indicators of Cat Dandruff?

With its telltale tiny, white flakes, feline dandruff is straightforward to identify in your cat’s hair, furnishings, and cat beds. Felines with dandruff would possibly scratch greater than regular.

Get in contact along with your vet if any of the next accompanies your cat’s half-cracked pores and skin. These signs can recommend an an infection or different well being circumstances needing medical consideration:

• Hair loss
• Itchy pores and skin
• Frequent grooming
• Redness of the pores and skin
• Lethargy or indicators that your cat is feeling unwell

The right way to Get Rid of Cat Dandruff?

As quickly as your feline has a clear invoice of medical well being and there’s no underlying trigger to fret about, what are you able to do to do away with these flakes? 

• Guarantee your cat will get sufficient moisture of their weight loss program and is ingesting a lot of water. In case your cat likes working water, take into account getting a cat water fountain to induce them to drink extra. Introducing moist meals into your cat’s weight loss program is one other easy means to extend hydration and increase their pores and skin situation.
• Feed your feline a superb weight loss program, and add a scoop of moist meals to the combination in the event that they solely eat dry meals.
• Have your cat professionally groomed as soon as each few months and bathe them biweekly utilizing a hair particular shampoo that’s made for cats with dry pores and skin.
• Get an acceptable grooming brush and regularly comb your feline’s hair. This might help to disperse pure pores and skin oils all through your feline’s coat.
• Preserve them on a month-to-month flea in addition to tick treatment.
• Use a humidifier so as to add dampness to the air.
• Change to cat-friendly cleaners and detergents that use plant-based, innocent merchandise
• Assist your cat hold a wholesome weight. A cat’s complete wellness impacts their pores and skin, and cats can groom themselves successfully once they’re in form.

More often than not, feline dandruff is a benign drawback for a cat. Happily, different pets do not choose them for flaky pores and skin and their coat well being, so in case your vet offers your cat a clear invoice of well being, dandruff just isn’t one thing that it is best to fear rather a lot about.