Winter dry skin doesn’t just affect us. It can also affect our pets. Cats can suffer from winter itch just as easily as we can due to the dry air, and even drier heat in our houses. While you probably treat your dry skin with various lotions and moisturizers, you can’t really do the same with your cat. What are some ways you can alleviate your cat’s dry skin?
Things you can do at home to help your cat’s dry skin
The biggest and most important thing you can do for your cat is avoid bathing her at this time of year unless it’s absolutely necessary for some reason. Any soap you can use will strip her skin and fur of much-needed oils, exactly the way soaps strip your skin of oils. Her skin can also get flaky if you bathe her at this time of year. The best treatment for a cat’s dry skin is actually prevention, so don’t bathe her unless you absolutely have to.
Regular brushing also helps to reduce a cat’s dry skin, because it removes dry, dead hair and dander. Dead fur and skin can accumulate, even though cats groom themselves, and cause discomfort and itching. The drier her skin, the more dead fur and skin can accumulate in her coat. So help her out by brushing her regularly.
Another way you can relieve and prevent your cat’s dry skin is with a high-quality diet. We feed our cats a homemade raw diet that has a lot of water and some fish oil in it. Water helps keep our cats hydrated, while the fish oil helps maintain healthy levels of skin oils. You don’t have to feed your cat a raw diet to relieve her dry skin, but a feeding her a high-quality, wet food can do wonders for her, especially in the winter.
Remember, your cat’s dry skin may not be winter itch
If you see your cat scratching a lot, don’t assume that it’s just winter itch, especially if the scratching isn’t normal for her. She could have an underlying medical condition or a parasite that’s causing the problem. Inspect her fur and skin in the areas she seems to be scratching, to see if there’s a rash, a bite, or anything that might indicate a problem.
Also, if she’s scratching so much that she’s cutting herself, or giving herself bald spots, then there’s a problem. In any case, if you even think your cat’s dry skin might actually be something else, it’s important to call your vet. Skin conditions, parasites and other problems can’t be cured with brushing and diet. But if there’s nothing wrong, then the steps above can go a long way towards helping her with her dry skin.
