Cat Skin & Coat

There’s nothing finer than an immaculately groomed cat – coat all rich, shiny & fluffy, exuding health, shimmering as they bound across the garden or recline imperiously by the window.

Trouble is, they aren’t all like that.

Is your cat’s coat a bit dull? Feels greasy or waxy? Do I hear you say dandruff? Don't worry, you're not alone - itchy cats, smelly cats, scabby cats, bald cats, matted cats, you name it, we see them all.

The skin can only react in a limited number of ways to inflammation or infection, so many skin diseases do end up looking much the same as first glance. Itching (the correct veterinary term is actually Pruritus) and inflammation leads to redness, hair loss, open sores and scabs, all of which can cause a great deal of distress.

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The ‘Big Three’ in feline dermatology would have to be parasites, allergy & infection:
- Parasites: infestations with fleas or lice: time to crack open the Frontline or Capstar and a spray such as Staykill, Acclaim or Skoosh

- Allergy to flea saliva from their flea bites, atopic dermatitis (also known as atopy or ezcema) where the allergy is to house dust mites, grass, tree and weed pollens, or food allergies which account for up to 15% of all allergy cases:

- Infection with bacteria such as staphyllococcus intermedius: you’ll need to be asking your vet for antibiotics such as Ceporex

- Some cats will groom themselves excessively – rather like people who bite their fingernails – and his can lead to extensive hair loss. If this sounds like your cat, think about Feliway or Zylkene - In addition there are a number of slightly less common causes including hormonal imbalances (sometimes seen after spaying or castrating), genetic abnormalities and skin cancers. The list is long.

Many of these cases will need Prescription Medicines chosen by your vet after careful clinical examination and diagnosis, but there are many ways in which you can help to reduce the so-called Pruritus Threshold. This is the point at which an itchy cat actually starts to scratch and traumatise the surface of the skin. Sensible use of supplements such as Essential Oils have been shown to reduce the inflammation and itching can help keep your allergic cat just below that level, sometimes reducing the overall amount of medication required.

Cats are not usually that easy to bath, but Shampoos are available that can make significant improvements to skin health.

An exciting development in the management of Atopic dermatitis has been the mixture of natural plant extracts in Phytopica . Anti-oxidants from herbs and in multi-vitamin preparations together with minerals such as Zinc and Copper aid skin healing and help prevent some of the acute flare ups.

Cat Skin and Coat

	Viacutan Plus 95mls. Balanced plant & fish oils with Turmeric & Green Tea extracts Code: VC100 Vetscriptions Price: £19.99 Quantity in Basket: none
	Dermacool II soothing spray for hot spots & itchy skins 50mls Code: DERMC Vetscriptions Price: £7.99 Quantity in Basket: none
	Omega Aid, high concentration Omega 3 and Omega 6 supplement, 250mls Code: OM-AID Vetscriptions Price: £9.99 Quantity in Basket: none
	Omegaderm Plus for Cats: balanced plant & fish oils 50mls Code: OMDC Vetscriptions Price: £16.99 Quantity in Basket: none
	Yumega Cat: omega 3 & 6 plant & fish oils for skin health in Cats. 50ml Bottle Code: YUMEG50 Vetscriptions Price: £8.49 Quantity in Basket: none
	Vitapet Skin/Coat Conditioner for Cats 170ml Code: VITAPETCAT Vetscriptions Price: £3.49 Quantity in Basket: none
	Skin Eze Syrup: ayurvedic herbs for skin health in Cats & Dogs - 100ml Code: SKINEZESYR Vetscriptions Price: £8.99 Quantity in Basket: none
	Mirracoat Liquid - Cats 118ml Code: MIRRACOAT Vetscriptions Price: £7.99 Quantity in Basket: none
	Efavet Regular oils for skin & coat condition, 250 capsules Code: EFREG250 Vetscriptions Price: £38.99 Quantity in Basket: none
	Efavet Regular Oils for skin & coat condition, 50 capsules Code: EFAREG50 Vetscriptions Price: £10.99 Quantity in Basket: none
	Exmarid - Dry Skin Supplement 150ml Code: EXMARID Vetscriptions Price: £4.49 Quantity in Basket: none
	Exmarid Lotion 200ml Code: EXMARIDLOT Vetscriptions Price: £6.49 Quantity in Basket: none
	Exmarid Skin Soother 75ml Code: EXMARID75 Vetscriptions Price: £4.49 Quantity in Basket: none
	Efacoat Dropper Bottle (oil) x 30ml Code: EFACOAT30 Vetscriptions Price: £10.99 Quantity in Basket: none
	Gammalac Evening Primrose Oil Capsules x 90 Code: GAMMALEVE Vetscriptions Price: £10.49 Quantity in Basket: none
	Garlic & Fenugreek Tablets, pack of 100 Code: GARLIC Vetscriptions Price: £7.99 Quantity in Basket: none
	Johnson's Velvet Coat Aerosol 150ml Code: JOHNSVELV150 Vetscriptions Price: £3.75 Quantity in Basket: none
	Malacetic Conditioning Spray 230ml Code: MALACE230CO Vetscriptions Price: £10.99 Quantity in Basket: none
	Coatex for skin & coat. Pump 150ml Code: COATPUMP Vetscriptions Price: £27.99 Quantity in Basket: none
	Malacetic Otic ear & skin cleanser 118mls Code: MAL118 Vetscriptions Price: £9.99 Quantity in Basket: none