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My kitty seems to have flaky skin.
Hey everyone! I have a beautiful black short haired cat who's turning 3 in two weeks. She's very happy, very healthy, very loved, and I brush her fur almost daily, and pet and scritch and cuddle her, like, constantly. She's kind of really spoiled...but it's just me and her here, so we're both okay with that. ^_^
Anyway.
As the subject says, she keeps getting these flakes of dry skin all over her back, like a human with dandruff. Her hair is slightly coarser there. The rest of her is, like, ridiculously soft (hence all the cuddling). I have eczema, so my brain automatically goes, "Is there some kind of cat-zema?"
...
Is there?
Has anyone else's cat has this problem? How did you treat/fix the flakiness?
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Daniel55 is quite right about this, the only thing I would add is that it could also be due to a food intolerance. Beef and chicken are the main culprits but you would need to experiment by cutting out one thing for several weeks and if it's not that, going on to the next thing. You can also buy hypoallergenic foods to try.
You can check for fleas by using a flea comb and having a damp piece of kitchen roll to hand. Comb the cat and then wipe the comb on the damp paper. If any spots of red develop, she has fleas as that's flea dirt. If you notice any 'salt and pepper' droppings the 'pepper' is the flea droppings and the 'salt' is the flea eggs. When the flea eggs hatch they eat the droppings, gross isn't it? If you find evidence of this you will need to treat the whole house as they get everywhere, along the edges of skirting boards and carpet, in the soft furnishings. They're born survivors and getting more so every year.
Good luck
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I have run a cat rescue for over 30 years so I know cats pretty well. It could be a lack of sunshine. Does your cat have a sunny window to sit and sleep in.
You could try putting bacon grease on her food or any other animal fat. If she scatches the spot it could be a form of "cat-zema" and if it is, she need to go to the vet for a shot. Most cats have an under coat of hair and in the spring it comes out. Its good to keep her bushed. Bathing her is up to you. It is mostly done for people who have allergies to cat dander or show cats. With you combing her and her cleaning herself should be enough to keep her coat clean. Does she have any fleas. They are nasty creatures and the best thing I have come up with is to us a small tooth comb and comb them out and placing them in soapy water. Even if she is an indoor cat, fleas can be carried in by you.. on your shoes or clothes. I hope I have helped
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If you regularly give your cat baths to keep either fleas ticks or just keep her clean, it could be the shampoo you are using causing this. I have a gorgeous cat, who had the same problem, dandruff, flaky messy gross. I changed to a different shampoo/conditioner (yes they have those for pets! Cool huh? XD) and it cleared it right up. It could be a possibility what you use to keep her clean is just drying her skin out ;/ Try looking into other products until you find the one that's right for her :)
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Is your cat chubby? Because if she is, it's hard for her to naturally clean herself along her back. My fatty cat has the same problem too. If her weight is fairly obese, try putting her on a diet because the problem will go away once your cat will be able to clean herself there.
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