Post Punk Kitchen Forum

My cat has the worst dandruff. Its really thick and makes him uncomfortable. When we shaved him, he felt better but as its coming back, he is starting to feel grumpy again. He is supergrateful when we brush him, but that doesn't really make a dent in it.

The vet said just to give fish oil in food, but that didn't really help and I don't want to be giving him fish oil if there is a vegan sub. He won't take canola or veg oil. Even if I soak treats in it.

I don't know a whole lot about cats, but many dog owners I know give coconut oil to their dogs to keep their coats healthy. I would check with your vet to make sure it's ok, but maybe that's worth a try?

One of my cats had the worst coat when we got her. Switching her to a different food has made a world of difference, she is silky and soft now with no skin issues.

What food do you use? And how can I feed one type to cat 1 and another to cat 2? I really don't want to be spending $250 every 3 months to shave my cat.

She has had pancreatitis in the past so she was eating a prescription food (and her coat was crepe on it). I brought it up with my vet and I went through the nutritional analysis of several brands with my vet and she thought Wellness Healthy Weight (a dry food) would be fine for Luna. She's been on it for around 3 years now and does great on it. She does still get a bit of the prescription wet food each day too.

Both my cats eat the same food. The prescription wet food is fine to feed to my other cat and their diet is 60% dry anyway.

Are you having him shaved by a vet or a groomer? I'm a groomer, and the most I've ever heard of being charged for a cat shavedown is $100, but most are closer to $60ish.

Patience.

We decided to feed our cats just twice a day. We got separate plates for each of them and the cats started picking where they wanted to eat. We left the food down for maybe fifteen minutes and whatever they didn't eat, they didn't get. I either tossed it or put it in a container to feed again. They learned to concentrate on their own dishes and finish their share pretty quickly. It's fantastic, because I can monitor their appetites and get an idea of who isn't feeling well really quickly.

As for flakes...maybe give a grain-free type of a food a try. Avocado oil is another common oil that dog owners use.

Have you ruled out allergies like flea allergies? Mar gets dandruff when he has an allergic reaction. There is a powder you can buy with tons of Omega-3 vitamins, it has non-vegan stuff in it. Cats from what I gather cannot absorb things like flax and canola oil. You can try Avoderm cat food, they have an Intense Beauty line for cats that have dry skin.

i'm wary of avoderm as food - aren't avocados bad for cats and dogs? i never understood why they would make food if it's bad for cats and dogs.

i would try coconut oil. jack doesn't have any coat problems, but i know he loves the hell out of some coconut oil.

Mar has never gotten sick and he eats it. Also I mixed up Royal Canin with Avoderm - RC has the beauty line and our vet recommends the brand.

yeah, it just makes me uncomfortable. i'm sure if animals were getting sick, they wouldn't be allowed to sell it (i would hope).
everything i've ever read says avocados are toxic to domestic animals. so i've never understood what the deal was with avoderm.

Thank you for the input! I am trying to get Veto to eat coconut oil now.... Any hints?

I am a cat-n00b.

i was using it on my hands and jack would just walk up and lick me to death...

here's a pretty good article: http://www.allnaturalpethealth.com/how_ ... t_oil.html
(pretty good in how to administer, i'm unsure of their recommended amounts)

one article i read recommended 1T per day for belle (90 lbs), but this one says 1T per 30 lbs. 3T seems like too much to me.

i guess i would start with 1/4 t for veto and see how he does? if it seems to be helping with that small of an amount, i would stop there.

I have read that toxins could be found in the skin and pit which would not be in the oil.

the stuff i've read says that it's every part. but whatever, i'm not trying to start an argument. you don't have to justify your choices to me.

No need to be rude, seriously. I am not trying to justify anything I just have done my research and talked to my vet. Saying something is bad or you are wary of a product without research calls for me to clarify some points. Avoderm has a handy guide:
http://www.avodermnatural.com/About/why_avocados.htm

I just thought of another skin conditioner for cats: flax seed oil. I have read good things, plus it is in cat food. Mar did not mind flax in his wet food.

it's cool that you're fine with avoderm. i'm not. i didn't tell you to be wary of it or anyone else. i've also done my research. if you have something that's not put out by the company that puts out an entire line full of avocados, i'm happy to read it.

"i'm wary of avoderm as food - aren't avocados bad for cats and dogs?" implies that I should be wary. I am not trying to fight - I am just saying that this food has been around for 30 years and no reports have been filed. That said I only buy Mar a few cans of this a week, he eats other food. Also he has eaten 1/4 of a avocado before and never had any of the common problems (nasty poop).

Here is some info from ASPCA.
http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/ask-the-e ... l/Avocados

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/ask-the-e ... foods.aspx

It is not in-depth. I am glad you do your research, I have to. Obviously we both love our cats! I have followed the food guides that my vet set up for Mar's health. Let's agree to disagree if you even want to call it a disagreement?

Thanks for the tip on the coconut oil. I *think* its helping. He does this crazy licking thing if you scratch him, so I scratched him and put a spoon of oil in front of him and he ate it. Then I massaged some into his fur and trued to keep the dog from licking him. His skin looks better and the flakes are diminishing, so thank you again for the tip!

ha!

at least now you know cuddles likes it if he ever needs it.

I just want to chime in-- have you tried giving you cat Earth Balance? My cat loves EB, to the point that I can't leave my toast unattended for even a second... I'm not sure if it's the -best- thing for cats, but it hasn't hurt my kitty at all...

That is one big pussy you have there!

When I started giving my kitties the high end blue buffalo food I was astounded by how much better their coat looked. This stuff really does wonders for their fur and skin. It's pricey though, so we only feed our cats the dry food.
http://bluebuffalo.com/cat-food/wilderness-salmon