I have a rescue cat who has terrible dandruff. He sheds so much more than the other rescue cat I have. He leaves tremendous amounts of dandruff and hair wherever he goes. Brushing makes it worse (so the vet tells me). I need to know how to help this guy.
He makes just sitting with him uncomfortable, stroking is out of the question as he leaves so much hair and dandruff. I know cats shed, but this is beyond the pale. He really needs the love and attention of sitting in someone's lap and being stroked. It's just too unpleasant due to his dandruff. Does anyone have any ideas?
By Lynn Briggs from Cincinnati, OH
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I have three cats, and one is an extreme shedder. I think some are just that way. You know Pigpen from the Peanuts cartoons? I compare her to him. Anywhere she goes, she leaves hair. It seems like you look at her, and her hair gets on you.
I wonder why your vet said that brushing makes it worse. I was talking to our vet about it, and she showed me a Furminator brush/comb. It's *really* effective. And Lizzie (the cat) loves it! When I'm going to brush her, I get a towel and spread it out on me first, then Liz hops up and I brush away. Afterwards there is enough hair for a kitten! I don't use it too often, though, because I've read that it can be overdone (I read about someone who was not paying attention, brushing her cat's hair while on the phone, and made a bald spot). Using the Furmitator on her every now and then seems to help with her shedding a little bit, although she still sheds more than the other two cats.
But if the vet says that brushing is a no-no, I guess you shouldn't do that. Did you discuss the cat's diet? I know diet can affect the skin/coat. You can do like me and spread a towel out when petting him, to help keep most of the fur/dandruff off of you. I have to go wash my hands after loving on Lizzie, and sometimes I have to change my shirt before cooking. I pay my daughter a dollar to clean our furniture with the Scotch Fur Fighter once a week. We've just learned to deal with it.
I'm glad that you're helping these cats. I hope you find a solution that works for you. Good luck!
It's possible your new rescue cat has a vitamin deficiency. Also, I read on the 'net that you could use "Olive Oil" (only) in drinking water daily and it helps condition the skin/fur in canines. Maybe in a few months you will see a difference. Just do a google search to find out how much olive oil to use in the water dish although cats don't drink as much water as a dog would. I wonder why the vet hasn't diagnosed the cat's condition and begun some time of treatment for it.
Good luck!
I have a cat that I love but had terrible dander that made me sneeze. I change her food to a different brand and it has gone away. Maybe he is allergic to corn or something in the food?
How long have you had this cat? Does it get along well with the others, or does it hide? I had a cat who shed terribly when she was at the vet's office. Of course she was terrified, and thus the shedding. I would follow up with my vet. Maybe it's a combined problem? Good luck to you.
Nzymes.com Will clear it up in 2 weeks. Suggest their product for absolute healing and help. No i don't sell it. I do rescue and have helped many animals with their granules. Healthy, nothing from China, not even their container, HA. You need to stop grocery store bought food. Ingredients are nothing but danger. Contain even euthanized pets (including the poison). Everything is loaded with corn filler. Corn is a big allergen. Cook or buy from specialty shop like a groomer who sells only natural, healthy like EVO, California natural, Nothing with corn wheat or soy. Likely your kitty had its immune system destroyed by vaccine. Read my past posts for all kinds of help. Kitty will be well, I promise you. Natural, easy remedy for intestinal worms, natural effective flea control. Stick with natural if at all possible. Vet when necessary.
This should not be ignored, if its painful for you to sit next to him, guess what its like for him to go through this. Take him to your local humane society which is less expensive and have him checked. Could be an allergy and ask them to shave him so he is more comfortable. Have mercy on him, he is your baby isn't he ?
Hi--go online to How.com and type in "cat losing hair and dandruff" and lots of things come up that should help you. Diet is likely the first clue, but make use of this website, really good for advice. I felt so sorry for your kitty when I read your post. He must be hurting so much. Hope you find some help. Barbara W.
Hi I realize that I am responding to a very old post, but hopefully someone will find me to be helpful. My male neutered 6 yr old orange tabby had this very same issue with severe shedding and dandruff. My vet said that his issue was mostly cuz I / he could not remove all the excess hair ; and he was so fat that he could not groom properly. ( I found him as a severely underweight baby & apparently over fed him) My vet suggested increasing omega 3 to diet, can food as a treat to increased water, coconut oil in my hands then rubbing him to work it onto his skin and finally since brushing made it worse...I vacuumed him. He now loves it. I bought a pet attachment and really long hose from amazon. Place the vacuum in one rm and vacuumed him in another room. The noise was muffled so didnt scare him. Hope this helps
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I have a 2 year old indoor cat and she is shedding more than normal and has dandruff on the top of her back. I haven't seen any bald spots or missing hair. She isn't scratching or acting abnormal. What can I do for her?
By Richard
Diet is poor. Bet first ingredient in her commercial food is corn. No more grocery aisle food. It even contains euthanized animals from pounds and so called shelters. Kitty needs some raw diet, a good pet store, grooming store, special feed store product is EVO. California naturals is another. It may cost a little more than Purina but you save by having a healthy kitty who needs no vet.
