It is estimated that up to 50% of cats will have issues with cat dandruff at some part of their life with there being a number of common reasons that a cat may suffer from dandruff as well as there being a number of easy cat dandruff remedies that your are able to take advantage of.
One of the more common and cheaper cat dandruff remedies is to treat cat dandruff with olive oil and we have noticed a number of questions about using this technique so wanted to go into more detail within our own dedicated article.
There are actually two different treatment options for cat dandruff with olive oil that work in slightly different ways with one being very effective and one being questionable but we will cover both in our article below.
Using olive oil to treat your cat’s dandruff also tends to workout to be considerably cheaper than some of the other cat dandruff treatments on the market while also working out to be considerably cheaper.
As we see a number of different questions from the cat owning community about using olive oil to treat cat dandruff, we have decided to try and answer them all in this single article.
Due to this, we have added our table of contents below to allow you to skip to the specific questions that you want answers to with ease.
Why Does My Cat Suddenly Have Dandruff?
The most common causes of dandruff in cats is due to a change in diet, obesity limiting the amount of grooming the cat can do, various allergies, issues with their undercoat, and a number of more serious problems.
The majority of the time, the issue causing cat dandruff, especially if the dandruff suddenly tasks hold is due to a change in diet or allergies.
If you have recently switched out your cats main food or treat option then switching back to the older food is a quick and easy fix that may be able to treat issues with a change in diet and your cat having allergies.
This commonly occurs when you switch from a high-quality cat food that has plenty of fats and oils for a health skin and coat to a cheaper, low quality cat food.
We understand that this may be essential due to budget issues for your cat food and this is where cheap cat dandruff remedies come into play such as using olive oil for cats.
Although adding small amounts of olive oil to your cat’s new food with a lower fat and oil content can work well, some cats will refuse to eat it so another suitable fat source such as a salmon oil suppliment will offer similar results but easier to get your cat to eat.
Is Olive Oil Ok For Cats?
Olive oil is ok to use with cats with many cat owners using it as a quick and easy way to treat dandruff problems.
The easiest method to use olive oil for cat dandruff is to topically apply it to their skin and coat but you are also able to add small amounts to their food to get more fat into their diet.
As we touched on earlier in the article though, some causes of dandruff in cats are serious health issues with the dandruff being a symptom of a serious problem.
It can be very difficult to specifically identify what is causing your cat’s dandruff so booking a quick video call with a professional veterinarian can be a great way to find out exactly what’s wrong with your cat.
A veterinarian will be in a much better position to help you understand the cause of the dandruff in your cat and the required treatment to cure the condition.
As we mentioned earlier in the article, some of the common causes of cat dandruff can easily be treat with something as simple as olive oil but others will require specialist treatments.
How To Treat Cat Dandruff With Olive Oil!
The two main methods of using olive oil for cats to treat their dandruff is to apply the olive oil topically to their skin and coat or to add small amounts of the olive oil to your cat’s food.
It is usually much easier to apply the olive oil to the skin and coat of your cat than it is to get your cat to eat even small amounts of olive oil though so we always recommend that you try that treatment.
Unlike dogs, cats are obligate carnivores meaning that they have evolved to eat a diet of meat-based protein and fats so some will be very picky about eating their food if you do try to sneak olive oil into it.
This is why you may have to switch your olive oil out for a a salmon oil suppliment if you do want to get your cat to eat its dandruff treatment to top up the essential oils in its diet for a healthy skin and coat.
Treating cat dandruff with olive oil by applying the olive oil to your cat’s skin and coat does tend to be easier for most people.
This method works by taking advantage of the great Omega 6 to Omega 3 oil ratio that has been proven to be able to reduce the number of flakes that break away from the skin.
Can You Put Olive Oil On Cats Fur To Treat Dandruff?
Applying olive oil on a cat’s fur to treat dandruff is a very common DIY dandruff treatment for cats that sees a large amount of success in reducing the number of flakes from your cat’s skin.
This method does focus on treating the symptom of the dandruff in your cat rather than the actual cause though so there are usually better options.
Although the majority of cats will be fine if you do use olive oil for your cats skin, there are a small number who can have problems.
Just like with humans, olive oil can cause irritation in some cats when applied to their skin resulting in the dandruff actually getting worse but this is a minority and there is no way to tell if it will help your cat or if they will have irritation from the olive oil until you try it.
This is why we often recommend that you get advice from a vet on the actual cause of the dandruff in your cat if possible.
Treating the cause rather than the symptoms is usually a much better option and if your cat dandruff is due to a nutritional deficit in oils in its diet then trying to add small amounts of olive oil to your cats food may be able to help.
Can I Give My Cat Olive Oil In Its Food For Dandruff?
Some people are able to use olive oil in their cat’s food to top up the essential fats and oils to fill a nutritional deficit and help to treat the cause of their cat’s dandruff.
Some cats will refuse to eat their food if they can smell a small amount of olive oil though so this can be hit and miss.
In our opinion, using olive oil in your cat’s food is one of the more questionable cat dandruff remedies and although there are countless reports on social media of people who have successfully used it, a salmon oil suppliment usually does the same job but tends to be much easier to get your cat to actually eat.
Another option may be to switch your cat over to a high-quality cat food that is nutritionally complete to remove the need for oil and fat supplementation too.
It is very common for a domesticated cat’s diet to have multiple nutritional deficiencies and this is one of the main causes of cat dandruff.
Thankfully though, it also happens to be one of the easiest ones to treat with ease by simply filling the void in the nutritional profile of your cat that is causing the dandruff.
Is Olive Oil The Best Cure For Cat Dandruff?
A huge number of people have treat their cat dandruff using olive oil but most of the time, it simply treats the dandruff symptom rather than the actual cause.
This is why we feel there are usually better cat dandruff treatment options that will actually treat the symptom of the dandruff and any other resulting health issues.
This is why getting assistance from a vet can be very important as soon as your cat starts to show the signs of dandruff as you really need to start working on treating the cause rather than the symptoms.
This is due to cat dandruff often only being one of the symptoms of some of the health issues with there often being other symptoms that are more serious and cause by the same initial health problem.
Thankfully though, as we mentioned above the most common cause of cat dandruff is a nutritional deficiency in your cat for some of the essential fats and oils in their diet.
This can often be corrected by using a a salmon oil suppliment or switching your cat over to a high-quality cat food that is nutritionally complete.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over-treating cat dandruff with olive oil to an end. We hope that we have been able to help you and point out a number of potential cat dandruff remedies that you are able to use to your advantage to treat the dandruff in your cat. Although olive oil can be an effective, cheap dandruff treatment for your cat, there is often better options that are regularly overlooked.
