In most cases, you can get rid of dandruff on your own.

To find out exactly why your cat has dandruff, you need to consult a veterinarian.

The first thing to do is review your diet. It is known that many cat treats contain large quantities of chemical additives and preservatives, so they can cause skin diseases in your pet. Once you put your cat on it, you will see results in 4-6 weeks. Such a diet should be balanced and based only on natural products.

Add some fatty acids such as omega-3 and omega-6 to your cat's diet. Thanks to these acids, skin cells are renewed and dryness and flaking are prevented. In addition, it is worth purchasing vitamins for cats at specialized veterinary institutions.

Study special literature on caring for the skin and fur of cats, there you can find tips on how to properly brush your pet.

Try to create a favorable microclimate in your home using an air conditioner or humidifier. Carry out a course of treatment with immunomodulating and immunostimulating drugs. They will help your pet overcome the disease on his own.

If your cat’s dandruff was discovered not yesterday, but more than one week ago, but none of the above tips helped, do not hesitate and contact a specialist. The veterinary clinic will conduct the necessary examinations and provide qualified assistance.

According to legend, a cat has 9 lives and what a shame if the animal lives one of them suffering from dandruff. Yes, dandruff occurs not only on the heads and not only on people, but also on the tails, backs and paws of cats. Moreover, seborrhea can appear both in a charming mongrel beauty.

Dandruff is the top scaly layer of the skin, which flakes off too quickly as a result of its necrosis. The body simply rejects dead skin cells, which is how visible “snowflakes” appear.

Is it necessary to fight dandruff in cats? It's a no-brainer! Dandruff in a cat is the cause of many troubles that befall both the animal and its owner.

Causes of dandruff in cats

First, let's figure out what factors influence the formation of dandruff. Conventionally, these factors can be divided into external and internal.

External causes of dandruff in cats

Dry indoor air

With a lack of moisture in the air, the animal's skin becomes denser and rougher. And seborrhea is the first reaction to the lack of proper hydration.

Sunburn

Excessive ultraviolet radiation from the sun accelerates the death of skin cells, resulting in dandruff on the cat’s back.

Internal causes of dandruff in cats

• Gastrointestinal diseases
• Diseases of the genitourinary system
• Hormonal imbalances
• Diseases of internal organs
• Problems with the thyroid gland or diabetes mellitus provoke the appearance of dandruff.
• Allergy
• Dull fur and flaking skin are some of the signs of food or environmental allergies.

• Stress

Cats react very sharply and emotionally to. It would seem that just a short trip - and the cat’s hair is already falling out, seborrhea, fears and phobias have appeared.

• Taking medications

Dandruff in a cat during drug therapy can be a side effect, since some drugs cause dry skin. The same effect is possible from the use of certain shampoos.

• Poor nutrition

There is dandruff - there are no fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6) in the bowl and there is a reason to reconsider the cat’s diet. Does your cat still have hair coming out? The lack of essential fatty acids is a proven fact.

• Excess weight

In overweight cats, dandruff often forms on the back near the tail. Mainly due to the fact that an overweight animal is not able to properly care for itself in hard-to-reach places.

Separately, we note that the above reasons influence the fact that the quality of dandruff is different. It can be dry or oily. You can determine this by stroking the cat against the grain. If the dandruff is showered with “fine flour” and is easily separated from the skin, then it is dry dandruff. Its treatment regimen is different from the treatment regimen for oily dandruff.

Signs of oily seborrhea are glued hairs on the back and behind the ears, and the greasy quality of the coat in general. A slight “snowfall” movement of the hand cannot lift such scales; they remain under the nails when the animal is scratched.

Treatment of dandruff in cats

What to do if you find dandruff on your cat? If you are not sure of its causes, if you suspect serious underlying causes, the advice of a veterinarian who knows how to remove dandruff from a cat will help you.

Then the doctor will conduct tests to determine the quality of seborrhea (see above) and the following tests:

• general blood analysis;
• blood biochemistry;
• hormone analysis;
• skin scrapings and skin cytology;
• culture on a nutrient medium and identification of a skin culture (to identify a bacterial or fungal pathogen);
• skin biopsy.

If the tests do not reveal a chronic disease, then treatment will consist of changing the menu and changing cosmetic products.

Sweet foods and fatty foods should disappear from the cat’s menu, and foods containing vitamins A should appear.

And against dandruff it will normalize the functioning of the sebaceous glands, perform antifungal and antibacterial functions, and exfoliate dead skin cells.

Treatment at home

NOTE TO THE OWNER! A decoction of burdock root, calendula, and nettle is a good remedy that helps in the fight against seborrhea. Finish bathing your animal by rinsing the fur and skin with this decoction and the problem will go away faster.

Health to you and your pet!

