Household felines are unique animals that beat to their own drum and follow their own set of rules – with no limitations or territory off-guard to these curious creatures in a home. If you have ever had a household cat than you are well aware of their behavior, they go wherever they please whether that be your bed, kitchen counters, or even into the basket of clean laundry that was waiting for placement in your laundry room. However, no matter where they go in your home, they will leave behind a trail of dander that can land on several surfaces within your indoor environment and even potentially can be emitted into the air tainting your indoor air quality. The dander that is produced from cats can sometimes be a strong allergen in the environment that can lead to an exacerbation of allergy/asthma symptoms in those who suffer from these conditions. In addition, this may also lead to issues for your cat and their skin, which may produce a sensitive skin condition that can result in another allergen shed from your cat’s skin called dandruff. In this article we are going to determine the best way on how to get rid of cat dander in a new house and learn the key difference between cat dander and dandruff that are shed from a cat’s skin into your indoor environment.

Why Does My Cat Have Flaky Skin?

Have you recently noticed while petting your cat that their skin has become flaky, which has led to the release of white dandruff from their fur? Depending on the amount of fur, the color of the fur, and how often you brush your cat, the detection process of identifying flaky skin on your cat may be more challenging. The result of this flaky skin crisis on your cat is typically caused by dry skin – a condition on cats that can be triggered by allergies, health problems, and changes in the environment that can adversely impact the state of the cat’s skin. Cat’s may develop an allergy to certain food or environmental conditions, as well as acquire certain health issues such as infections or external parasites that can lead to itchy skin that can turn into dry, irritated skin. If you begin to notice that your cat has started excessively grooming themselves or are constantly itching their skin in a certain area, it will be necessary to analyze these spots on your cat to make sure that there are no underlying skin issues that have begun to develop. Little white flakes of skin called dandruff will be a major indicator of skin issues and upon the spotting of these on the fur of your cat, a vet visit may be in order to receive treatment such as ointment or solutions to be placed on the skin to alleviate the skin condition or issues.

Dander vs Dandruff on Cat

The commencement of allergies has begun, and you notice that nearly every time you are around your cat(s) the symptoms come back in full force. Could it be the cat’s dander that is wreaking havoc on your allergy symptoms or could it be the result of cat dandruff that is falling off the skin of your cat? When it comes to determining if cat dander or cat dandruff is the issue for both your cat and your indoor allergies, there are key differences that will help you determine which is the problem in your environment. Cat dander are materials that are shed from the body of animals that have fur, hair, or feathers that can be released into the environment and create certain health issues such as allergies and/or asthma in those who are sensitive to the allergen in the air. The dander is composed of tiny bits of dried skin that will flake off of your cat’s body and become airborne within the air of the indoor environment. The flakes of skin released from a cat contain a protein called FelD1 which is responsible for the allergic response that it elicits from human exposure. This protein can be found in a cat’s urine, sebaceous glands, and in their saliva – which can lead to this protein being spread throughout an indoor area quickly as the cat bathes themselves or when they go to the bathroom in the environment. Whereas cat dandruff is essentially loose flakes of skin that are composed of skin cells that are typically larger in the environment, than that of cat dander. When dandruff is present on the skin of your cat it can be a sign of bigger health concerns that your cat is currently suffering from internally. The causes of this dandruff can come from several different sources such as a cat’s diet, hydration, parasites, allergies, and other health issues.

What Causes Cat Dander

The presence of cat dander in your home will be an undetectable allergen in the environment that is so tiny that it is often compared to being smaller than a pinhead. When the cat dander flakes are released into the environment they can stick to surfaces and float throughout the air, leaving a potential threat in the airspace to trigger health reactions like allergies and asthma. When you are stuck dealing with elevated levels of cat dander in your home that is provoking your allergy and asthma symptoms, it will be necessary to determine what causes cat dander on your pet and what you can do to minimize the amount of dander that the cat releases from their body. However, this may be easier said than done in most cases. There can be many reasons as to why cat dander is present in your environment in higher levels. The root causes can range from diet-related, environmental factors, and certain health conditions that can elicit the overproduction of cat dander in the air. The specific causes of excessive cat dander production can vary depending on the cat and their health and environmental conditions.

