 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeDiscussion GroupsGeneral TopicsCat AnecdotesHealth and BehaviorRescue CatKB.com Contact UsLink To UsSearch & Site Map |
Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / May 2005Cat with Dandruff but won't clean herself?
Hi all, We recently adopted a cat from the local cat rescuer. We knew she wasn't a healthy cat - we don't know how old she is, and she has bad diarrhea unless she takes steroids every day. Funny shaped - she's got a big pot belly. She also has bad dandruff. However, the woman said that the vet could not find anything wrong with her, despite the blood tests they ran. She was so cute - such a lap cat, and so in need of TLC that we took her. She is eating and pooping, but generally not very energetic. She LOVES to be pet, and will get on her back so you can rub her belly for hours while she coos and purrs (her purr sounds like a bird.) However, her coat is a mess - patchy fur, heavy dandruff, and we noticed she doesn't clean herself. What can we do? Is she not cleaning herself because she's old, or ill, or because her dandruff is so bad she's grossed out?? Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. We want to do well by our grannycat, and look forward to your advice. Thanks, Leslie <leslieharris@operamail.com> > Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. We want to do > well by our grannycat, and look forward to your advice. > > Thanks, > > Leslie Well check you out! I know very little about extra care...but I'm happy for you, and your little grandma cat. A couple of baths, a good lather with a gentle but medicated soap, maybe even a soft bristled brush to help exfoliate...? Is there any such thing as cat "Ensure" The strays I have seen here in Lynchburg, they have swollen bellies...from eating out of trash cans. Her belly might slowly go down for ya, after a long period of consistent food. If you can get her energy level up, I think this would be the grandest improvment. The good food and new home might just cure her all the way around....it sounds like she's got all the required TLC. -- Barry ... Women and cats are both black at night. - Bosnia ... > We recently adopted a cat from the local cat rescuer. Congratulations. Sounds like you havea very special kitty. > a big pot belly. She also has bad dandruff. However, the woman said > that the vet could not find anything wrong with her, despite the blood > tests they ran. She was so cute - such a lap cat, and so in need of TLC > that we took her. Maynard had dandruff for years. Nothing seemed to make a difference, and it never seemed to bother him. We tried vairous foods, and he groomed daily. He just had drier skin, I guess. > She is eating and pooping, but generally not very energetic. She LOVES > to be pet, and will get on her back so you can rub her belly for hours [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > she's old, or ill, or because her dandruff is so bad she's grossed > out?? You might try some of teh Royal Canin foods. I don't mean to sound like a vendor as I am not associated with them. Just very happy with their foods. They make several varieties designed for specific issues. I know they have one for hair and coat, one for sensitive stomachs, and if she's older, you might want to mix one of those with their senior food (for 15+). It has glucosamine. They should have samples of most of them at the cat shows - you can do some online searching for cat shows, then contact the vendor coordination to see see if one of their reps will be there. Or you can go to their website and ask them to send you a couple samples. Is it possible that because of her large belly that she has difficulty cleaning herself in certain areas. I have a black long-haired domestic and she is quite a big girl. As a result, she cannot reach certain areas and will often get matted if I don't keep up with her daily combing.... > Is it possible that because of her large belly that she has difficulty > cleaning herself in certain areas. I have a black long-haired domestic > and she is quite a big girl. As a result, she cannot reach certain > areas and will often get matted if I don't keep up with her daily > combing.... Which brings me to this: there are wet-wipe type things sold just for grooming cats. Not the regular wet-wipes that have icky stuff your cat should not ingest. I wanted to recommend that the OP, if he/she is not wild about the idea of a bath and all the trauma involved for most cats, go to Petsmart or mailorder from one of the pet supply places these wipes to maybe help the cat, who sounds old and kind of disinclined to groom. It is just a "bandaid" for now by might make you and kitty feel better. > > Is it possible that because of her large belly that she has difficulty > > cleaning herself in certain areas. I have a black long-haired domestic [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > kind of disinclined to groom. It is just a "bandaid" for now by might > make you and kitty feel better. I tried those wipes on my old girl, Tigger, and her fur just clumped up. Do you have a specific brand that you have found works? I have to "rake" the underfur regularly and then comb her out. She was a clean fanatic in her youth but just stopped grooming except certain spots she can't stand leaving dirty when her arthritis started acting up a few years ago. I have a feeling that she's not going to be with me much longer so I'll gladly take care of the grooming duties. W > I tried those wipes on my old girl, Tigger, and her fur just clumped up. Do > you have a specific brand that you have found works? I don't recall the brand--I used them on my girl Gnarly when she was older and lost interest in grooming. She had medium-length very fine fur that never snarled, but it got dusty and flaky. > I have to "rake" the underfur regularly and then comb her out. She was a > clean fanatic in her youth but just stopped grooming except certain spots > she can't stand leaving dirty when her arthritis started acting up a few > years ago. I have a feeling that she's not going to be with me much longer > so I'll gladly take care of the grooming duties. I wish I could help. My aunts used to use this weird "dry shampoo" in between shampoos (I never did as I have always shampooed every day, when you're showering anyway, why not?) that they worked in then combed out. It was maybe cornstarch based? I think it helped to control oil? I wonder if there isn't something like that which would work on cats? Understanding that anything we put on the