Ask A Vet: Helping Your Cat Get Rid of Severe Dander

Welcome to our weekly 'Ask a Vet from the SF SPCA' feature on 7x7.com. They've enlisted their Co-President, Dr. Jennifer Scarlett, to answer your questions every week. Got a question for Dr. Scarlett? Ask away in the comments!

Q: I have a mature cat (around 12 years old)...he's been experiencing severe cat dander (the worst I have ever seen...lots and lots of flakes all over his coat). At first I thought perhaps he was just getting old because he has up-to-date shots and his flea/tick medicine is current. He is also severely over-weight. We've tried everything to get him to lose weight, but to no avail. Other than his weight his last couple of vet visits have said he's perfectly healthy. Any ideas?

A: Being overweight and old is a double-whammy. Have you ever watched a young, slim cat groom? It requires a lot of flexibility and effort. Just like in humans, being chronically overweight predisposes cats to developing arthritis. Arthritis has been largely overlooked in cats, but it can manifest in their decreased grooming ability. It’s hard to flex and on top of it, obese cats have to bend around their big bellies. At 12 years, your cat is equivalent to a 70-year-old person and at this age, anything goes, medically speaking. Early kidney disease, a change in your cat’s digestive system or any other changes in his metabolism—whether due to age or disease can cause dander.

I recommend you have a skin work up to rule out ectoparasites or fungus. Also ask for basic geriatric blood and urine panels to eliminate the possibility of underlying issues. If all is well with those tests, talk with your vet for recommendations on quality, highly digestible, geriatric wet food to help increase the moisture in your boy’s diet and help him lose a little weight.

While we can’t answer all of the questions here, please feel free to ask us during our Friday Twitter Ask the Vet Chat. If your animal’s problem is of an immediate nature, please call your vet or you can reach the SF SPCA at 415-554-3030 to make an appointment.

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Cat Water Fountain

By Cat Water Fountain (not verified) on February 18, 2012

I also had a cat that had this condition, i took him to the vets and they give him some antibiotics, i don't remember the condition the vet said he had. I hope you find what your looking for.
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By Joe Singh (not verified) on December 19, 2011

By Leo123 (not verified) on December 13, 2011

Homemade food can be a great option - then you really know what it is made of. A few things to keep in mind, there are certain common foods that can be unhealthy, or even deadly for cats and dogs.

Here is a list for dogs: http://www.ehow.com/about_5374700_list-foods-dogs-cant-eat.html

Here is a list for cats: http://pets.webmd.com/cats/slideshow-foods-your-cat-should-never-eat

Bon appetit!

By SFSPCA (not verified) on August 17, 2011

Kitty massages.....my kitty at home in hawaii is 15 and has arthritis and my mom is always giving her gentle massages to make her feel better. is it good to do that for kitties with arthritis? and what are some other remedies to give her for arthritis pain besides pain medicine?

By Laura Mason on June 06, 2011

I have three cats (male 3, female 3, female 1) and am trying to battle dander as well.

In addition to what was written above: weightloss for better range of motion and introducing wet food. You could also consider:

{Is the air in your home dry? Try a humidifier}
{Encourage water intake. Try a stainless steel water fountain}
{Brush your cat. It helps sweep the oils throughout their fur}
{Better quality food (ideally wet) that's rich in omega-3, a.k.a. fish oil}

Also, I was recently turned on to this book, "Your Cat," written by Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins. She is a vet, lawyer and previously worked in the pet food industry. Within her book she discusses how to have a healthy cat, in addition to exposing the pet food industry as controlling pet diets and wrongfully selling corn-based dry food to cats, who should be eating high protein wet food instead. Think of the corn-based dry food like Science Diet as feeding your cat McDonalds (it really is junk food) and the higher quality wet food as organic home cooking. This book is a must read for anyone interested in bettering the quality of life for their cat(s), especially if you have a diabetic cat(s). And it's only $12.

BOOK LINK: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312358024/ref=wms_ohs_product_img_T2

By Anonymous (not verified) on June 05, 2011