Hello everyone - I have a cat with fairly long hair.  I have to comb
her frequently to get the knots out of her fur, especially on her
back. I have had to take her to the vet to have her shaved twice, when
the fur became so matted I feared I was going to rip her skin right
off if I tried to comb her.  These tend to be disgusting oily mats, so
thick they cannot even be cut with scissors (I've tried)--but at the
same time she has terrible dandruff *constantly*.  I have purchased
two different prescription shampoos from two different vets--
ostensibly these are the shampoos that these vets used when they
shaved and bathed her.  They are:
- GlenHaven P1/S, which is indicated for seborrhea complex "and other
conditions"
- SulfOxyDex Benzoyl Peroxide Sulfur shampoo, also for seborrhea and
for moisturizing (according to the label)

The problem is, neither of these shampoos seem to work worth a damn on
the dandruff--even though her fur is still very short (she was shaved
about 2 months ago), she is shedding dead skin all over the place.  No
matter which shampoo I use, by the time she's dry there's dandruff all
over the place again.  I've even tried using Head-and-Shoulders but
that did not help either (although I've only used it on her once).

Does anyone have any suggestions on controlling the dandruff?  And--
how can a cat have oily skin and dry skin at the same time?  I would
think that the benzoyl peroxide shampoo in particular would simply
aggravate the dandruff...heck maybe I should just bathe her in mineral
oil next time.

And one other thing: One veterinarian recommended that I start giving
her fish oil daily for the dandruff...but that did not work either.

All suggestions welcome.  Thanks.

coloradoskibum