Hey, everyone! Thanks in advance for anyone's advice.
I have a 2.5 yr. old female cat named Gristle. She stays indoors all the time, has been fixed, and lives with me and my roommate as well as our male cat Quincy who's a little bit younger than she is. Gristle has had a bad outbreak of dander on her back -- close to her tail -- for a while now. I started researching this, and found a dietary supplement for her that will increase her amounts of omega 3's and whatnot. What I've been noticing, though, is that the dander isn't just white -- it's black as well. As if she rolled in a pile of salt and pepper. I had read somewhere that this could be dead flea eggs. I treat my kitties for fleas once a month with Frontline and they also have flea collars. Plus, no fleas in my house as far as I can tell, and they rarely scratch. Gristle is a very, very grumpy cat who HATES for me to pet her. She HATES for anyone to come near her, except for me. She doesn't like me to pick her up (growls intensely when I do), and can't stand my roommate or friends who come over. She likes to be scratched on the head, but that's about it. Never purrs or "rubs" like other cats I've had have done in the past. Gristle also sheds quite a bit. I try to brush her as often as I can, but of course, she hates that too.
Gristle used to be a lovely cat when she was a kitten. I'm scared that something physical or perhaps psychological is going on. I wanted to try to get some input from here before I fork out the bill for a vet visit (I'm one of those poor college students...). Please let me know if you have any suggestions on what I can do to make my kitty happier and healthier. I'd appreciate it very much!
-Jubileey
I have a 2.5 yr. old female cat named Gristle. She stays indoors all the time, has been fixed, and lives with me and my roommate as well as our male cat Quincy who's a little bit younger than she is. Gristle has had a bad outbreak of dander on her back -- close to her tail -- for a while now. I started researching this, and found a dietary supplement for her that will increase her amounts of omega 3's and whatnot. What I've been noticing, though, is that the dander isn't just white -- it's black as well. As if she rolled in a pile of salt and pepper. I had read somewhere that this could be dead flea eggs. I treat my kitties for fleas once a month with Frontline and they also have flea collars. Plus, no fleas in my house as far as I can tell, and they rarely scratch. Gristle is a very, very grumpy cat who HATES for me to pet her. She HATES for anyone to come near her, except for me. She doesn't like me to pick her up (growls intensely when I do), and can't stand my roommate or friends who come over. She likes to be scratched on the head, but that's about it. Never purrs or "rubs" like other cats I've had have done in the past. Gristle also sheds quite a bit. I try to brush her as often as I can, but of course, she hates that too.
Gristle used to be a lovely cat when she was a kitten. I'm scared that something physical or perhaps psychological is going on. I wanted to try to get some input from here before I fork out the bill for a vet visit (I'm one of those poor college students...). Please let me know if you have any suggestions on what I can do to make my kitty happier and healthier. I'd appreciate it very much!
-Jubileey
