Because it can be caused by underlying illnesses and be uncomfortable for you pet, it's important to know how to care for cat dry skin.
How You Know if Your Cat has Dry Skin
You'll know if your feline has dry skin by simply taking a look at it and being observant to his behavior. Gently check in various places on his body, pushing aside fur, and see what the skin beneath looks like. Dry skin will be flaky, contain dandruff, or possibly even be scabbed in areas. Sometimes your cat might pull out some of his own hair because of the irritation.
The Causes of Dry Skin
First things first, you need to know what is causing the dry skin problem, whether it's fleas, parasites, allergies, or a nutritional deficiency. In most cases, nutritional deficiencies are the cause. But check your cat for fleas as this is also a common problem. If your cat is exceedingly itchy on top of having dry skin, there could be another problem such as heart, kidney or thyroid diseases, or allergies. If your cat receives a regular bath, this could also be your problem. Cats are designed to groom themselves, and their skin produces special chemicals to keep it healthy. Baths at too frequent intervals can wash away these chemicals and result in dry skin.
Second, once you've determined the cause, you can start looking into what treatment you should implement. Obviously if the dry skin is a result of a serious underlying problem, you'll need to take your kitty into the vet and find out what's wrong.
But, most commonly, if your cat is merely suffering from dandruff, he's probably lacking something in his diet.
Dietary Changes to Fix the Problem
The best way to fix kitty's dry skin problem is not to run out and buy grooming products. Not yet, at least. Instead, take a look at your cat's food and try to figure out what he may be missing. Some of the nutritional things that could be causing dry skin:
A lack of Omega 3 Fatty Acids (Fish Oil). This is essential to your cat's skin health and, if he isn't getting enough of them, could easily be causing his skin problem. You can switch him over to a cat food more rich in omega 3, or you can purchase supplements from your local pet store.
A lack of Vitamin E. This, too, should be present in your cat's food. If it isn't, it can be supplemented as well.
Meat by-products. Check the ingredients on your cat food can, box or bag. If "meat by-products" is near the top, this is not a good sign. Meat by-products are the parts of (most commonly) cows, that do not consist of meat. Instead, these are brains, livers, kidneys, stomachs, blood, intestines and the like which are set aside as not being appropriate for human consumption. Many cats develop a bad reaction to beef or beef/meat by-products that can include dry skin. Try to get a cat food whose primary ingredient is something like chicken, turkey or lamb. This means they're getting the actual meat and not the leftover parts that aren't helping them much nutritionally.
Other Things to Try
Lastly, a few other natural herbal remedies might assist your problem:
- Horsetail
- Dandelion (vitamins A, D, C, B, iron, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and others)
- Spirulina (contains protein, B12, and folic acid)
- Kalium sulphate