Hello -

I have a 12 month old kitten whose coat tends to be a little coarser than I would normally expect. We feed her Science Diet dry daily - we leave it out for her to munch on - and Fancy Feast wet twice daily. She drinks lots of water and shows no signs of having dry skin. It may be that her coat is just thicker and there isn't much we can do, but I was wondering if anyone had any tips for improving a cats coat - both the shine and the softness?

I add a pump of omega 3 salmon oil to each of my cats food bowls once daily.

I also use salmon oil. It is really wonderful for making coats soft and shiny.

Science Diet is also not the best food. There are better brands you can get for about the same price, which might make her coat softer as well as being better for her overall.

However, different cats also have different types of fur. Your kitten may genetically have a coarse coat, and nothing can change that.
The fish oil is still a good idea for her health, even so.

I also use salmon oil. It is really wonderful for making coats soft and shiny.

Science Diet is also not the best food. There are better brands you can get for about the same price, which might make her coat softer as well as being better for her overall.

However, different cats also have different types of fur. Your kitten may genetically have a coarse coat, and nothing can change that.
The fish oil is still a good idea for her health, even so.

I agree with all of this.

My cats all have very shiny, healthy coats, however, Baby has the softest coat I've ever felt on a shorthaired cat and her three kittens inherited this coat.
Jade, my youngest is actually Baby's niece and she has a coarse coat.

So while you can definitely do things (mostly diet related) to make your cat's coat shiny and healthy, there isn't anything you can do to change the hair type :)

Stimpy likes Welactin (http://www.nutramaxlabs.com/brochures/Welactin%20for%20Cats%20brochure.pdf), and his coat is so nice.:) I just squirt it on his wet food once a day.

My other 2 cats don't like it though.:( Lola doesn't really eat wet food and Nabu is super picky.

For people who bathe their cats, white vinegar rinse makes the coat really soft and shiney. It also helps get all the soap out and helps to restore pH. You can use anywhere from a few tablespoons to 1-2 gallons of water to 1 cup per 1-2 gallons of water.