No vaccines; they destroy the immune system. Google healthy kitty diets, google vaclib.org or other anti vaccine site for vaccine ingredients (documented) and you will never vaccinate anything. You might decide on a product Nzymes granules ( I would never be without them). I do their quarter teaspoon a day for years on end.
Have no skin problems, fleas, vomiting, joint problems or other. I swear by Nzymes to correct problems as I take in abuse victims, malnourished all sorts of needies. Very uplifting to see them get well and whole. No, I don't sell Nzymes. What you will find is diet is everything. Poor diet? Poor animal.
Sorry but a cat having up to date Vaccines is a GOOD thing, it give the Immune system something to learn how to fight with with out putting the animal in danger. No Animal however should be vaccinated when they are too young for the vaccine or too sick to have it, the immune system can become overloaded with trying to fight the infection it already has. Also your cat will not passes on things to cats that have not been vaccinate or those too young or old to be Vaccinated. People who do not vaccinate their cats are the likely subject of catching these diseases and passing it onto those who cannot be vaccinated.
if you see what they say about vacc's in Children on www.historyofvaccines.org/
you see why the same theory (like the theory of gravity, yet I don't see you jumping off a cliff) works on all animals.
Each disease for which vaccinations are recommended, however, can causes serious illness or death in unvaccinated populations, and might quickly begin to appear again if vaccination rates dropped. The United States has seen mumps outbreaks in recent years since vaccination rates have dropped, with severe complications and hospitalizations required for some patients. And before the introduction of the Hib (Haemophilus Influenzae Type b) vaccine, Hib meningitis affected more than 12,000 American children annually, killing 600 and leaving many others with seizures, deafness, and developmental disabilities. After introduction of the vaccine, the number of deaths from Hib dropped to fewer than 10 per year.
Check for ring worm with a good UV light. Missing hair can be a sign of ring worm. Its annoying but treatable.
Make sure you try and clean any area that lights up before freaking out though it may just be dust or some thing else on the coat. (Or They missed and went on themselves in the kitty litter) especially the area around the missing hair, and it doesn't have to be a circle either.
Treating ringworm with (Medication from the vet) Melesab (IE bathing your cat, its a pain but it can be done, trust me, we got good at it), Apple cider vinegar (on missing hair), Any anti bacterial and house hold cleaning bleaching and washing with a antibacterial wash... everything. Your things, your clothing all of it could be caring it...
Wash, wash, wash everything every day or as often as possible, this will illuminate re-contamination and hopefully make the ringworm go quicker. Wash the cat every 3 days (twice a week) or more if possible. Apple cider vinegar (on missing hair) and tablets if washing tears your arms apart.
3 lots of Ring worm out breaks and 20+ cats later. Working for a rescue group we unfortunately get a lot of hard cases. Is not call cute healthy kittens all the time.
My indoor cat is suddenly losing small clumps of hair and when brushed, the skin appears to have dandruff. Not sure of age, maybe 10 yrs old, and otherwise seems happy. It is me who is not. Anyone have an inkling as to the cause of this?
Rhea from NY
One of my friends owned a cat that was losing fur and she had a vet look at it. Her cat was vitamin deficient and after a few treatments, her cat was beginning to develop new fur. Her cat was old too.
By Myrna
I don't have any tips for the lost hair, but any pet shampoo which contains oatmeal does wonders for animal dandruff. My black cat had quite a lot of dandruff. After an oatmeal bath a year ago the dandruff has been absent. (02/03/2008)
By Joe
This happened to my ex-husband's cat. He didn't take Ashes to the vet and she got worse and worse, losing hair and weight, and she died. :(
This is not normal. Take her in to the veterinarian for an exam ASAP. (02/04/2008)
Please take your kitty to the vet. This happened to a cat I had, and when I took him to the vet, it turned out he had diabetes. It was basically too late, and we never even had time to get his insulin regulated. He went into a ketoacidotic crisis a week later and died. (02/05/2008)
By Kelly
Please take it to the vet! Mine did that and turns out she had kidney disease. She did not act sick, but had I caught it earlier she may have lived. (02/05/2008)
By Mara
First, check for fleas or mange. Is the fur just falling out on it's own, or is your cat overgrooming itself? If it's just falling out, there are too many things it could be, allergies, disease, illness, or stress. Get your kitty to a vet. If the hair loss is due to overgrooming, it could be fleas, stress, or just itchy skin. Then the kitty needs a bath with oatmeal and then try a half cup of apple cider vinegar diluted with half a cup of water in a spray bottle. Mist your kitty with it every few weeks and rub it into his skin. (The smell will go away once it dries.) The vinegar will stop kitty from overgrooming, will clear up dandruff, kill fleas, stop the itchies, and make the fur shiny. I use it on my kitty for his overgrooming, and on myself to stop dandruff, it really works great! (11/30/2008)
By Shei
I may sound like I'm repeating myself, but I've had this problem with my dog and with him having a yeast infection. After giving him a product called Nzymes, his fur was thick and silky. Our vet, who had wanted him on allergy shots was shocked to see him so much better within a few short months. I believe these Nzymes will help your kitty and she will act younger and have more energy. The kits at nzymes.com aren't cheap at the start, but they last 6 months or more. If you try it, you will see the difference (also with the dandruff). (04/27/2010)
By Lois Appel
