Help with my cat's coat.

[Firstluvarty]

I love all animals.. but I am a dog person first.. I do have a cat - who thinks he's a dog ;o).. but I have a question? In the winter my cats skin gets really dry and I don't know what to do...
I can't add anything to his food - ei olive oil, oils from the pet store as he refuses to eat it.. I've tried everything... I have a spray bath I can use but it doesn't seem to do anything as it doesn't get down to his skin.. With the dogs they just get a little olive oil and it works - but they are also outside more...

HELP!!!! He's black so the dry flakes are really obvious...

[KatzNK9]

This is one of those things that is best handled from the "inside-out" & he could have some allergy to an ingredient in his food. I'd suggest a change in diet to a brand that is considered to have fewer ingredients common to food allergy. I'd also try to find a skin supplement that you can get down him.

I recommend a good "real" bath (suds & rinse ... and rinse thoroughly) followed by a good coat conditioner & my favorite products for overly dry skin are:
http://www.medi-vet.com/detail.aspx~ID~2513
http://www.medi-vet.com/detail.aspx~ID~1884
http://www.medi-vet.com/detail.aspx~ID~2522
http://www.medi-vet.com/detail.aspx~ID~1868

After a good bath, I'd consider using this product or one similar to it:
http://www.medi-vet.com/detail.aspx~ID~1912

Good options for supplements are:
http://www.1800petmeds.com/pdetail.asp?SK=10859
http://www.entirelypets.com/ecsizderreg2.html

An easy additional suggestion ... not to be overused & certainly not as effective as the things I've mentioned above ... but I also give my cats the equivalent of about 1/2 of a "pat" of softened butter once a week. Most cats love it & I think it also keeps down the hairballs.

Hope this helps.

[alibob238]

maybe this is bad, but when our cats are like that we just leave them be, as it soon passes and doesn't seem to cause any discomfort.
but if your cat has discomfort with it then it's worth treating, but I don't know how. Ever helpful hehe

[Firstluvarty]

Thanks.. It's not his food because he only gets dry in the winter months.. it's the same type of dryness I get in the winter - I can just up my moisterizor though. He's double coated so finding his skin can be a real struggle... He's also not declawed and if I bath him he will freak - he's 13 years old and my hubby never bathed him, so I don't want to freak him out (I'm actually allergic to cats so I am limited as to what I can do with him - if he scratches me I will break out in hives) the spray wash is hard enough.....

[KatzNK9]

Ahhhhhhhh ... yes, I see ... a first bath for a 13 year old could be quite the problem. If you end up trying it, you'll need clip his claws extra short & have an extra handler during the process (or give a professional groomer the job). At his age though, I'm of the opinion that if he hasn't learned about baths already, he probably doesn't need that education & you definitely don't need to be eaten alive.

You're right! It is not likely a food allergy as it only happens in the winter (still possible that there's something in his food or something missing from his food that makes him more susceptible in winter ... but definitely unlikely to be an actual allergy).

There are cat foods with good ingredients for coat/skin & your cat may or may not be eating one of those. If not, you might give one of the good ones recommended for coat & skin or just go with the supplements.

Instead of the full blown bath ... I suggest you get a spray on coat/skin conditioner & try to add some supplements to see if you can't get some improvement. Also, make sure your spray-on shampoo is a good product for dry skin care. The wrong product could be drying out his skin.

How does he handle brushing? Just like with people, extra brushing helps stimulate oil production. If he doesn't tolerate a regular brush, you could also get one of those "knobby" gloves that look like garden gloves with little bumps all over them & give him a couple of good "brush downs" with it daily for a few weeks & then at least once a week thereafter. This will also get most of those flakes out in the process.

Spring is coming soon! This too shall pass.

[Sabledog]

maybe you should take him to a petstore that has one of these......

http://emuse.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/10990

although i would not want to be the one who opens the door after....

[KatzNK9]

maybe you should take him to a petstore that has one of these......

http://emuse.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/10990

although i would not want to be the one who opens the door after....

OMG, that is horrible! Absolutely horrible!:mad:

[skunkstripe]

Just curious, what is the humidity like in your home? It would seem to me that if it is so low that your cat is suffering, you might be too. We have a little monitor near the thermostat and I swear that thing is right on the money when it comes to discomfort monitoring. If it is in the red zone, I wake up with a dry, even bloody nose. If it is in the green zone I am fine. Maybe you could use some more plants and a humidifier?

[Firstluvarty]

thanks everyone.. I have humidifiers on 2 floors in my house, but I tend to forget to turn them on.. they also make me nervous because in 8 hours it will dry up and I am very nervous to leave any electronics on while I am not home (my sister lost her house in a fire, so I'm a bit paranoid) - I also leave my bedroom window open at night.. it is pretty dry still..
My cat LOVES to be brushed, I just need to convince my hubby to do it more as he doesn't have any allergies, I break out in a rash if I brush too long. I do have a conditioner spray for horses, could I try that on him?
I live in an old farmhouse so the heating is weird on the first floor we have an industrial gas heater and in teh basement it's electric baseboard heat... On the top floor it's electric heat, but I never have it on because the heat from the gas rises.

[KatzNK9]

I don't know anything about horse products so I'd hate to recommend that you use it without checking first. Human products aren't good for cats & dogs as they have different pH levels ... and I'm completely clueless as how cats & dogs compare to horses.

There is another product that may help you with your cat allergy. Most people who are allergic to cats are actually allergic to the cat's dander which is produced from their saliva which sticks to their skin & coat. The product is called "Allerpet" and you put it on the cat & is supposed to make them more tolerable for those who have allergies. I've heard mixed results on the product but I have a close friend whose husband is highly allergic to cats & they swear by that stuff.

This is that product:
http://www.allergycontrol.com/store/products_detail.asp?dept_id=98031&adurl=RGGL949

And, now that I've recommended that product, I have to say I don't know if it will help, worsen, or be of no consequence in the dry skin issue.