Food question and fur question

This might be a dumb question but, I know that when you switch brands of cat food you have to make a gradual change as not to upset the kitty's tummy... But what about switching flavors? Dori eats Science Diet (recently tried to switch her to Royal Canin but she hated it) and they make 3 flavors of the regular cat food. Is it safe to feed her a bag of the chicken and then maybe next time get the lamb flavor? I am thinking it is probably switching formulas that you need to be careful of not flavors but wanted to be 100% sure.

The next question: Dori's fur looks really dull, sometimes you could even describe it a kind of dirty looking. She doesn't go outside. I brush her (with zoom groom) and she cleans herself a lot and she has always eaten Science Diet (vet recommended). I have heard that their food can make a big difference on how their coat looks. Is that true? Our friends have Dori's brother and sister and they have beautiful shiny coats and they eat Purina Cat Chow, which I thought Science Diet was better than... so I must be doing something wrong. Oh and I almost forgot to mention, on her lower back close to her tail she gets white stuff in her fur, the best I can describe it is flakes but they are really tiny little speckles. The lady I talked to at Petsmart said it must be dry skin and suggested Pure Pet, a shampoo with oatmeal in it but her skin seems more oily than dry and the shampoo made no difference. That is why I am wondering if it is a food related issue...

Frantic has a bright shiny coat but he also has dandruff. The vet didn't seem too bothered by it.

My maincoon mix, Einstein was developing some severe dandruff and the vet told me to look for "linatone" at petsmart. It is basically an oil made up of vitamin E and essential oils that are missing from their foods most of the time.

I see a huge difference in his coat and he is shedding a lot less too. I also switched him to "Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul" and he really likes it. I mix a tablespoon of linatone into his dry/wet food daily.

Originally posted by squirtle
...The next question: Dori's fur looks really dull, sometimes you could even describe it a kind of dirty looking. She doesn't go outside. I brush her (with zoom groom) and she cleans herself a lot and she has always eaten Science Diet (vet recommended). I have heard that their food can make a big difference on how their coat looks. Is that true? Our friends have Dori's brother and sister and they have beautiful shiny coats and they eat Purina Cat Chow, which I thought Science Diet was better than... so I must be doing something wrong. Oh and I almost forgot to mention, on her lower back close to her tail she gets white stuff in her fur, the best I can describe it is flakes but they are really tiny little speckles. The lady I talked to at Petsmart said it must be dry skin and suggested Pure Pet, a shampoo with oatmeal in it but her skin seems more oily than dry and the shampoo made no difference. That is why I am wondering if it is a food related issue...

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For our two girls Ari and Sully, it is definitely a nutritional issue. We realized this after taking both of them to a holistic vet and he told us that feeding commercial dry food and canned food is the cause for their slightly rough coats and minor skin flakes on Sully. He suggested we try slowly moving them both over to a raw diet of wholesome, fresh food.

And the results have been spectacular. Not only have their coats become more soft and plush, but the flakes have disappeared. Also, their stools are less frequent and surprisingly, almost odourless. We thought we were seeing something unique, until we read similar experiences from others that had started their pets on raw or cooked wholesome food.

- Donna and George