Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 11/3/2009

Question
Hi,

I have a 14 months old persian female cat. I noticed lately that there are some tiny flakes attached on some parts of her body (right on top of skin and  attached on few hairs of her coat).
I used to use baby shampoo for bathing her, but when this problem arouse, I switched to Earthbath cat shampoo and I did notice a decrease of these flakes.
What do you think are these tiny flakes? is this dandruff? if so, what can I do to get rid of it?

Thanks  

Answer
In a Persian, I would be worried about ringworm fungi.  Let your vet look at the cat and possibly do a Woods Lamp evaluation to see if there is any fluorescence to these flakes, indicating a fungus.  They may also want to take a fungal culture of these flakes to see if any fungus grows out.