If you are a cat lover like we are, you know that dandruff is quite common in many breeds, and it can be difficult to find a remedy. Cat shampoos can be quite effective, but choosing the right brand can be quite challenging. We’ve chosen several brands to review for you so you can see the difference between them. We’ll give you the pros and cons of each brand, and we’ve also included a short buyer’s guide so you will know what to look for if you continue to shop.
Keep reading while we discuss ingredients, size, effectiveness, and more to help you make an informed purchase.
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2023
| Image | Product | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Best Overall
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Earthbath Oatmeal Cat Shampoo |
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Best Value
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Bodhi Waterless Lavender Cat Shampoo |
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Premium Choice
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Pet MD Benzoyl Peroxide Cat Shampoo |
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| Best for Kittens |
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Vetericyn Medicated Shampoo for Pets |
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| Best Cat Shampoo for Dry Skin |
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Strawfield Pets Medicated Cat Shampoo |
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The 7 Best Cat Shampoos for Dandruff – Review
1. Earthbath Oatmeal & Aloe Cat Shampoo – Best Overall
| Size: | 16-ounce bottle |
| Main Ingredient: | Colloidal oatmeal |
Earthbath Oatmeal & Aloe Dog & Cat Shampoo is our pick as the best overall cat shampoo for dandruff. It uses colloidal oatmeal and aloe to provide you with a soap-free shampoo to clean the skin and fur while moisturizing the skin. It also contains vitamins and coconut-based cleansers and is entirely biodegradable, so it isn’t bad for the environment.
The only downside to Earthbath is that some people did not like the scent as the main ingredient is oatmeal.
2. Bodhi Waterless Lavender Dog & Cat Dry Shampoo – Best Value
| Size: | 8-ounce bottle |
| Main Ingredient: | Lavender extract |
Bodhi Dog Waterless Lavender Dog, Cat & Small Animal Dry Shampoo is our pick as the best cat shampoo for dandruff for the money. It’s a waterless shampoo, so it will be less stressful for the cats, so you can use it more often. It helps moisturize the skin and fur. It has a nice odor and won’t weaken or dilute flea and tick medication, so it’s a great solution when dealing with those parasites.
While we liked using Bodhi and our cats had softer fur with less dandruff, we didn’t think it got our cat very clean, so you will still need to give your cat the occasional bath to keep it clean.
3. Pet MD Benzoyl Peroxide Pet Shampoo – Premium Choice
| Size: | 16-ounce bottle |
| Main Ingredient: | Benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid |
Pet MD Benzoyl Peroxide Dog & Cat Shampoo is our premium choice cat shampoo for dandruff. It’s a detergent-free brand that contains a small amount of pleasant-smelling citrus fragrance. Many of us know benzoyl peroxide from its use in acne medication, and it helps the fur feel soft and helps repair any skin problems without the use of detergent.
While it works quite well at improving many skin and fur conditions like dandruff, the downside to Pet MD is that it’s expensive, contains more chemical ingredients than we like to use, and can dry out the skin if you use it too frequently.
4. Vetericyn FoamCare Medicated Shampoo – Best for Kittens
| Size: | 16-ounce bottle |
| Main Ingredient: | Salicylic acid |
Vetericyn FoamCare Medicated Shampoo for Pets is our pick as the best kitten shampoo for dandruff. It has a gentle salicylic acid-based formula that is safe to use every day if you need to. It comes in a spray bottle, so it’s extremely easy to use, and the foaming shampoo smells nice, and it’s easy to tell where it is on the cat, so there is very little waste.
The downside to Vetericyn is that even though it comes in a decent-sized bottle, the foaming causes you to use more, and we felt it ran out quite quickly.
5. Strawfield Pets Chlorhexidine Medicated Cat Shampoo – Best Cat Shampoo for Dry Skin
| Size: | 16-ounce bottle |
| Main Ingredient: | Chlorhexidine |
Strawfield Pets Chlorhexidine Medicated Dog, Cat & Horse Shampoo is a fantastic brand that’s safe for multiple animals, including cats, dogs, and horses. As the name suggests, it uses Chlorhexidine to treat various skin conditions, including yeast infections, allergies, wounds, dermatitis, ringworm, dandruff, and more. The no-sting formula means you’ll get less resistance during bath time, and it has a pleasant smell.