There are 3 types of dandruff in felines.

• Dry. It can be shaken off your hands and fur. Gives the animal's hair a dry, dull appearance.
• Fat. May have different thickness. Thus, the “liquid” version is manifested by a pronounced greasiness of the hairs, which are glued together. If you stroke the animal, excess secretion will remain on the palm. With increased density of dandruff (less sebaceous secretion and more skin flakes), it remains in large quantities under the owner’s nails when trying to scratch the pet.
• Mixed. The death of skin cells and the work of the sebaceous glands occur unevenly on the surface of the animal’s body, which leads to alternating dry and oily seborrhea.

Why does dandruff occur in cats?

The causes of dandruff in cats are divided into two categories: external and internal.

Domestic

• Poor coat care (insufficient quality combing, infrequent washing, unsanitary living conditions, etc.)
• Dry air (dry skin leads not only to seborrhea, but also cracking of the pads of the limbs)
• Ultraviolet rays (accelerate keratinization processes, dry the skin, disrupt heat exchange processes)
• Incorrectly selected animal coat care products
• Stress
• Microtrauma of the epidermis (for example, due to an incorrectly selected comb)
• Frequent bathing (leads to dry skin)

To cure a mustachioed pet, you need to find out why he has dandruff. And here you cannot do without the help of a veterinarian. At the clinic, the owner will definitely be asked about the cat’s living and feeding habits, favorite habits (for example, he prefers to “sunbathe” in direct sunlight), hygiene products, previous diseases, and so on.

A mandatory item will be the passing of laboratory tests (which ones - at the discretion of the doctor):

• blood for general indicators, biochemistry, hormonal changes;
• taking material from the surface of the skin;
• biopsy;
• cultural research in a nutrient medium and others.

If tests show pathological changes in the animal's body, the veterinarian may order further examination.

Is it possible to determine the cause of dandruff at home?

In the absence of a veterinarian, you can roughly find out what caused dandruff in your cat. For example, if there are light yellow scales on the pet’s body, then such seborrhea can be caused by allergies, UV radiation (from the sun), or a disorder of the internal organs.

If increased shedding of dead skin particles is localized near the tail, it can be assumed that the pet has received a sunburn or has contracted a fungal infection. The same location of seborrhea is observed in felines that are overweight (since it is physically difficult for the animal to reach this area).

Helminth infections, dermatomycosis, joint diseases and other pathologies can lead to dandruff, localized not only in the tail area, but also in the lumbar area. And wandering dandruff (in the form of “tracks”) on the back, face, and paws is often a sign of a subcutaneous mite.

How to treat dandruff in cats

Treatment of dandruff in cats is carried out comprehensively and necessarily involves compliance with hygiene rules. The owner of a furry pet will have to not only provide it with medications, but also carry out a general cleaning of the room, monitor its behavior so that there is no hypothermia, overheating, contact with foreign animals, and so on.

Therapeutic measures include:

• drug treatment of the underlying disease, if it has been identified;
• taking antihistamines to relieve itching;
• taking vitamins;
• use of medicinal detergents;
• traditional methods;
• diet therapy (especially if you are overweight and have allergic dandruff);
• massage that improves blood circulation in the skin.

Drug treatment

Medicines prescribed for the treatment of dandruff in patients with mustaches may belong to different groups. In case of inflammatory processes on the skin (dermatitis) or their high risk, the doctor will prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs, and in case of itching - antihistamines. Depending on the disease that provoked seborrhea, the following groups of medications may be prescribed:

• anthelmintics;
• antifungal;
• hormonal;
• antibacterial.

If the reason lies not in an internal disorder, but in an external factor, then, as a rule, they limit themselves to diet, folk methods and a change in hygiene products.

Vitamins for dandruff

The veterinary pharmacy today offers a huge selection of vitamin and mineral complexes that help restore the cat’s metabolism and appearance. Some of them are aimed at activating hair growth (Sherstevit), others have an antiallergic effect (for example, Veda). There are complexes that normalize the functioning of the sebaceous glands, affecting metabolic processes in general (Farmavit-neo). Taking vitamins is an essential part of treating dandruff, regardless of its cause.

Medicinal shampoos

Medicated shampoos will help rid your cat of severe dandruff. When choosing, you need to pay attention to the composition. They usually contain the following components.

Component

Action

Chlorhexidine

Antiseptic, antibacterial action.

Salicylic acid

Promotes faster rejection of dead skin particles. Has a healing effect.

Has a healing effect. Stimulates the restoration of the epidermis.

Burr oil

It has anti-inflammatory, regenerating, hair growth stimulating effects. Softens the skin.

Plant extracts

They have a variety of therapeutic effects on hair and skin.

