What to do if a cat has dandruff? Causes

Cats are clean creatures that can spend several hours a day grooming their coat. Dandruff or, scientifically, seborrhea, is not a frequent occurrence in cats. Proper care, balanced nutrition, hygiene rules, regular visits to the veterinarian significantly reduce the risk of skin disease.

Sometimes dandruff appears in healthy-looking pets that are properly cared for. How to eliminate dandruff in a cat if it appears and how to prevent it?

So, causes of dandruff in cats, how to get rid of it - further in our article.

Video: Home Remedies for Cats with Dandruff - Bright Ways Now

What is dandruff and what does it look like?

A disease in which small white scales appear on the skin of an animal is called seborrhea. Regular cell renewal of the epidermis, the top layer of the skin, is normal. Dead cells fall off, but the particles are small, hardly noticeable. The cat removes them during daily hygiene procedures.

Intensive peeling should be alert, indicating a violation of the function of the sebaceous glands. Dandruff is localized in the tail area, along the spine, on the head, it is determined visually in the form of sticky scales.

The coat of the animal loses its attractiveness, becomes sticky, wet in the affected areas, does not change, despite the fact that the cat tries to lick the affected areas. The skin under the coat looks inflamed, bumps are felt on it.

With such symptoms, you need to show your pet to the veterinarian, determine the type of seborrhea, find out how to properly feed a cat, how to treat it.

Types of seborrhea

What does dandruff look like in cats? The appearance depends on the type of disease. Seborrhea happens:

• dry, in the form of small scales, which, when stroked against the coat, shatters like a snowball;
• oily, with sticky scales, difficult to separate from the skin;
• mixed, in which both pathological phenomena are observed;
• Cheyletiellosis or wandering seborrhea, a consequence of infection with a skin mite. The location of the scales is long winding passages along which the hair falls out;
• Black scales indicating a parasitic infection.

All types of seborrhea are not only outwardly unattractive, but also cause discomfort, cats become restless because they itch. At the first sign of symptoms, you need to understand the causes of the disease.

Video: Dry Skin and Dandruff in Cats: 5 Quick and Easy Answers

External and internal causes of appearance

What does it mean if a cat has dandruff? Pathology speaks of internal diseases or adverse external factors. External factors include:

• strong exposure to ultraviolet rays, which causes minor skin burns and flaking;
• excessively dry air in the rooms where the pet is kept;
• high temperature in the room, stimulating excessive activity of the sebaceous glands;
• parasite infestation. It is necessary to regularly examine the animal for ticks, fleas, especially if it is in contact with fellow animals;
• lack of carotenoids, B vitamins, omega fatty acids in the diet. This cause causes dandruff in pregnant cats. It is helpful to consult a veterinarian for nutritional advice, and if you don't know how to tell if a cat is pregnant;
• poor hygiene: lack of regular combing, bathing, which is especially important for long-haired breeds;
• use of shampoos, detergents not intended for cats. Shampoos for humans are not suitable for pets due to different levels of skin acidity;
• stress conditions (moving, fear).

The internal causes of seborrhea are related to the health of the animal. Often a dandruff treatment reveals more serious problems:

• diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, thyroid gland;
• allergic to food, dust, materials of the rug, tray;
• diseases of the genitourinary system;
• diabetes in the early stages.

Overweight is also a contributing factor. Fat cats lose flexibility, cannot process the hair on the back, in the tail area.

Video: 3 EASY WAYS TO GET RID OF DANDRUFF ON YOUR CAT

Methods of treating seborrhea in cats

Before prescribing treatment, the veterinarian conducts additional diagnostics:

• general and biochemical blood tests;
• hormonal study;
• Skin scraping

Based on the results, the type of seborrhea is determined and treatment is prescribed. Do not rely on your own strength, use folk remedies that can cause anaphylactic shock. Only a specialist knows what to do if a cat has dandruff on its back or elsewhere.

First of all, the veterinarian recommends eliminating negative factors of influence: adjusting living conditions, changing food if dandruff is due to allergies, saturating the diet with microelements and fatty acids. Means are also prescribed to disinfect, process, moisturize the cat's skin:

• chlorhexidine antimicrobial shampoo;
• Veterinary Formula sebaceous gland normalizing shampoo with antifungal, antiseborrheic action;
• Ketoconazole sprays, especially for cats who don't like bathing.

Kittens also suffer from seborrhea. The reason may be moving away from the mother, new food, fear, infection with parasites. For the treatment of seborrhea in kittens, there is a special line of products that can be used from the first days of life.

Seborrhea in cats and cats responds well to therapy, but it is better to prevent the development of an unpleasant skin disease.

Video: Cat Dandruff: Simple Solutions for Your Cat's Dry Skin

Skin Disease Prevention

The list of recommendations allows you to protect your pet from an unpleasant disease:

• regular brushing;
• bathing (no more than once every six months). The frequency of bathing depends on the breed;
• weight control;
• maintaining the right microclimate in the room;
• treatment with pesticides;
• Balanced nutrition. Animals spend up to 30% of the protein entering the body on the process of cellular renewal, so this component should be enough in the diet.

Timely visit to the veterinarian, refusal of self-treatment is the most important preventive factor.

Video: How To Treat Cat Dandruff

Hi all! In this blog we post useful information on the topic causes of dandruff in cats, how to get rid of it. If you have questions or ideas that we did not cover in our article, write about it in the comments.

Rate the author

( 2 votes, average 5 out of 5 )