You’re familiar with Head and Shoulders, but did you know that your pet cat can get dandruff, too? If you have a feline that’s sporting uncomfortable white flakes, you’ll want to have safe, non-toxic remedies available to care for your furry friend. Cat dandruff is easy to determine due to the amount of fur they have on their bodies.

Dandruff is literally dead skin caused in cats by an adverse reaction to fleas, sunburn, dry air, diet, or your pretty new carpet. If you look like you could be in a Lubriderm commercial, chances are your cat is going through the same thing. An easy home cure for your dry air (and resulting cat dandruff) is investing in a humidifier. Another natural solution is simply keeping tabs on your kitty’s sun exposure. Don’t allow Fluffy out in the UV rays when the sun is the hottest, from approximately 10am to 4pm. Better yet, make them an indoors-only cat (it’s a myth that cats can’t enjoy themselves as much this way).

You could modify your animal companion’s food supply by incorporating yeast, garlic, salmon or cod oil, or raw egg yolks when trying to prevent dandruff. Assuming your cat isn’t like Garfield, this should go over okay. Completely switching your cat over to only natural, top-quality canned eats could have a noticeable effect on the dandruff battle as well. You could also try a cat multi-vitamin. If you’ve spotted bug bites on your kitty, a shampoo of baking soda can be used to lessen dandruff caused by nibbles.

Mouthwash like Listerine is a surprising source that can also be used. Once-a-month washings with an appropriate shampoo can keep pet dandruff at bay overall. A possibly overlooked contributor to your cat’s dandruff is their grooming skills. If your cat is overweight or has hard-to-reach areas, their grooming may not be the best and is therefore causing dandruff. You can help them out with a good-quality brush on occasion. If you cat’s condition doesn’t improve, don’t hesitate to see a vet – your cat’s condition could be serious. They’ll be able to assist you further if these do-it-yourself approaches aren’t working.