Hello all

My cat Mia has settled in really well (can't believe I've had her for only six weeks - seems like a lot longer!). The vet gave her a clean bill of health except for an ear infection which I'm giving her ear drops for, but I've noticed that when I brush her, she seems to have some dandruff coming up. It's not much, but I'm just wondering whether this is normal or if there is something I can do to reduce this.

She's on a high meat content mostly wet diet (which, thankfully, she took to without any problems at all!) and she's an indoor cat. Anyone have any ideas? If she has dry skin is there something I can supplement her with?

Hi! You could try supplementing with Omega 3 fatty acid supplements like whole fish body oil. Not liver oil. It's handier to buy it in capsules and either give them as they are or pierce them and squirt the contents on the food (and have stinky, fishy fingers after... yum!).

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Wendy, mum to:
Simba von Wurzbachtal, Turkish Van, born Austria, 5/9/10

RIP
Tarka, 1989 - 2008 my gentle Phileas Fogg
Bruno, 2008 - 2010 taken too soon my darling boy
Misi, 1993 - 25/3/2012 My brave, beautiful tabby

Often the commercial wet foods are low on certain fatty acids (mainly omega 3), which not only support the immune system, help strengthen the heart etc but also keep the skin and coat in great condition.

The easiest way to get some omega 3s into your cat's diet is to get some salmon oil (though initially more expensive to buy, get capsules instead of bottled oil as it spoils quickly when a bottle is opened) and to add a few drops of salmon oil to their food weekly. You can also feed some tinned oily fish once a week or once every two weeks (ideally those in cooked in spring water, no brine).

If the dandruff is quite severe, and any medical causes have been ruled out (e.g. hyperthyroidism), then another great natural way is a course of evening primrose oil, which contains some special fatty acids that also aid skin health.

Hope that helps

One of mine has some dandruff too, I was looking at some salmon oil online (Grizzly brand) which recommended adding the oil to food every day - would this be too much, is just once a week better?

Thanks Hobbs and Misi for the tip. Where do you buy salmon oil capsules - health food shops?

Yes, health food shops (high street or online) but you should also be able to get it in big supermarkets. Just look for the brand that has got the highest proportion of EPA and DHA (the two fatty acids that count) that you can find.

So a good dose is one capsule (or one squirt from a bottle) weekly? Daily (as per the label) would be too much?

I use two capsules per week per cat. Or because I have 4 cats, I use one daily spread out over 4 bowls.

Thanks!

Since I have four cats too, I think I'll be doing just that!