Dry and cracking pads on a cats paws

Question
Hi,
My indoor Himalayan cat, Blue, who is 9 years old and healthy in every other aspect has severely dry skin on the bottom of the pads of his feet.  I took him to the local veterinarian who had not seen anything like this before and recommended a hydrocortisone cream that my cat licked off of his paws.  Needless to say, that didn't work.  So I began to try different types of litter thinking that might be the problem.  I have used the clumping kind of litter for many years with no problem, but in the past few years he has developed the dry skin, but only on the bottom of his paws.  I've tried switching brands thinking he was possibly allergic to something in them.  He still continued to have the problem with the skin on his feet.  Then I tried changing him over to regular cat litter for a few months.  It had no fragrance or clumping agent, just plain clay. That didn't help.  After trying pine litter for about 9 months now, the problem seems to be somewhat better, but it has not totally cleared up.  Do you have any experience or advice in this area?  

Answer
Dry cracked pads may be a sign of an oil deficiency in the diet.  Try some dietary Omega 3 fatty acids (available from the vet) to prevent the cracking of the skin of the foot pad. If all else fails, ask your vet to do a biopsy and find out from a pathologist what is going on.