Conference misery::feline_v1

    Fire always has a problem with dandruff....I bathe him with Selsun
    Blue, the dandruff Shampoo for people!!!  It's the only thing that
    seems to work...makes em smell good too!
    
    I also understand that Selsun Blue will help to prevent mites and
    ringworm....I'm not positive about this, but Fire's never had either!
    
    cin
    

    Hi--
    
    My cat has this problem, too.  I took her to the vet, and he told
    me (big surprise) that she has dry skin.  He gave me a petroleum-
    based gel that has a malt-flavor (very popular with cats)--you give
    the cat a dab of this per day or as needed.  Give it as a treat--even
    my finicky cat loves it.  It's called Lactose, or something, but
    your vet will know.  It's too soon to tell for my cat, but I do
    see less of the flakes.
    
    Hope this helps,
    
    Jane

    Usually dandruff shows up in the winter when the air in the house
    is very dry.  A couple of things I've tried are:  (1) wetting a
    paper towel with a mixture of half water and half bath oil and stroking
    the cat, (2) rubbing a moisturizer - like Nivea - into the skin.
    Both have worked equally as well for me, especially when neither
    of mine will accept anything added to the food.  If your cat(s)
    isn't as finicky, some cod liver oil, added to the food might solve
    the problem - or - there is a supplement which you can purchase
    at pet stores to add to the food.
    
    I'm sure once the nice weather comes to NE - if ever the rate we're
    going! and the humidity increases in the house and in the air outside
    the dandruff will disappear.
    
    J.
    

    My 4 year old neutered male has dandruff.  I was giving both of
    my cats a very small amount of moist cat food in the morning, and
    Malcolm was getting sick too often.  Neither of them can tolerate
    any more than a heaping tablespoon of moist cat food a day.  I tried
    many different kinds including CD.  I switched Malcolm to lamb baby
    food and he doesn't get sick anymore.  But now he has dandruff.
    Is it safe to put some cod liver oil over his dry food?  Is laxatone
    good for dandruff.  I thought it was only for hairballs.
    
    
    					Thanks,
    					Mary

I feed my cats (and dogs) a mixture of cod liver and vegetable oil
with their food, and their coats are beautifully silky.  Nobody has
dandruff, and I have less trouble with hairballs.  I think it works
out to about 1 tsp. per cat per day.

We've had a foster cat with us for almost a month and the change in
his coat is incredible -- he's a black and white Maine coon who felt
sort of like cotton when he first arrived.  Since I've never had a
longhair cat before I just assumed that was typical for that kind of
fur.  Now the black is becoming shiny and silky, it looks and feels
so much nicer.  In just three weeks it was a very noticeable improvement,
I'm convinced that "oiling my cats" works!

Jan

    What is the ratio of cod liver oil to vegetable oil that you use?
    Do you put it over dry food or do the eat it seperately?
    
    					Mary
    p.s. It would be nice to get ready for hairball season too.

RE: < Note 571.6 by WOODRO::RUSSO >

>    What is the ratio of cod liver oil to vegetable oil that you use?
>    Do you put it over dry food or do the eat it seperately?
 

I mix them equally, a 1-to-1 ratio.  The dogs get it poured over their
dry food and then everything stirred up; the cats get it mixed into the
canned food which is then mixed with dry food.  They really seem to enjoy
it but I don't think they would eat it separately, it might be too strong
a fish smell.  Or is that not possible for a cat 8^) ?

Jan  who_takes_her_foster_cat_to_NJ_tomorrow

    I occasionally put the cod liver oil in capsule form mixed in with their
    tinned food (1 capsule for each mitten).  People have commented on Sophie 
    and Henri's lovely coats so I guess there must be something in it!!
    
    -Ruthie, Sophie and Henrietta 

    Olive oil seems to do the trick, too.
    
    Deb