Dislike fish oil

[Chris]

Hi Charlotte,

Fish oil isn’t a bad supplement for cats to look to include, but as you probably know, cats can be very picky about what they eat. Fish oil supplements can have a strong odor and while you’d think most cats would be really into fishy odors, some cats just may not be. If you have tried different forms, including oil pumps, chew treats, or powdered forms, you can first double check the food you’re feeding, as many now include omega fatty acid supplementation already. This might appear in the ingredients list as a type of fish oil like salmon oil, or may be included as DHA/EPA, which are the most important omegas in fish oil. Wellactin made by Nutramax is a good supplement brand if you haven’t tried it and they have a couple of forms, but you might have been through this one already.

For the shedding and dandruff, just remember that shedding can be normal. Even indoor cats can have bigger shedding seasons during certain times of the year and all cats shed fur continuously. Make sure also that you’re just seeing shedding and not any bare patches where a medical concern may exist.

Dandruff can mean a couple of things. Dry skin is one. You’re right that omega supplementation can help if the diet is deficient in it. But you can also try something that helps to repair the broken skin barrier. Since many cats don’t like baths (there are some shampoos that work well), a mousse that you brush through the coat and leave on may be 2-3 times per week at most, is one option. The Douxo SEB mousse is designed for seborrhea (the medical term for dandruff).

Spot-on products are also helpful. Dechra makes one called Atopivet and Douxo also makes one under the SEB label but it appears to be hard to find. You only need to apply them a couple times a week, but they also focus on repair of the skin barrier.

We do also see dandruff in overweight cats, especially over their hindquarters, which is usually related to poor grooming, something to consider if your cat may fit that category.

Less commonly, we can see flaking that looks similar to dandruff but is related to bacterial overgrowth of the skin and hair follicles. It can be helpful to have a veterinarian examine the skin and coat and see if it is more simple dandruff or something else that requires a different treatment.