Causes of Cat Dandruff

Cat dandruff, in comparison to cat dander, is a skin condition that can produce more noticeable skin flakes on your cat and in your environment, which can be both an issue for your feline and for your home. The status of your cat’s skin can speak volumes to their overall health, as it can lead to further issues that can be far more hazardous to your cat overtime. Therefore, identifying the causes of cat dandruff can help to minimize and reduce future health risks in your cat. The major causes of cat dandruff can range from their diet, hydration, health, allergies, and even parasites. Below we are going to discuss in detail these major causes and why they occur to your pet and affects their skin.

• Diet: If your cat has a poor diet that has nutritional deficiencies this can potentially lead to the issue of skin problems. The vitamin Omega-3 oils deficiency, in particular, can especially lead to dry, flaky skin issues for a cat’s fur coat.
• Allergies: An allergic reaction may also spark the development of dandruff on your cat’s skin. A cat can be allergic to foods that they eat or even from the environment and stressors that they are surrounded by in their indoor space. A simple change in routine or surroundings could potentially disrupt a cat’s health and lead to skin issues or cat dandruff.
• Hydration: When your cat does not drink enough water, it can sometimes result in skin dryness, which can lead to cat dandruff in some cases. In addition, dehydration in an animal can also occur through the environmental conditions like dry air and weather that can leave the coat dry.
• Health: They say that signs of skin issues can also reflect poorly to a cat’s overall health. Some studies have even found that the production of dandruff may be correlated to feline diabetes in certain instances.
• Parasites: Signs of dry skin and dandruff may also be in response to parasites like fleas, worms, or mites that the cat is suffering from. Bites from fleas and mites can trigger an allergic reaction on your cat’s skin which can lead to excessive itching and dandruff.

How to Treat Cat Dandruff & Dander

When it comes to the process of treating cat dandruff and/or cat dander from your feline’s skin, the process can range based on the severity of the skin condition. First and foremost, you will need to examine your cat to see if there is in fact dandruff being produced from their skin. Upon observation of dandruff, a trip to the vet may be needed to give your cat a comprehensive check-up on their overall health. The process of treating cat dandruff and dander will require the implementation of a few tips and tricks such as keeping your cat out of hot, dry weather, giving your pet a gentle brushing every couple of weeks, and even by applying a gentle ointment to the skin to help treat the skin issues causing the cat dander and dandruff.

Steps to Getting Rid of Cat Dander in New House

Cat dander specifically can last for months in an indoor environment, and thus doing frequent cleanings of your home will be beneficial to minimizing the impact of dandruff and dander on this environment. When it comes to cleaning your home, often times homeowners will fail in keeping up with regular cleaning routines, which can drastically impact the buildup of cat dander and dandruff on both the surfaces of the home and in the air. As we discussed earlier, cat dander and dandruff can become airborne in your home, and it can stay trapped in the air of your home if poor ventilation and airflow is present in this environment. Therefore, the utilization of an air purifier in your home may be beneficial to getting rid of cat dander in new house that occupants are breathing into their bodies. The OdorKlenz Mobile Air System is your solution to removing odors and allergens in a home by eliminating odors caused by pets, household chemicals, cooking, perfumes, and other miscellaneous odors. This portable unit contains two stages of filtration, the (1^st) is a proprietary earth mineral technology implemented into the OdorKlenz Air Cartridge that is capable of capturing, containing, and neutralizing both noxious and toxic chemicals and odors from the air including pet odors, chemical odors, and VOCs from the air. The (2^nd) stage filtration is a hospital-grade HEPA filter that is designed to capture and remove fine particulate matters from the air that are larger than 0.3 microns in size at a 99.99 percent efficiency – this will include allergens like pet dander and dandruff from the air.

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