Why is my cat suddenly covered in dander all over the house?

Cats can develop scaling of their skin or dandruff for a number of reasons, which can be the result of a host of reasons. Some of these can include parasitic infections (including lice or mites), fungal infections, allergies, hormonal disorders, or nutritional imbalances, among many others. The only way to definitively diagnose the cause of dry skin is by starting with a trip to the veterinarian. After a physical exam, diagnostic testing may be needed depending on a cat’s concurrent clinical signs. These tests may include skin cytology, skin scrapes, fungal cultures or blood tests. In some cases, a simple diet change to a high quality balanced diet may remedy the problem.

You cat seems to have a large amount of dander in addition to the 'lines' in the hair. The lines in the hair may be due to a large amount of greasiness to the fur. The dander and greasiness may be secondary to infection (pyoderma), sterile inflammation, or a sign of metabolic problems such as kidney issues, diabetes, nutritional problems, or others. It would be reasonable to make an appointment with your family veterinarian for a physical examination. They may recommend some testing of the skin, bloodwork, or other things based on their consultation with you and their physical examination.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

There could be a couple of reasons why your cat is licking and biting himself. This behavior is a sign of itchiness, and it can be caused by fleas and allergies. Even though he's an indoor cat, he still get them. You could have brought them into the home yourself on your clothes, or a visitor could have brought them in. This does happen; in fact, it happened to my brother and his cats. They were indoors only, and their cats suddenly have terrible fleas that were brought in by a visitor to their home. If your cat isn't up to date on his flea treatment program, I can give you one for him. First, I would give him Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash his bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home. As for the grain free diet, less than 10% of cats suffering from food allergies, it's the least common type of allergies in pets. If a cat does have a food allergies, it's most commonly related to a protein source, not grains so there is no need for your cat to have a grain free diet unless it's been specifically proven by a vet that he has it. You can switch your cat back to it's regular food. If you are sure he doesn't have fleas, then I would have him seen by a vet. The vet can diagnose if he does have allergies and can prescribe medication to treat his symptoms.

Lil Bub is quite handsome! It is really common for cats to start increase their shedding around 6-7 months of age. So this could be just normal shedding for him since he is a long haired cat. If he is scratching a lot this could definitely be the cause of increased shedding. You can try Benadryl twice a day to help with the itching. If this doesn't help, I would have your vet take a look at him to see what is causing the itch and see if there are any stronger meds that he needs to help. You can also start him on an omega 3 fatty acid. See links below. I hope this helps! https://www.petco.com/brand/vetriscience https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/cat/benadryl/#!

Dandruff in cats is often a sign of either bad quality food or can point to diabetes. It is also a sign of a cat not properly grooming which again can have a medical reason. I suggest you take your kitty to your veterinarian for an exam and possibly a urine or blood test to check for possible health problems. If there are none, I suggest you change Tebow's food to a good quality complete cat food and brush him regularly.

Flicka may have allergies or some other skin condition that allows her fur to pull out or break more easily than it should. She might benefit from a diet high in omega fatty acids or a food allergy specific veterinary diet as well. The best place to start would be an exam by your vet to evaluate her skin and see if she needs diagnostics like a skin scraping or food allergy trial. Hope that helps!