dull coat advice please?

[Lorraine]

Sammy has always had unusually silky fur, that was so smooth an shiny, it was just gorgoeus. But latley, I would say maybe the last 3 weeks, it has become kinda dull. I wonder if this may be because he was shedding so much(his sheddding has now slowed down, thank goodness!), or could it possibly be because I have switched cat foods? It worries me because if it is just the shedding,that is one thing, but if it is he food, then I think I should switch to something else.
Sammy has a section on the back of his neck, that is quite coarse to the touch, his back fur just isn't the same.
My cats are strictly indoors, so it couldn't be anything from outside causing this. Sammy is healthy otherwise. He has been eating Felidae. He is on his second bag now.
Has anyone ever heard of, or used Steve's Raw diet? They sell this at natural pet fod stores.
I know this may seem a bit silly, to be so concerned about this,
but I just get frantic when my cats don't seem right! I love them!

[NoahsMommy]

I'm not completely sure what it is, but I would say its a combination of shedding and new food.

Have you tried Royal Canin? Ever since our cats have been on it, their fur is amazingly shiny.

[shais_mom]

Yes, I agree that Royal Canin is awesome, but if you don't want to switch thier food try this:


http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=13&pCatId=2965

[Lorraine]

Originally posted by NoahsMommy
I'm not completely sure what it is, but I would say its a combination of shedding and new food.

Have you tried Royal Canin? Ever since our cats have been on it, their fur is amazingly shiny.

I have Romeo eating Royal Canin kitten food. Romeo's coat was absolutley awful when I first got him. It was so bad, that it actually looked dry and coarse, before you even touched it. But now, his coat is looking great! It is soft, and shiny.
I was going through a crazy time trying to find foods they both liked. I was pleased Sammy didn't care for Romeo's kitten food,
because Sammy was eating the other brands of kitten food, and he was getting rather "plump"!:rolleyes:
Maybe I should try Royal Canin Indoor formula for Sammy.
Thanks for the advice!:)

[Barbara]

Some vitamin,yeast and malt paste could also help -the brand here is Gimpet but I'm sure there will be others.

[RedHedd]

Mitzi's fur was kinda coarse and dry and she actually had dandruff when I got her from the rescue shleter. The vet suggested adding flax oil to her food (just squeeze a capsule over the food). I haven't tried that but I have her on Pet Gold Light which contains flax oil and other omega fatty acids and now her fur is getting gorgoues -- so soft, shiny and fluffy. :D

[jenluckenbach]

My first question would have been "did you change foods?" so that is no doubt where your problems lie. Even the BEST brand of food is not right for EVERY cat. It needs to be the perfect combination of ingredients for YOUR cat. Admittedly, starting with a premium food increases your chances of it being the right food, but just don't be surprised if it helps one cat but not another.

I feed a presciption diet (Hill's C/D) Now, I do not suggest everyone change to that but I can tell you first hand the difference it made in the coat of one cat in particular. Y.Lee. When he came to me he had the typical dull and flaky coat. The type that even though it was short hair, it would mat. I started him on the C/D and miraculously he became shiny and silky. No dandruff and no tangles. Later when he was diagnosed with diabetes he needed a food change. One with less fat. His coat suffered terribly.:( but it was what he needed to try to keep him healthy.

the moral.....it is OFTEN food related.

By the way, all my cats have marvelous coats due to the C/D.:)

[Lorraine]

thanks for all the great advice!! The problem must be the food then. Like I was saying, prior to the food switch, Sammy's coat was just gleaming. Now, it's quiet dull!
Jen, I never considered what may work for some cats, may not work for others. Obviously, this Felidae just isn't working for Sammy. Romeo doesn't care for it, so I can't really say his coat would be dull too, if he was eating it.
Before the switch, I was using Science Diet Nature's Best, but I heard that wasn't any good. Also Friskies, Pro Plan, Nutro, etc.
Sammy has just been very picky with his food choices:rolleyes: .
I will head to the pet food store on Monday to buy a different brand! Also, I will try the flax oil!
Thanks, you are all so wonderful!:D

About the vitamin paste, I have some Nutra Cal left. I wonder if I should try that too?