Important: the therapeutic hygiene product must match the type of dandruff the cat has. Otherwise, complications may occur.

Traditional methods

When choosing one or another traditional method of treatment, you also need to consider what type of dandruff a cat develops. For example, with dry dandruff, lactic acid, urea, and oils are used to wash the animal. If the scales are oily, drying agents are used: salicylic acid, vinegar, preparations with sulfur. In any case, rubbing oils (burdock, olives, calendula) into the hair and skin gives a good effect, since at the same time the skin is massaged, blood flow is improved, and the epidermis is cleansed.

Wool can be wiped with decoctions of medicinal plants. Often used are infusions of calendula or string, burdock, and oat decoction. Such rubbing can be done every other day. Pouring or bathing in herbal decoctions can be done once every 1-2 months. You can combine washing with a medicated shampoo and rinsing the wool with a herbal solution.

Why is dandruff dangerous for cats?

Neglected dandruff can lead to complications. One of them is hair loss, up to complete or local baldness. It happens that such places are difficult or impossible to restore in the future. Hair loss occurs due to the fact that dandruff accumulations interfere with gas exchange in the skin, causing disruption of metabolic processes and weakening of hair follicles.

Another complication is purulent inflammation of the skin, reaching the deep layers. The accumulation of dead epidermis serves as an excellent breeding ground for the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms. Normally, they live on healthy skin, but cannot cause harm due to the good functioning of local immunity. With seborrhea, the immune system weakens, microbes multiply, redness, irritation, and itching occur. As a result of scratching, the infection penetrates even deeper - ulcers, pus, and eczema appear.

Prevention measures

The appearance of dandruff on your cat's fur can be prevented. To do this you will need:

When you notice the first symptoms, you must take your cat to a veterinarian. You should not treat dandruff on your own through trial and error.

You love your cat so much, take care of your pet, buy him all sorts of goodies - and suddenly there’s dandruff! Could this be possible? Find out what this means and what to do if you notice dandruff on your cat’s back and around the tail.

Signs of the disease

If you notice white scales on your pet that look like snowflakes, this is dandruff. The skin of animals is constantly subject to processes of rejuvenation and regeneration, with one layer of the epidermis dying off and a new one appearing in its place. The number of scales in this case is insignificant and invisible to the naked eye, because this is a natural process.

There are pathological conditions when the number of dead cells significantly exceeds the norm. This disease occurs in all cats, regardless of whether they are blue blood or mongrel, young or old. In scientific medical language it is called seborrhea.

Seborrhea is a skin disease that is characterized by disturbances in the functioning of the sebaceous glands. Through them, increased fat secretion occurs, so the hair in its lower part looks as if glued together. In this case, the upper layers of the epidermis peel off, thus forming scales, which are called dandruff.

Most often, dead skin cells appear on the back, near the tail, and on the sides. Seborrhea is also indicated by a specific odor emanating from the animal. Every caring owner can smell a change in the smell of their pet.

Why are our pets susceptible to such troubles, what are the causes of seborrhea? There can be many reasons. Let's look at the most common ones.

Conventionally, the reasons can be divided into two groups: external and internal.

Internal:

• disease of the gastrointestinal tract, which leads to metabolic disorders;
• allergic reactions of various origins (to food, household chemicals, irritating environmental factors);
• disruption of the musculoskeletal system. Due to joint pain, the animal is unable to properly groom itself;
• overweight cats also do not allow them to take care of their skin and fur;
• use of medicines, use of cosmetics (shampoos, glosses, washing gels).

There are two types of seborrhea - dry and oily. If, when stroking a cat, dandruff crumbles, then this is a dry type of disease, but if particles of skin remain at the base of the fur and do not fall from it, then this is oily seborrhea.

Treatment methods

The veterinarian will tell you how to treat your beloved animal. It is better not to treat your pet on your own. The veterinarian, first of all, must determine the type of dandruff and find out the reasons why it arose. The treatment method depends on this. Treatment for seborrhea cannot be limited to just one medicine or special shampoo. Treatment must be comprehensive. To begin with, the doctor finds out all the habits, habits, behavior of the pet, the way it is fed (dry formula, canned cat food or regular food from your table), what detergents were used to care for the fur and skin.

Depending on the picture obtained, the veterinarian prescribes the necessary tests:

• general blood analysis;
• skin scrapings;
• skin cytology;
• bacterial cultures on the skin environment.

Preventative care

It is important to monitor the animal's nutrition. Buy only balanced food and give enough liquid. If the cat does not like to drink, then food should be purchased in the form of canned food with plenty of moisture. Maintain a normal weight and do not overeat.

