My cat has dry skin and flakes on his back. How can I treat it?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 9 years and 6 months old | 16.6 lbs
My cat has (what I believe to be) dandruff. In the photos below, I show a sample of his fur from the brush and the presumed dandruff centering on his lower back. What can I do to treat this condition?
4 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on July 6th, 2017
It looks like Lil'l Striped has dry skin. Make sure he is up to date on his flea treatments, and I can give you one if he isn't up to date on them. You can also give him fished based food, which has omega 3 fatty acids that help with dry skin. There are supplements for cats available online that contain omega 3 fatty acids, and you can try supplement his diet with one of those. Dose him according to the package instructions. I would also have him seen by a vet for a health check. Dry skin in cats can be caused by medical conditions such as hyperthyroidism, heart problems kidney disease, and diabetes. He should get a geriatric blood test, physical exam, and urinalysis just to make sure he is healthy. If a medical condition is found, the vet can prescribe treatment for it. I would have him seen by a vet tomorrow. Flea treatment: First, I would give him Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash his bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home. I hope this helps :-)
4Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on February 5th, 2018
Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would consider switching to a different flea medication such as Revolution. I find that this works quite well for fleas. For moisturizing the skin, I would recommend bathing with a shampoo such as Douxo PS calm shampoo and using Welactin omega 3 fish oil capsules for cats. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on June 11th, 2018
Hi Ken, Snoops is adorable! I presume that you are finding the dandruff along his back when you are combing him based on your picture. If you think it is due to dry skin, I have a few suggestions for you. First, cats tend to be chronically dehydrated on a dry food diet, so you could consider increasing the amount of canned food in his diet to try to increase the moisture in his diet. Second, you could add a fish oil to his diet to increase the amount of omega 3 fatty acids in his diet. I like Wellactin ( http://www.welactin.com/cat ) for cats. You could also consider moisturizing sprays, but most cats do not like those, so those are not my top choice. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on August 7th, 2017
Often scaling of the skin is more to do with what is going on in the inside. You could try the moisturiser but I fear it may make his skin very greasy. What I would suggest would be getting a special shampoo or mousse from the vet for scaly skin and try applying it. Some of the mousses can be used on a dry coat so no need to worry if you cant bathe him. I would also suggest getting a skin supplrment for Daario, your bet should have some or any food pet shop. If this doesn't start to improve his skin I would have him examined by a dermatologist in case he has an underlying skin issue.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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