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 40C in our city.

For testing purpose, I have started feeding him a little amount of wet food daily. 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.