How can I help my overweight foster cat with bad dandruff issues?

I would recommend the hills metabolic range in either wet, dry or mixed as long as total daily volume is within guidelines for target weight. The skin and coat should improve as he loses weight and regains mobility to groom himself, daily brushing will help in the meantime

You could try a shampoo like Duoxo Calm and see if that helps. You could also add an Omega 3 fatty acid like Free Form Snip Tips for cats and see if that helps keep his skin and coat healthy. Otherwise, he should be examined by a vet to determine the cause and treat.

For weight loss it will be helpful to completely eliminate the dry food and feed only canned food. Gradually reducing the overall amount of food you give will help and slowly trying to encourage Bagheera to play a bit more may also help. There are also prescription canned foods available for weight loss like Hill's Metabolic. I agree that it sounds like Bagheera may be exhibiting signs of asthma. X-rays would be needed to confirm that there are no other issues. I would bring him to your veterinarian for X-rays and then medication or an inhaler can be started if asthma is suspected. Reducing Bagheera's exposure to things that may irritate the airway is also important so be mindful not to smoke in the household, don't use perfumes or cleaning solution with heavy odors and avoid dusty litter types. Asthma can be dangerous so the sooner you can get him examined and started on medication the better. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope Bagheera is doing better soon!

Hi there, a good food recommendation for Theo and Furby is Royal Canin intense beauty - Its a High quality cat food, very tasty and good for the skin And coat. I also would suggest gentle brushing once daily to stimulate the loose hair and dandruff to come off. If their coat is very greasy, you may need to bathe them, if they are not fans of water, you could do a wash cloth bath instead of soaking them. Some cats can't groom themselves if they are overweight, so you can check their weight with your vet when they next have a routine exam.

Hi there. Based on these lab results, I don't see anything concerning here - it looks like this kitty's liver and kidneys are in good shape, normal blood sugar (so no diabetes), and normal thyroid. The minor changes noted (slightly elevated protein, and slightly elevated eosinophils) do not generally have any major clinical significance. So this wouldn't concern me at all, as long as he seems healthy clinically. It sounds like he's a pretty hefty boy, so I agree that getting him started on a weight loss plan would probably be a good idea! I hope everything works out well for the adoption. :)

Kit is very handsome! Thanks for posting a picture. Since cats are obligate carnivores, we think the most biologically appropriate food for a domesticated cat is a mouse which is a high protein diet. The closest we can get to that ideal diet with commercial food is a canned food diet. Canned food diets are lower in carbohydrates and higher in protein than dry foods. Since cats are obligate carnivores, they are not able to utilize carbohydrates effectively and will often just gain weight on foods that are higher in carbohydrates. The best website I have found to describe this well is listed below. http://catinfo.org/ The above website also discusses changing cats from dry food to canned food. I most commonly recommend Wellness canned food for cats. It is a very food company with a good history and cats tend to do well on it. The general rule for cats is that they should eat about 5.5 ounces of canned food each day for each 10 pounds of ideal body weight. But be sure to go slowly with any diet changes to prevent GI upset. As far as getting Kit to be more active, I would recommend looking at the website below for ideas to get an indoor cat more active. https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your questions. Thanks for using PetCoach.

That is unusual. The odor could be coming from his mouth, his skin or his rectum. Bad odors from the mouth can indicate dental disease, ketosis or kidney disease. Odors from the rectum (worse than normal), could indicate a gassy tummy, diarrhea or dietary intolerance. Smelly skin generally indicates an infection or over active oil glands. With the borderline liver disease, his diet options may be somewhat limited. It depends on how severe it is, if he’s had abnormal bile acids...etc. I recommend to have Boo see his veterinarian for an exam. The doctor will try to figure out where the smell is coming from and treatment will depend on the source. I recommend to ask about food recommendations as the doctor may want a special diet due to the liver. The skin quality may improve by giving Boo an omega 3 fatty acid supplement. Certain food are also better for skin such as Royal Canin or Nutro (once again though, ask your vet about diet recommendations). Lastly, you can use a dry shampoo for cats in between bathing. This will help to deodorize the skin and keep it clean. Brushing out the coat after applying the dry shampoo can help. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.