Dandruff in cats and cats - causes and treatment

A famous legend says that a cat has nine lives. It would be unfair if one of them purring beauty lived, suffering from dandruff. Few people know that dandruff can appear not only on human hair, but also on the head, back, legs and tails of cats. In this case, the appearance of seborrhea does not depend on whether your thoroughbred furry pet or not.

A disease such as dandruff is the upper layer of the skin, which is excessively rapidly exfoliated as a result of its necrosis. The dead cells of the skin of the cat's body simply rejects, so quite noticeable white particles appear on the coat. Does your pet have a need to combat dandruff? Of course have! A similar disease in a cat is the cause of various troubles, both for the fluffy beauty and her master.

Why does a cat get dandruff?

First of all, it is necessary to find out what exactly affects the occurrence of dandruff in pets. All causes can be divided into two large groups - internal and external.

External factors of the appearance of dandruff in a cat

1. Excessively dry air in the apartment where the pet is located. If the air in the room is too dry, the cat's skin becomes denser and rougher, trying to protect itself from a lack of moisture. And in the absence of moisture, the first reaction will be seborrhea. In addition, when the cat is too long in a room where the air is dry, the pads of its paws can become covered with cracks. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the air in the apartment during the heating period is sufficiently humid and not to allow rapid temperature jumps.
2. Parasites and mushrooms. If you do not pay enough time to the pet’s health and care, then parasites may appear on its coat. The presence of ticks and fleas also affects the development of dandruff. Of the most common fungal diseases for cats, microsporia can be distinguished, which affects mainly the claws, skin and hair of the back, and dermatomycosis, which manifests itself in the tail and on the face of the pet.
3. Sunburn. Dandruff on the cat’s back can occur if the pet gets plenty of sun ultraviolet, which makes the skin cells die faster.

Internal factors in the appearance of seborrhea in cats
Among them, the most common are:

• diseases of the internal organs and gastrointestinal tract;
• malfunctioning of the thyroid gland and diabetes;
• allergic manifestations;
• stress.

Cat owners need to know that their pet is extremely responsive to stress. For you this may seem like just a short trip, but for a cat this is a big shock, and, as a result, hair loss, phobias, seborrhea.

1. Hormonal disruptions.
2. Genitourinary diseases.
3. Peeling of the skin, dull hair - symptom allergies to products or environmental factors.
4. Improper diet - if a cat has dandruff, it means that he definitely does not have enough fatty acids. Omega-3 and omega-6 acids must be added to its diet.
5. Overweight - since it is difficult for overweight cats to take care of themselves, especially to brush their hair in hard to reach places, seborrhea often appears in the area of ​​the tail on the back of full pets.

It is also worth mentioning that all of the above factors affect the appearance of various types of dandruff, among which dry dandruff and greasy are distinguished. Understanding what kind of dandruff your pet has is easy. You only need to pet the cat against the coat. If small particles of dandruff easily separated from the skin and sprinkled, then this dandruff is dry. It needs to be treated differently than oily.

Greasy seborrhea can be defined as follows - see if your cat has glued hairs behind the ears and on the back, whether there is greasy hair in general. Greasy hair does not crumble when scratching the pet, but gets stuck under the nails.

The color of dandruff, of course, does not match the color of the animal. Most often, dandruff is white, yellow or gray. If dandruff is black, then the cat most likely has acne, parasites or a fungus.

You can comb out the dandruff using a furminator.

Treating Dandruff in Cats

What should be your first steps if you find dandruff in your cat? If you are not 100% sure of its causes or suspect that they can be extremely serious, then immediately take your pet to the veterinarian, he will tell you exactly how to cure seborrhea and what caused it.

First, the doctor collects an anamnesis: you will have to tell him how active your animal is, what diseases it suffered, what you bathe and feed your pet.

After that, the veterinarian will do various tests to determine the quality of dandruff and the following tests:

• general analysis of blood and b / x;
• determination of microcultures on the skin and crops;
• hormone analysis;
• skin biopsy;
• skin cytology and scraping from the skin.

If these tests do not show chronic diseases in your cat, then changing your shampoo and nutrition will help you cure your favorite pet.

Products containing large amounts of group A vitamins (found in beef liver and fish oil), vitamins B (vegetables and meat) are added to the cat's diet, and sweet and fatty foods are excluded. It is important to make sure that your pet’s diet contains all the required omega-3 and -6 fatty amino acids, which take a significant part in the normalization of metabolism, affect the healthy appearance of the cat’s skin and coat.

It is important to pay special attention to the care of the cat's coat. It is important to comb it regularly and with high quality using a brush with natural bristles. Due to timely and stable dry cleaning and combing, the hair follicles are saturated with oxygen, blood circulation rises, the epidermis begins to regenerate.

How to cure a cat at home

Owners of cute fluffy creatures should know that an excellent natural remedy that helps save an animal from seborrhea is decoctions of calendula, burdock root or nettle. Use the broth as follows: after bathing the cat with ordinary shampoo, rinse it with a decoction of herbs, this will help you solve the problem with dandruff faster.

Also do not forget about grooming. Comb the cat every day, because skin massage improves the blood circulation of the pet, thereby contributing to the growth of a healthier and stronger coat.

Prevention of the appearance of seborrhea in a cat

Pick up quality cosmetics to care for your cat.

• Do not bathe your pet in hot water.
• Make sure that no parasites appear on the pet’s hair.
• Do not let the cat stay in the scorching sun for a long time.
• Keep track of your pet's nutrition.
• Humidify the air in the apartment where your cat is located.

We sincerely wish you and your pet to always stay healthy!

Video: why does dandruff appear in dogs and cats?