cat's coat would have to be safe for her to ingest. > I wish I could help. My aunts used to use this weird "dry shampoo" in > between [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > something like that which would work on cats? Understanding that anything we > put on the cat's coat would have to be safe for her to ingest. There *is* something like this for cats now. Back when Jay Jay was having diarrhea, the store people showed it to me. I had just gotten his pantaloons shaved, so I didn't need it right away, but it was something to keep in mind. It was at Petco, but I'm sure other stores would carry it. They had that plus the pet wipes, and a kind of grooming glove that you pet the cat with, so it doesn't snag like a brush. > There *is* something like this for cats now. > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > a kind of grooming glove that you pet the cat with, so it doesn't snag > like a brush. Excellent. I hope the OP can find it. > Back when Jay Jay was having diarrhea, the store people showed it to > me. I had just gotten his pantaloons shaved, so I didn't need it right > away, but it was something to keep in mind. It was at Petco, but I'm > sure other stores would carry it. They had that plus the pet wipes, and > a kind of grooming glove that you pet the cat with, so it doesn't snag > like a brush. What I don't like about most of the OTC grooming supplies are that they are scented. I don't really want my cats ingesting perfumes. :/ You can dust a brush or comb with corn starch to keep it from snagging, BTW. We used to powder the cats and comb them out before sending them home at the cat hospital - the guardians always exclaimed how pretty they looked. Except some newbie would always put too much on the comb for a black cat, so sometimes they went out looking a little dull/grey. You just have to make sure they can't inhale the corn starch though - you have to be pretty careful. And teflon-coated combs are the *best* tool for grooming - especially long-haired cats. they son't snag at all. I have a really greasy dog - her coat is very water-repellant. She must have some water-loving breed in her. I use the corn starch on her to keep the grease absorbed and to keep the hair from looking slick. She gets groomed about every 6 weeks and still gets greasy. -L. > Hi all, > > We recently adopted a cat from the local cat rescuer. <snip> Dandruff is almost always diet related. If she has IBD (or constant diarrhea) she is probably not absorbing the correct nutrients to keep her coat healthy. If the diarrhea is under control, feed her the highest-quality food you can that is high in Omega-3 fatty acids, assuming she can tolerate it with her G.I. issues. It could also be yeast infection of the skin - if it is white dandruff, excessive and very flaky. As vet should be able to diagnose yeast of the skin, as it needs to be treated with an antifunga wash and possibly antifungal oral meds. Another thought which comes to mind is stud tail. Stud tail can affect any cat - male or female, neutered or not. It results in greasy dandruff along the spine and base of the tail. It needs to be washed with a grease-cutting detergent such as Dawn dish detergent (rinse well) and follwed up with a soothing shampoo such as Allergroom followed by an Epi-Soothe (conditioner) rinse. If it is regular dandruff (diet related or not), you can still use the above shampoo and conditioner (Allergroom and Epi-Soothe) to help condition the coat. Once the base coat is clean, it will be easier to keep her groomed and dandruff-free. Both shampoos can be ordered from your vet or from Fosters & Smith online. -L. Mine got hers when she got fixed. Ruined her personality too. Nothing in her diet will change it and she's too fat to clean herself. I give her baths every once in a while but it really makes her mad. In the meantime i use babywipes to wash her butt. > Mine got hers when she got fixed. Ruined her personality too. > Nothing in her diet will change it and she's too fat to clean > herself. I give her baths every once in a while but it really makes > her mad. In the meantime i use babywipes to wash her butt. A cat that is "too fat to clean herself" has one problem .... her owner feeding her too much. Thank you to all of you who have written! I got those clean wipes, and her coat looks much better. My husband doesn't feel he needs to bathe after petting the cat now! Also, for the week she's been in our house, her energy has improved TREMENDOUSLY, and she is in her full alley-cat glory - eager to eat anything that's not nailed down or in the cupboards. She has even started to meow, though we think something happened to her vocal chords because barely a sound comes out!! Onwards and upwards granny cat! > Thank you to all of you who have written! I got those clean wipes, and > her coat looks much better. My husband doesn't feel he needs to bathe [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Onwards and upwards granny cat! Ha ha! WTG - Did you ever tell what her name is? As far as her vocal chords, I think she's very appreciative of ya'lls hopsitality, and by being quiet, she can rule out any possibilities of being mis-understood..haha. Her given name was Dinah, which my husband and I joke that she was given this name when they found her (she was at death's door but survived). Die? Nah... We renamed her Grannycat. What does WTG mean? > Her given name was Dinah, which my husband and I joke that she was > given this name when they found her (she was at death's door but > survived). Die? Nah... > > We renamed her Grannycat. What does WTG mean? WTG - Way to go! I like that, Grannycat - lots of personality > Thank you to all of you who have written! I got those clean wipes, and > her coat looks much better. My husband doesn't feel he needs to bathe > after petting the cat now! Well, good! Bet granny cat feels better too--and she has to feel loved as you are probably the first creature since her mothercat to groom her. :) >Also, for the week she's been in our house, > her energy has improved TREMENDOUSLY, and she is in her full alley-cat > glory - eager to eat anything that's not nailed down or in the > cupboards. Super. You've done a wonderful thing. She has even started to meow, though we think something > happened to her vocal chords because barely a sound comes out!! My Gnarly was like this, I think it is adorable. > Onwards and upwards granny cat! We need to see some pics! Have you made a Yahoo photo page yet? It is easy and free! |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.