If your cat is scratching excessively, it’s most likely suffering from dandruff.
Flea eggs, on the other hand, can easily be mistaken for dandruff. The eggs can be found in your cat’s coat and hair follicles.
Once they’re established, they’ll start hatching, resulting in tiny, invisible pearl-like residue. So, is it cat dandruff or flea eggs?
The answer is that cat dandruff and flea eggs can be confused. Both cat dandruff and flea eggs look similar to one another.
However, cat dandruff is shed by cats just like human dandruff is shed by humans. Flea eggs, on the other hand, are laid by adult fleas.
Cat dandruff and flea eggs are harmless to cats. However, if you’re concerned about your cat’s health, you should adopt a flea control program.
Is It Flea Eggs or Cat Dandruff?
If you’re experiencing itching in your pet’s fur, it could be either fleas or cat dandruff.
Fleas are tiny insects that feed on warm-blooded animals, including cats and dogs. Fleas cause itching by irritating the skin with a sharp mouthpart.
Cat dandruff is quite different. Cat dandruff is yellowish flakes of skin shed by the cat’s skin glands.
Cat dandruff usually causes itching in cats, and can cause sneezing and coughing in people. Only a veterinarian can tell if your pet has fleas or cat dandruff, so it’s important to see a vet as soon as possible.
What Is the Difference Between Cat Dandruff and Flea Eggs?
Consistency
Cat dandruff should be treated as soon as it appears.
This is because the flakes tend to accumulate quickly and become more difficult to remove as they accumulate more debris from hair brushings. The consistency is also different from egg-based matter since it is not smooth and easily rolled into a ball like the egg-based matter.
On the contrary, the flakes are quite rough and hard to remove. Moreover, if your cat has a dry skin condition, its skin can flake off more easily than normal .
As a result, you may notice more flaking on your pet’s skin than usual. In such cases, you should seek veterinary advice immediately to identify the cause of your pet’s skin condition before treating it at home.
Furthermore, it should be noted that normal shedding of dead skin and dander is normal for all pets and does not signal any illness in the pet itself.
Still, this doesn’t mean you should ignore the problem completely; excessive shedding and irritation of the skin are signs of a skin disorder that needs medical attention as soon as possible.
Time Spent on the Body of the Cat
Cat dandruff may become difficult to remove after several days of accumulation on the body.
This occurs because the accumulated particles may clog up the brush bristles when brushing the cat.
As a result, you may find it difficult to remove the excess matter from the brush when brushing your cat regularly.
Besides, the accumulated material may start to flake off the body when you touch it lightly with your bare hands.
This is a clear indication that the accumulated material is harder to remove from the body than when it first started to form on the skin of the cat.
Shape
The form will be round in shape if your cat has sebaceous dermatitis.
Some of the flakes will fall off and stick to the body in patches while others will stay on the tip of the hair shaft.
You’ll know the form won’t be the round shape if it begins to resemble the shape of a flame or looks like a small volcano on the skin of the cat.
As a result, you will easily be able to tell that the flaking isn’t caused by sebaceous dermatitis.
Rather, it is caused by the parasitic infection from fleas or other parasites such as mites that cause scabies.
Therefore, the form will be irregular in shape.
Moreover, when treating scabies on the pet, you’ll also need to treat the environment as well in order to prevent further infestation on the pet.
This is because mites can be transmitted from one animal to another through direct contact with the skin of an infected animal.
Also Read: Why Is My Cat Not Eating Food But Only Eats Treats?
Conclusion
That’s all there is to it! Although it’s sometimes difficult to tell whether a cat has a case of dry scalp or a parasite problem, there are definite differences that distinguish the two conditions from one another.
When it comes to cat dandruff, the flakes are usually dry rather than oily or waxy in texture; they are white in color and form large clumps around the cat’s head; and the flakes do not stick to the hair.
This is essential as you find out what type of treatment is necessary for your cat and its specific condition!