Pet Lovers

[aqua3]

Hi Everyone,

  My 17 y/o Kitty seems to have developed "dandruff" from midback down.....She doesn't like to have that  region   touched or  brushed much  due to arthritis..... 

 She's been eating 99% grain free wet food for several years now , only gets a few kibbles occ.....

 Called Vet and they suggested to bath her in oatmeal /alovera shampoo....  She's not used to beeing bathed so would probably freak....

 Any help would really be appreciated !

TIA  

[SXMGirl]

@aqua3, it sounds like your kitty has allergies.  Our Darcy is about 16 and she just developed a very bad case.  She is a dog, and along with the allergies, has a serious case of dermatitis.  No idea how she got it, but it is not contagious.  The treatment will probably be somewhat different, but she is on prednisone and clavamox, which is what your vet might prescribe.  You really need to get kitty to the vet asap for a true diagnosis.  I am surprised that you were not advised to bring her in for an exam.

[lolakimono]

@aqua3

This can be from other things too, like thryroid issues.

[Sushismom]

I would also suggest taking her to the vet to rule out any disease or other problems. However, one of my cats didn't groom much and had dandruff. Not much I could do since I couldn't force her to groom herself. And no matter how much I brushed her (which, luckily, she liked), it would always come back.

[aqua3]

Thank you All for your suggestions !

  I made an appt . for her this afternoon.....She already has kidney disease so am hoping she's not dx with another serious disorder..... 

[cotto22]

We have a calico with on and off again dandruff problems. Our veterinarian son suggested vitamin e capsules on her food and that really helped. Would be a good idea to rule out other issues too, however.

[KingstonsMom]

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@cotto22 wrote:

We have a calico with on and off again dandruff problems. Our veterinarian son suggested vitamin e capsules on her food and that really helped. Would be a good idea to rule out other issues too, however.

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@aqua3

I agree with @cotto22, Vitamin E or fish oil on the food works well.

When they reach that age sometimes cats quit grooming the back half of their body (hard/hurts to reach?).

I would also suggest aloe vera baby wipes (or rub real aloe vera from a plant - not the bottled stuff for sunburns) several times a day instead of a bath, especially if the cat isn't used to/or likes baths and I've never met one that did, LOL!

DD has 9 indoor cats and this works for her on a couple of the older ones (17-18) with 'dandruff' issues.

[candys mine]

Aww,  17 years and kidney DZ and arthritus.  Gentle hug and a soft blanket to her.  Could be the arthritus, she just hurts to much to get back there.  Could be the Kidney Dz keeping her a bit dehydrated,  Dandruff can be a symptom of other problems as well.  Fish oil suppliment might help. Try to run a Comb through her coat on her back where she can no longer reach to groom herself.  Matts commonly develop if they can't groom there.

[Lapdog]

@aqua3Older cats seem to have this problem.   I would recommend an experienced caring groomer to bathe your kitty. 

The quicker it is done for the kittys freak out, the better.

My sister is owned by cats.  She will cry because they get upset.  

The quicker I could bathe them the faster they would be toweled off and drying comfortably(for a cat).

Because I have bathed so many, their freakouts can be handled more efficiently.

[aqua3]

Thank you so much EVERYONE for your help !!!

I took her in this afternoon and the Dr.suggested to try FishOil caps..... She dindn't repeat labs since they were just done recently.

So I will start the  FO ,get some whipes and also try the combing.....

Thank you again Everyone