bad cat dandruff all over!

Hey everyone.
I really could use help on this one.
My cat is 6 years old, and I'll admit, overweight.

We got her as a kitten from a shelter, and recently (past 6 months maybe?) she's developed bad dandruff all down her back, and it's so bad that it covers her fur and on your clothes if you hold her for even a second. She also sheds a lot. They can sometimes be medium-sized flakes.

We tried to get her to take medication, that is supposed to get oil into her system. However, we put it on her wet food, and she didn't like the taste. Her hard food is supposed to help with dandruff, as well as the medication, and it doesn't.

Any suggestions of what we could do? It's getting very bad, and we can tell it irritates her. We can't brush her, because the more we brush her, the worse it gets. Help!

My cat, Trevor, used to shed a lot and have dandruff and he was also overweight. Unfortunately he ultimately became diagnosed with diabetes. He is on special food and his dandruff cleared up immediately and he lost some weight. He is also only shedding minimally these days (his brother Andy makes up for his share :p ). My first suggestion would be maybe just a change in food. You might want to ask your vet for an opinion on a different food for her.

My RB tuxie, Peeka, had really bad dandruff like that for a while. My vet gave me a spray to apply directly to her coat; the spray was really oily and, unfortunately, smelly but it worked. This was many years ago and that vet has long since retired so I'm sorry that I can't tell you the product name but if you ask your vet about a similar product, s/he can probably direct you. Good luck.

My Smudge used to always get snarls of his fur nucleated on flakes of dry skin until his vet suggested 3V Caps. It's a mix of fish oils and vitamin E - just puncture the capsule and squirt it over food (or let the cat lick it off your fingers; Smudge gives it four thumbs up!) His dandruff cleared up, and his fur is healthier and easier to comb. Oddly enough, she originally suggested it to help with a skin condition that turned out to be allergic, but it even helped a bit with that. (He gets allergy medicine now too, at least when I can get it into him.)

Other folks have talked about adding a smidge of olive oil to their cat's wet food and having great luck with that. I guess it's mostly a matter of how fishaholic or Italian your cat is. ;)

Love, Columbine

Also, when the cat is over weight, they have a hard time getting to their back and their hind ends and so end up not grooming themselves. This ends up with build up and the dander becomes worse.

Try to get your cat to eat the food, and also to lose some weight. A fat cat is not a healthy cat. It's hard on their backs and their hearts.