Cat food question

For those of you with cats...

Is it true indoor cat and weight management dry food can make your cat's coat a bit dull, and cause dry skin?

My tabby is a little zaftig, so to speak. I used to feed my cats a holistic, all natural food, and the tabby had a coat so shiny she sparkled. In an effort to get her weight down a bit, we switched to an indoor cat/weight control formula food. I've noticed her skin is dry, a little dandruff, and her coat isn't as shiny as it used to be.

She is still her same zaftig self. She's not obese by any means, but we do call her "dumpling!" She's just a little on the rounder side than my blue (the blue is pictured in my avi, and is always shiny and thin, lucky little diva), so I'm thinking this is just how tabby is built. I'm thinking of switching back to the holistic food. I don't overfeed.

I thought I had read somewhere that lower fat foods can affect the coat.

Any experiences you'd like to share?

Updated On: 7/10/07 at 03:55 PM

It's funny, becaue the skinny little blue is the piglet in the house. Eats all the food. The tabby just eats her breakfast and goes on with the day. Not very interested in treats or table food. The blue goes over to the cupboard where we keep the cat treats, and howls until you indulge her with a snack. Grill fish or burgers for your own dinner, and she will follow you around like a meowing shadow. Go figure.

I've been brushing tabby every day. She looks nice after a good brushing (and she loves to be brushed), but she scratches a lot due to the dry skin. Poor baby.

We go to the vet next week anyway. I just want her to be comfy! Darn dandruff!

The blue has no issues with her coat, and they eat the same food. The difference is blue has a lot of table food "supplements" because begging suits her so well!

Updated On: 7/10/07 at 04:20 PM

hmmm...it may be a moisture absorbtion problem...I'd def. check with the vet, just in case. Scratching too much can lead to other problems.

Poor kitty!!!

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Dry low-calorie food just doesn't seem to work. We had a very fat cat (24 lbs). He never lost an ounce on the low-cal dry stuff. We put him on "kitty-Atkins", by serving him just Fancy Feast Chicken dinners (without gravy), and he lost half his weight, and his coat is very smooth and shiny.

When we adopted Pebbles she had just had 6 kittens and been fixed (we literally got her the day she got her stitches out). She was so small and light, unlike her out other cat who had just passed (22 lbs.) I knew she was going to put on a little bit since that is natural after being fixed, but 9 Months later she has plumped out quite a bit. She only gets a small amount of hard food in the morning and at night, but she still is a little bowling ball. she is on the weight management food, does not eat table food, and barely eats treats, so I am at a loss of what to do. We tried implementing some type of exercise routine, but that didn't work. I have no idea what to do, lol.

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I read that as I heard a diet commercial on the TV in the background, lol!

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A vet might also give you a dietary suppliment that contains cod liver oil. It helps with dry flaking skin.

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