Monday, January 16, 2006
Kitty Dandruff
Today on a natural living blog, a girl posted that her cat had dandruff problems and wanted to give the cat a bath. Here is my response to her:
You should probably first look at what your cat is eating. Check out the ingredient list and try to avoid foods with by-products, mystery meats, and/or chemicals for preservatives.
Also, if you don't already feed your cat wet food, that would be a great addition, while cutting back on the dry food. This will help keep the cat well hydrated.
Add an omega oil. Salmon (or fish) oil is good because it's helps strengthen the immune system as well as help the skin and coat. (In regard to cod liver oil, it is preferrable to only give cod LIVER oil during grey months of the year, as this oil has vitamin D and you/your pet can overload during the sunny months of the year.)
All of these suggestions would be good for both of your cats! [She has two cats and didn't want to give the other cat anything unnecessary.]
If you absolutely need to bathe the cat (though it's not a good idea), you can either get a good oatmeal shampoo from a health oriented pet store (not a big chain, etc), OR you can make up a solution of apple cider vinegar (ACV) and water, soak a towel and give the kitty a rub down with that. The ACV works better if it's raw, which you can get at a health food store. In a bucket, put about a 1/2 inch of ACV and then fill the rest up with water.
By the way, this also applies to dogs!
And another thing to think about when you are faced with this issue, is adding enzymes to the diet. They are, in my book, the most over-looked supplement, to both humans and pets. I'll have to get into enzymes in a future post!
You should probably first look at what your cat is eating. Check out the ingredient list and try to avoid foods with by-products, mystery meats, and/or chemicals for preservatives.
Also, if you don't already feed your cat wet food, that would be a great addition, while cutting back on the dry food. This will help keep the cat well hydrated.
Add an omega oil. Salmon (or fish) oil is good because it's helps strengthen the immune system as well as help the skin and coat. (In regard to cod liver oil, it is preferrable to only give cod LIVER oil during grey months of the year, as this oil has vitamin D and you/your pet can overload during the sunny months of the year.)
All of these suggestions would be good for both of your cats! [She has two cats and didn't want to give the other cat anything unnecessary.]
If you absolutely need to bathe the cat (though it's not a good idea), you can either get a good oatmeal shampoo from a health oriented pet store (not a big chain, etc), OR you can make up a solution of apple cider vinegar (ACV) and water, soak a towel and give the kitty a rub down with that. The ACV works better if it's raw, which you can get at a health food store. In a bucket, put about a 1/2 inch of ACV and then fill the rest up with water.
By the way, this also applies to dogs!
And another thing to think about when you are faced with this issue, is adding enzymes to the diet. They are, in my book, the most over-looked supplement, to both humans and pets. I'll have to get into enzymes in a future post!
Monday, January 09, 2006
About This Blog
Hi, my name is Yani. I'm the owner of a pet sitting business in Anacortes, WA, and I work twice a week in a health conscious pet supply store in Seattle.
This journal will casually focus on cat and dog nutrition, as well as health issues, that come up as interests to myself, or conversations and challenges I've faced with customers at the store.
I gather my information from tons of reading from books, health articles, online sources and conversations with holistic vets. What I say in this journal in purely my opinion and is in no way meant to be advice. If you are having issues with your pet, please work with your vet in addressing the issue, and your pet's individual needs.
I would advise having a holistic vet as one of your animal's human resources. Traditional western vets are great for diagnosing and surgeries, but often a holistic vet will look for the more underlying causes. When you determine an underlying cause and address that, the animal has a greater chance at becoming symptom-free for good!
This journal will casually focus on cat and dog nutrition, as well as health issues, that come up as interests to myself, or conversations and challenges I've faced with customers at the store.
I gather my information from tons of reading from books, health articles, online sources and conversations with holistic vets. What I say in this journal in purely my opinion and is in no way meant to be advice. If you are having issues with your pet, please work with your vet in addressing the issue, and your pet's individual needs.
I would advise having a holistic vet as one of your animal's human resources. Traditional western vets are great for diagnosing and surgeries, but often a holistic vet will look for the more underlying causes. When you determine an underlying cause and address that, the animal has a greater chance at becoming symptom-free for good!
