Re: OT: Dandruff-Mercola

[Guest guest]

I had a dog with bad dandruff once. It was treatable but I had to get meds from

a vet. The vet had always over looked it until I pointed it out. She most

likely needs an anti-fungal topical. Those fungal infections can make a human

pretty miserable so I am sure the cat is itching too. If the cat will allow you

to bath her, the head and shoulders might work but I don't really know.

> >

> >

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/06/30/Whats-Your-Best-Ad\

vice-for-Dandruff-Heres-Mine.aspx

> >

>

[Guest guest]

I had a dog with bad dandruff once. It was treatable but I had to get meds from

a vet. The vet had always over looked it until I pointed it out. She most

likely needs an anti-fungal topical. Those fungal infections can make a human

pretty miserable so I am sure the cat is itching too. If the cat will allow you

to bath her, the head and shoulders might work but I don't really know.

> >

> >

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/06/30/Whats-Your-Best-Ad\

vice-for-Dandruff-Heres-Mine.aspx

> >

>

[Guest guest]

I pointed it out to my vet and she overlooked it still. Anyway, no cat will not

allow bath. I could try making a solution of baking soda water and spritzing

her with it and trying to rub it in. She doesn't lick herself back there, so I

don't have to worry about her ingesting it. She only gets her stomach.

>

> I had a dog with bad dandruff once. It was treatable but I had to get meds

from a vet. The vet had always over looked it until I pointed it out. She most

likely needs an anti-fungal topical. Those fungal infections can make a human

pretty miserable so I am sure the cat is itching too. If the cat will allow you

to bath her, the head and shoulders might work but I don't really know.

>

[Guest guest]

At 08:23 PM 7/1/2009, you wrote:

>I pointed it out to my vet and she overlooked it still. Anyway, no

>cat will not allow bath.

I trained my parent's cats to accept a bath from me, doing it alone.

Before she had to be held by two people, while a third bathed her.

What I did after she was bathed with 3 people, was I took the cat

outside, into strong sunlight, a hot day (the only time to bath a cat

is on a hot sunny day, so they can finish drying outside as rapidly

as possible). And using an hair dryer only on low speed, but high

heat, I dried the cat. The second time I washed the cat by myself.

The cat liked the hair dryer (on low only, high would create a noise

the cat hated, and would jump away). So, half way through the

drying, the cat did not have to be held still, but would stand and

let herself be dried. The third time was the charm. The cat understood

that after the bath, she would be hot air dried, and this third time the

cat stood still in the bathtub. And when taken outside and released,

she ran away for 10 feet, then stopped, turned around, and walked

back, waiting to be hot air dried. Amazing. After drying for ten

minutes, with me moving the dryer over her skin, she started turning

to put towards the hot the hair and skin that remained wet. She

also positioned herself the " right " distance from the hot air so

it was not " too " hot. Smart cat.

The only thing I can think of is cats like to sun themselves,

basked in the sun's warmth, and the hot air dryer was similar.

The amount of time spent licking her hair, to restore it's typical licked

status was greatly reduced. And she went directly to a hot patch of

garden dirt she liked, and laid down in the dirt... :-)

After that I bathed her only twice more, as she was an old cat. (smart)

I'd verbally tell her " bath " and she'd look at me, and this time not

run away, but walk away from the bathroom, so I had to pick her,

always with patience, and as I carried her to the tub, she did not

struggle. Placing her in the tub, she did not jump out.

She let me wet her, wash her, towel dry her, and outside we

went, where she demanded the hot air dryer to get her dry.

The cat actually now liked the bath.

The only reason I think that was so, was the time she had to spend

licking her fur to restore it, was greatly reduced due to not being

wet. She did not have to reduce the moisture in her fur, just lick

check that her fur was " okay. " Tasted okay. I do not know to this day.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for this info on washing your cat. I'm afraid because I have

very hard time healing from skin wounds. I always end up needing to go to

Urgent Care after a casual scratch. I really shouldn't have the cats but I had

them before I developed health problems. I may try just spritzing her with the

baking soda water and brushing her out and then try to increase the wetness to

see how that goes. I can't imagine her sitting still for a dryer due to the

noise. It makes a difference your knowledge of cat. My other cat I have had

since he was a few weeks old and I'm definately the boss. This cat was a stray

until he came here and was already middle aged and I'm definately not the boss,

but interesting. May try it some day. If I ever had a new kitten, I would get

her used to baths from the start.

>

>

> >I pointed it out to my vet and she overlooked it still. Anyway, no

> >cat will not allow bath.

>

[Guest guest]

Tea Tree Oil to seal small wound information below.

At 07:55 AM 7/3/2009, you wrote:

>Thanks for this info on washing your cat.

Not my cat, but my Mother's. I was the rare visitor to the house,

who treated the cat " special " , giving it hair brushing. I was the only

one who was gentle enough to rub the cat under her chin, where she

would not let any one else touch. I think the cat understood that my

behavior towards her was always respectful to her size, and ease of

a large animal that might, with a careless movement, harm a smaller one.