The downside of using Strawfield is that it is quite thick, so it’s a little more difficult to apply to your cat, and it also contains artificial food coloring, which can trigger allergies in some cats, so you’ll need to be careful the first few times you use it.
6. RX 4 Pets Dog & Cat Skin Irritation Shampoo & Conditioner
| Size: | 16-ounce bottle |
| Main Ingredient: | Colloidal oatmeal |
RX 4 Pets Dog & Cat Skin Irritation Shampoo & Conditioner is a 2-in-1 product that will help make the fur softer while treating the skin. It uses colloidal oatmeal as the primary cleanser, and all ingredients are organic, so you don’t need to worry about harsh chemicals.
The downside to RX 4 is that it contains tea tree oil which some cats can be allergic to, and we didn’t see much improvement in our cat’s dandruff to warrant the risk.
7. Particular Paws Oatmeal Dog & Cat Shampoo
| Size: | 12-ounce bottle |
| Main Ingredient: | Oatmeal |
Particular Paws Oatmeal Dog & Cat Shampoo is another brand that uses oatmeal as a cleanser, and it can be quite effective at soothing the skin and softening the fur. It also contains other helpful ingredients like aloe, synthetic beeswax, almond butter, and shea butter that can help improve skin conditions and reduce problems. It has a soft scent that doesn’t overpower or smell artificial.
The downside to Particular Paws is that it’s a little smaller of a bottle, and you use it up quickly. We also didn’t see much improvement in dandruff even after several uses, but the hair was quite soft.
Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Cat Shampoo for Dandruff
Ingredients
Oatmeal
Oatmeal contains chemicals called saponins that have intense cleansing and foaming properties. It’s these saponins that cause companies to include oatmeal in many skin cleansers for humans and animals. You can expect products that contain oatmeal to produce more lather than brands without it. It also helps protect the skin by creating a natural barrier that prevents external toxins from causing problems.
Aloe
Aloe is not a cleanser, but it does help soothe and hydrate the skin, which can reduce dandruff. It can also help your cat heal from minor cuts and scratches. Many people worry that aloe might be toxic to cats, but any problems would come from the pet ingesting it, and you shouldn’t experience any problems using it in shampoo.
Salicylic Acid
Many companies combine salicylic acid with sulfur to treat skin conditions like seborrheic dermatitis, primary seborrhea, sicca, and oleosa, so it can be helpful in a shampoo for controlling dandruff. It’s also an antifungal that you can use to treat ringworm and other similar conditions.
Fragrance
We all like our cats to smell nice when they are finished bathing, but we need to be careful about what kind of fragrance we are applying to our pets. Many companies use essential oils, which can be harmful to our pets, resulting in liver damage and other serious health issues. While most shampoos contain some fragrance, we recommend avoiding essential oils and watching over your cat closely the first few times using a new product to ensure your cat doesn’t have any adverse reactions.
Artificial Color
Another ingredient we recommend avoiding is artificial color. Many cats can have an allergic reaction to dyes like red #3, red # 40, yellow #6, blue #1, and more, so it’s best to avoid them when possible.
Conclusion
When choosing your next cat shampoo for dandruff, we highly recommend our pick as the best overall. Earthbath Oatmeal & Aloe Dog & Cat Shampoo is soap-free and biodegradable, so it’s safe for the environment. It uses colloidal oatmeal, which will help cleanse the skin and produce a protective barrier to help protect the skin and reduce dandruff. Another smart choice is our pick for the best value. Bodhi Dog Waterless Lavender Dog, Cat & Small Animal Dry Shampoo is inexpensive, waterless, and smells nice. It moisturizes the skin and fur to reduce dandruff and promote a softer coat.
We hope you have enjoyed reading over our reviews and found a few you would like to try. If we have helped improve your cat’s coat, please share this guide to the best cat shampoos for dandruff on Facebook and Twitter.
You may also want to read:
- 10 Best Shampoos for Maine Coon Cats– Reviews & Top Picks
- 8 Best Kitten Shampoos – Reviews & Top Picks!
- 5 DIY Cat Shampoos — Homemade Solutions You Can Make Today
- 10 Best Antifungal Shampoos for Cats– Reviews & Top Picks
- 8 Home Remedies to Get Rid of Cat Dandruff: What You Need To Know!
Featured Image Credit: Olleg, Shutterstock
