Causes of Excessive Cat Dander

Cats usually take care of their own grooming needs. Brushing them can help them get rid of winter coats in the spring and help get rid of dander and dead hair throughout the year. Dander is the dead skin that is normally sloughed off a cat. If a lot of skin cells are being sloughed off, it's called dandruff. If your cat has persistent dandruff that doesn't change with the seasons or by changing foods, check with your veterinarian.

  1. Inadequate Grooming

    • Some cats are unable to groom themselves properly. This results in excessive dander. This inability to groom themselves properly is often caused by the cat being overweight. When the cat is overweight it may be unable to reach all areas of its body. This often appears as excessive dander at the base of the tail and the lower back. The best cure for this problem is to put the cat on a diet. Once the excess body fat disappears the cat regains its flexibility and can reach the hard-to-reach areas. Until that happens the owner should groom the areas the cat cannot reach.

    Dry Air

    • If the air is dry, as it often is in the winter, cats can develop dry skin just as humans do. The dry skin flakes off and shows up as dandruff. Extra grooming can help get rid of the extra flakes, but sometimes an adjustment in the cat's diet will help eliminate dry skin completely. An omega-3 fatty acid supplement can sometimes help with this problem. Making sure the cat has a balanced, high-quality diet helps keep it in overall good health.

    Parasites

    • Some cats, especially those that are in frequent close contact with other cats, dogs or rabbits are subject to walking dandruff, or cheyletiellosis. Walking dandruff is caused by a parasitic mite that causes excessive scaling of the skin, or dandruff. Cats with walking dandruff may groom excessively, but there may not be much irritation associated with this condition. Long-haired cats are especially susceptible to walking dandruff. Limiting your cat's exposure to other cats, especially long-haired breeds, can minimize their chances of getting walking dandruff. Humans can get this mite from animals.