So, I while I was a stranger to the cat, I was also known to understand

her needs. And do the cat's bidding. ;-)

As a kitten I had taught to her to climb up my pant leg, without sticking

her claws into my skin, in order I might hold her. I did this after reading

a book that told me how to stop a cat from or bird from drawing blood.

The cat you merely press down on the top of the paw, briefly, as this

hurts the cat. Tit for tat. Repeat until the cat retracts the claws enough

to no longer break the skin. The cat has now learned something new,

that it did not know before. To train a bird to not draw blood with it's

beak, just wave your fingers once past it's eyes, as close as you can.

Birds hate this 'danger'. They soon realize the danger only occurs

when they bite too hard. The bird no longer bits, just nibbles.

So, the cat and I were strangers, but yet the cat knew I responded to her

needs. I was amazed in her behavior being washed by one person.

A key was getting everything prepared before hand. And the water temperature

had to be just " right " for her to hold still with the running

water. Oh, a hand

held shower head on a hose would allow me to wet the cat, and I preheated

everything. The object was to get the bath over with as soon as possible,

meaning the cat was wet as few seconds as possible.

>I'm afraid because I have very hard time healing from skin wounds.

Ah, me too, at one point. Then I found Tea Tree Oil would over half

the time, stop the bleeding. And the use of butterfly bandaids, now hard

to find on the market. Butterfly bandaids are pressure bandaids, holding

the wound edges together, so clouting can occur. They serve as weak

stitches. Why weak? Not that they weakly do the job of stitches, but

the bandaid comes loose easier, and the wound edges separate. Little

children, too active, this happens too. Adults who can hold the body

part still, can use butterfly bandaids, instead of stitches. However, the

risk of re-openning the wound, increasing the healing time, creating

a larger scar, are present. How do I know all this? A doctor once told

me that the wound I was using butterfly bandaids on, should have had

3-5 stitches. So, I did some reading research about butterfly bandaids.

The can be used in place of stitchs, one for one.

>I always end up needing to go to Urgent Care after a casual scratch.

Do try tea tree oil, and a tight bandaid. Use small bandaids across the

wound, stretched to hold it tight, and then hold down the ends of the

small bandaids with first aid tape wrapped around the finger, arm, leg,

whatever, to hold the sticky part of the small bandaids against the skin.

And do not " use " the wound area, keep that part of your body still.

The advantages of stitches is you can use the wound area immediately,

without much fear of wound edge separation. Stitches cost more.

Then, I found you can do stitches yourself, just have to learn how. Ouch!

And have " fresh " materials on hand, like self dissolving stitching, or

cat gut, which needs to be pulled out (cat gut was first used).

>I really shouldn't have the cats but I had them before I developed

>health problems. I may try just spritzing her with the baking soda

>water and brushing her out and then try to increase the wetness to

>see how that goes.

Why baking soda? The cat is going to lick all that out of the fur.

I guess you rinse well?

> can't imagine her sitting still for a dryer due to the noise.

Yes, that was the " Big " issue with this cat as well. Anytime I accidentally

switched the dryer speed up, she ran away. So, I taped it so it was not

possible. It was then taped on, which was itself a difficulty. And high

heat was not nice. Neither was blowing at the cat's face, it's whiskers,

and especially it's ears. The neck was okay, but away from the ears.

And always about 1 foot away. I wish the speed could have been adjusted

lower.

Now, older hair dryers will have worn bearings, and be noisier.

And remember, just because you " hear " no high whine, the cat can

hear higher frequency noises than you can. So, even though the

hair dryer sounds fine by you, the cat may not agree.

> It makes a difference your knowledge of cat. My other cat I have

> had since he was a few weeks old and I'm definately the boss.

Oh, I was not the boss. The cat and I had come to a mutual understanding.

We could train each other, and do so without grudges. Mistakes were forgiven.

> This cat was a stray until he came here and was already middle

> aged and I'm definately not the boss, but interesting. May try it some day.

Consider demonstrating the hair dryer. Let her see it in action on you.

Then, wet just her tail, and dry her tail. Remember she will " run away "

if it is too hot, which may surprise you how little hot air that is.

Start slow with it, just 10 seconds the first time. Find out how

close it can come,

likely no more than twelve inches or more, before the noise is too

loud. And then

try directing the heat at the cat. Do not do everything at the same

time. Older cats

learn quicker.

>If I ever had a new kitten, I would get her used to baths from the start.

Good luck.

[Guest guest]

I've learned from self-treating animal bites - never to let the wound

close. I've learned instead to keep the wound open, flushing several times

a day with clean running tap water, then allowing the wound to heal from the

inside out. I've seen horrible situations when this wasn' done. A dog show

judge who had a moderate bite on his hand went to the ER and had his hand

sutured shut. His hand then required several operations due to the onset of

a nasty infection. He nearly lost his hand before the infection was finally

under control. This can be readily prevented by opening up the wound as

much as possible each time for cleaning. As someone pointed out, tea tree

oil is GREAT for accidental scratches. I also use it for bug bites with

much success.

Jeri