Louie has dandruff.  She's had it pretty much forever, but it seems to be worse lately.  She also has been developing clumps in her fur for the past year or so.  She seems to be kind of annoyed by them.  She's 11 years old.  Does anyone know of any correlation between aging and fur issues?  I generally just cut them out, but she hates that.

Any other ideas as to why she might be developing some fur issues?  She has short hair, but it's really thick.  When I brush her I can easily get several brush-fulls of hair out of her.  The clumping may just be a result of the thick hair, maybe she's getting lazy and not grooming herself like she used to? 

The dandruff may be more of a skin problem.  Any recommendations on how to deal with it?  The only allergy I know of in her is fleas, so I keep up with Advantage, no other known allergies.  I don't think fleas are her issue now- when that was the problem, she had sores on her back and lots of itching (never even had to give her Advantage till we moved to CA and it suddenly became a problem for her).  Know of any other potential causes for dandruff?

Thanks!

Frito has always had persistent dandruff too.  Our vet has said it's the cat's allergic response to "something"--but, that something can be anything from dry air in the house (which we often have) to an actual allergic reaction to new carpet or certain plants or trees or even sunburn. We were told once that because his skin was irritated by allergies, he was grooming MORE and actually drying himself out causing the dandruff to be worse--and causing some of the fur clumping (which he gets too).  Frito gets MUCH worse if we change his kitty litter brand (which is why he had the vet visit last week) and gets really itchy and flaky and gets "scaly" patches on his lower back and shoulders.  He gets the same reaction as Louie to fleas as well! 

We have a medicated shampoo that we get from the vet that we are supposed to bathe him with every so often.  (Bathing Frito is a group effort around here! )  It does help the dandruff--the over-the-counter shampoos have never worked very well.  When he gets his "scales" (about once a year), he gets a cortisone shot at the vet and it clears him right up (dandruff and all) for a few months.  It does seem that when his dandruff is under control, his fur clumps are easier to manage too.  Frito can sympathize!

Thanks Frito!  Boy, I hate to think of what an effort it would take to try to bathe Louie!  She's got a bit of an attitude as it is!  Probably would be a good idea to look into it though... I'm glad to know she's not alone!  Also glad to know it's probably not because she's getting old... I hate to think of her as old because she's my baby!  But allergies... that would be answer I can handle.  And it wouldn't surprise me out of Louie- she often seems like she's just annoyed- and allergies certainly are annoying.  It kinda bothers her when you touch her clumps or her back in the area of her tail, and she practically freaks out when I brush her- as if you're finally scratching that itch that's been bugging her her entire life.  Think how it would feel to live with a constant case of poison ivy that you can't scratch- it'd be miserable!  Gee, when I think about it, it's no wonder she has an attitude!  I almost can't tell if she loves being brushed or hates it, but I think she loves it.  Anyhow, you do have me thinking along the lines of allergies... its probably worth a visit to the vet, poor thing... after all this time I'm just now putting 2 and 2 together that she really is probably very annoyed!  And by more than just the presence of all the other cats in the house! 

What do you feed the cat? Is she inside only?

I bet it's allergy related and something in her food. This is what happened with Chance, see in my blog, Wheat Tigers, Corn Wolves. Bathing will help ease the itchies, but you have to work, from the INSIDE, out for best results.

Think of your car....if you put low grade gas in it, how does it run?

My parents' cats have had problems with dandruff.  For that, the vet recommended adding some fish oil into their food to help their skin & coats.  As Tripper now has allergies, they have something else prescribed for their food, but fish oil helped Gretzky a lot as an over the counter treatment.

 Like TinaValant said most of the time dandruff and other fur issues are food related. Cats need most Protein from mea, but if you look at the ingredient of the food you give your pet you'll see all the bad and cheap stuff they put in. Chemical preservatives, and grains that are often difficult to digest (corn, wheat, gluten and soy), which are often used as a protein source instead of meat. You should look for healty natural food. 

Natural food contain high-quality proteins needed for a healthy skin and coat. If you like i can recomend you the food i am using for my cats.

Carmen- would certainly be interested to hear what you're using! 

Tlambs- love the fish oil idea- I might give that a try before switching foods. 

My problem is that I'm feeding SIX cats, and they're all picky in their own way.  I actually have been switching their food back and forth between three types of Purina- the regular old Cat Chow, the indoor formula, and a "healthy" formula.  I know, I know... Purina... cheap and full of all the bad stuff, but I've tried other stuff and the little dudes just really seem to like it best!  Same thing with our dog- we buy a $50 bag of food and he won't touch it, but he scarfs down Purina Beneful.  Anyway, Louie is a strictly indoor cat.  I let her play on the back patio now and then, which she can't escape, but that's it.  Don't know if this means anything to anyone, but she's the reason I occassionally buy the indoor formula- she is OBSESSED with eating green.  That's why I let her on the patio- she has a little swimming pool full of grass that she likes to eat.  She also tries REALLY hard to escape everytime I open the door, and she bee-lines for a bite of grass.  I don't know what that means??  Why does she want grass so badly?

Tina- I do actually use low grade gas in my car!  LOL.  Back in Iowa I used to use the mid-grade because it had ethanol and was cheaper than the low grade, but here in California where gas is now over $4.00, it's low grade all the way!  But maybe that tells you something about me... I'm economical... Purina, low grade gas... I'm not broke, but there's no money tree in my back yard... I've tried some expensive stuff, but like I said, they just don't seem to like it as well, so it's really  hard for me to dish out that kind of money for something they don't even want... it's a tough balance I guess...

Thanks very much for all your advice... I'm learning a lot... please keep it coming if you have anything to add!  Thanks!

Julie

We use organic crunchies for our cats, but they've never been picky eaters. They eat Katzenflocken Solid Gold . They used to eat Natural Balance (Dick Van Patten's brand), until it showed up on the watch list back during the whole pet food recall scare. Even though it was a different kind than the one they were eating at the time, since it was the same brand we didn't take any chances. Anyway, those are both good organic foods (catjungle approved!), and they come in the giant bags, for us big kitty clans.

I am using Science Diet. It is more expensive as you said. My 3 cats just love!!! this food.

Cats eat grass to help with the digestive system.

 Snickerdoodle has a dry skin problem on her back. I have tried brushing it like the vet said to do but that isn't helping. Does anybody have any suggestions?

Try giving her a tablespoon or two of olive oil added to the food a few times a week. It can help improve skin and coat health

I ended up taking Louie to the vet for a lump on her tail, which ended up being a benign cyst, and we talked her dandruff and fur problems while we were there- he gave me some stuff called Omega 3, which is fish oil, to put in her food... I've only been using it a couple weeks, it's maybe a little better, but he said it would take some time to really make a difference... since the vet recommended it, it might be worth trying- you can find it either at the vet or some pet stores. 

Thanks Carmen I will try that.

You welcome LunaWolf. If it doesn't help I can recomend you some holistic remedy. But first try the oil.