Home Remedies for Cats With Dandruff
Those same little white flakes that sell millions of dollars of medicated shampoo to human consumers can afflict cats as well. Since a cat has hair all over her body, dandruff is easy to spot. The flakes are dead, dried-out skin and usually the result of some sort of allergic dermatitis -- a reaction to something that makes the cat's skin dry, itchy, or scaly.
The causes of allergic dermatitis can be anything from parasites -- such as fleas or mites -- to sunburn, to a sensitivity to new carpeting, or even to something as simple as the air being too dry during heating season. Don't confuse dandruff -- the result of abnormally dry or itchy skin -- with dander. Dander refers to normal shedding of dead skin cells, combined with proteins in the cat's saliva that is left on the hair and skin when the cat grooms herself. (This dander isn't the result of an allergic reaction in the cat, but it is the cause of allergies to cats in humans.)
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Excessive sunlight can contribute to your cat's dandruff.
What to Do
What's the humidity? If you feel like the air is dry in your home and your skin feels dry and tight as a result, you can bet your cat is experiencing the same thing. Humidifying will not only lick the dry skin problem, it will cut down on static electricity in your cat's coat and reduce the likelihood of winter colds.
Look for freeloaders. Check your cat for parasites. Bites from fleas, lice, and mites can all cause allergic dermatitis. Chyletiella mites have been called "walking dandruff" since they're large enough to see with the naked eye but too small to distinguish detail. All skin parasites can be treated fairly easily, but in order to stamp them out completely, you'll probably have to treat all other animals in the home, the house itself, and sometimes even the people.
Made in the shade. A cat's coat protects the sensitive skin underneath from the burning rays of the sun. But cats that spend a lot of time outdoors can still get sunburn, especially on the tips of their ears, eyelids, nose, or lips. Any place the hair is sparse -- the area on the head above the eye and below the ear or wherever the cat has scars or bald patches -- is particularly sensitive. Sunburn kills the top layer of skin, which dries up and flakes off. Repeated sunburn can cause skin cancer -- another reason to keep cats indoors. At the very least, cats that have had a sunburn or are especially at risk for it (cats with thin, sparse, or white coats, for example) should be kept indoors during the most intense period of ultraviolet (burning) sun rays -- generally from about 10:00 o'clock in the morning to 3:00 or 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon.
When to Call the Vet
Persistent or worsening itching and flaking or the presence of parasites calls for professional veterinary care. Over-the-counter pet shampoos and parasite treatments usually aren't potent enough to do the trick.
DANGER LEVEL: Most causes of dandruff are not dangerous. But, if left untreated, some causes may be so uncomfortable that the cat scratches herself raw, running a mildly dangerous risk of infection.
Diarrhea is a problem that most might now want to talk about, but it can be even more serious for cats than for humans. Learn some home remedies to treat this condition in the next section.