Your pet's skin and fur should be kept in good condition. Representatives of cats take care of their fur themselves, but this is not always enough. It is necessary to bathe the animal once every 3-4 months, using shampoos for cats; after bathing and drying, the pet must be combed with special combs. You can take your pet to a groomer who will help tidy up the coat, especially for breeds with long hair.

Do not allow your ward to sleep on a radiator or in the open sun, this leads to dry skin.

Many pet owners are confident that dandruff in cats is a minor problem that will resolve itself. However, this opinion is incorrect. Imagine that you wash your hair no more than once every three months, during which time the surface of your head becomes covered with affected areas. Now think about your pet, whom you bathe even less often.

So why does dandruff form? Before looking for the causes of dandruff in your pet, you should understand the disease itself. In the layers of the skin there are sebaceous glands that produce “sebum” - this is sebum that covers the epithelium and, thereby, protecting it from external factors. Dandruff itself is dead skin cells. Of course, the replacement of dead cells occurs in all animals, but this process is extremely invisible. If such scales become more and more numerous, action should be taken to combat dandruff in the animal. Frequent peeling of the top layers of skin indicates problems with your pet's health.

External factors

Let's consider external factors that can cause dandruff in cats:

Internal factors

Now let's talk about the internal factors that cause dandruff:

• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract or genitourinary system.
• Causes of hormonal imbalance. This disease has several causes; for a more accurate diagnosis, you should consult a veterinarian.
• Allergy. Cats, like people, are susceptible to allergies. It occurs due to food, or hygiene products (soap, shampoo), due to pollen or dirt and dust in the house. Very often the hair falls out and becomes very matted.
• Stress. Irritation and overexertion can also lead to the formation of dandruff in your four-legged friend.
• Lack of vitamins. Veterinary pharmacies sell additional essential macronutrients for your pets.
• Consequences of taking pills and other drugs. Any medicine that can cure dandruff in a cat can cause disturbances in the body or an excess of one or another vitamin. All this will lead to an imbalance of substances.
• Monotonous food. Cats are carnivores, however, their diet should include a variety of foods in addition to meat that contain nutrients, amino acids and other minerals.

There are many reasons for the appearance of dandruff. It is necessary to carry out timely treatment. It’s not so scary if these are external factors, while internal causes are much more serious and dangerous. If the problem is not at all in dry air, indoors or monotonous food, then you should immediately consult a doctor, who will tell you exactly the cause of the disease.

Types of dandruff

There are two types of dandruff in animals: dry and oily. The occurrence of one or another is due to the individual characteristics of the cat’s body. The most common manifestation of dandruff is dry, dead skin. White scales cover every part of the animal's fur. In turn, oily dandruff in cats is divided into thick and thin. It all depends on the area of ​​dandruff formation; if it is on the back and the area behind the ears, then this is the first type. The animal's hairs become covered with a greasy layer, and if you bathe a cat, after a few days the hair comes out and becomes dirty again.

How to get rid of dandruff?

In order to proceed to this point, you need to know the exact cause of dandruff.

Very often this is the wrong diet. So what should an owner do when faced with this reason? If this is the cause of your pet's illness, then it is worth reviewing its menu. Nowadays it has become popular to purchase cat food, which, according to owners, contains all the necessary microelements and substances for complete nutrition. This is an erroneous judgment. It has been scientifically proven that if you feed an animal canned food, this will lead to the formation of stones in the bladder, in addition, dandruff occurs and the hair begins to shed heavily. Include vegetables, meat, and dairy products in your diet.

If the reasons lie in improper care, then you should read literature and articles about methods of caring for your four-legged friends. The rules are very simple and clear. Do not forget that, despite the fact that cats do not like to bathe, they still need to be washed, albeit extremely rarely. Use specialized shampoo and hygiene products that are sold in pharmacies. You need to choose a shampoo based on the type of dandruff, which must be determined by the veterinarian himself.

If dandruff appears, you should consult a specialist. Only he will be able to correctly determine the cause of this disease and prescribe treatment. The laboratory conducts a complete analysis of your pet's health status. This includes scrapings from the skin, as well as taking blood and urine for analysis. Treatment should be carried out under the supervision of a physician. The doctor himself interviews the owners in detail about the diet, hygiene products and other medications that the cat uses.

Eliminate allergic pathogens. If the cause of dandruff lies in uncleanliness, then immediately clean your home. Do not forget that the impact is not only on your cat, but also on all family members. If the reason lies in dry air, then it's time to buy a humidifier. You should also hang a damp cloth on the radiator, this will increase the air humidity in the apartment.

Dandruff is the most common cause of animal diseases. Although it does not cause terrible discomfort to your pet, treatment is strictly necessary. Carefully monitor the health of your four-legged pet and, if any signs of a particular disease occur, you should immediately contact a specialist who will examine the animal and prescribe the necessary medications for further treatment.