Cat - fix poor coat

Question

My 1 year old male cat has poor coat and is shedding excessively. We feed him dry food and often wet food - twice a month. I don't know what is lacking, we feed him good quality dry food. Our vet always suggests to change cat food whenever we pay a visit. We changed cat food twice, but I don't think that is the reason. We sometime see progress in his coat and after a few days coat again becomes dull and dry. Is wet food necessary for coat? Is the dryness caused by feeding only dry food? Temperature reaches 40 °C in our city.

For testing purpose, I have started feeding him a little amount of wet food daily. I need your suggestions, as I am tired of visiting vet that suggests change of food only.

Answer 1

Knowing from your other question that your cat is not neutered –

Have your cat neutered. The coat will likely improve and there will probably be less shedding.

Unneutered males in particular can shed a lot because they are anxious. They are constantly looking for a mate, but – in your case, presumably – not finding one.

Unneutered males also have more important things...females...to think about than grooming. They often simply don't bother. They develop unkempt and greasy coats especially around the tail base.

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Brush your cat daily. This will do wonders for the coat, by removing dead hairs and debris.

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Diet helps maintain a good coat, but it is not so much a question or wet or dry, rather what is in the food.

You want a balanced diet of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals. Specifically, you want a diet that is high in omega-3 fatty acids. You can supplement the food with omega-3s as a separate product (such as Welactin) if you so desire. But be careful with "fish oil" products, as they are generally very poorly regulated.