posted 11-12-2003 06:37 PM           

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My cat is about 8 yrs. old and she has these white flaky things, they look like dandruff in her hair, and I don't know what they are! I've heard that it can mean she's dehydrated...she always has water in her bowl but if it rains or something, she'll go outside and drink from the puddles of water. Does this mean that the water i give her isn't cold enough or what? Is that really what the white flakie's mean?

[This message has been edited by aprksmit (edited 11-12-2003).]

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posted 11-12-2003 08:27 PM         

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You can check to see if your cat is dehydrated by gently pulling on her skin....if she is dehydrated her skin will sort of cling together, if she is not it will bounce right back to her body. Im pretty sure that dandruff is not an indication of dehydration. Dandruff is usually a sign of dry skin which can be caused by diet, allergies or even climate. Brushing her may help keep it minimal.

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Vanessa

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posted 11-13-2003 06:55 AM         

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Do you only feed your cat dry food? When I moved in with my sister she only fed her cats dry food and two of them had dandruff, mainly on their back. I started giving them wet food in the morning. Not too much...I would spilt a 3oz can between three of them and the dandruff is almost gone now. I can feel the difference too when I pet them. Their skin isn't dry. I'm assuming the wet food had something to do with it.

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posted 11-13-2003 10:00 AM         

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Cats like to drink from anything but their water bowl sometimes. I had a cat who would only drink out of the toilet.

The dandruff probably has to do with her coat and her diet. I have a cat, Sophie, who had a similar problem and I started brushing her a lot. When my neighbor came over recently she commented that Sophie's coat looked better than any of my other cats'. It could also be what you are feeding her. I recently started feeding a food with omega 3 and 6 and all of my cat's coats have been a lot better. Try switching her to a food with omega 3 and 6 and brushing her a lot.

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