When a cat has allergies, her immune system overreacts and begins to identify them as dangerous though these substances-or allergens-are usually common in most environments and harmless to most animals. Her body will try to rid itself of these substances.
She may show a variety of symptoms:-
* Sneezing, coughing (if the cat has asthma), wheezing.
b) Skin itching and scratching more.
3. Eyes itching and runny.
* Itchy back or base of tail (most commonly seen in flea allergies).
5. Itching ears plus ear infections
6) Vomiting
g) Diarrhoea
8) Snoring from an inflamed throat.
i) Paw chewing and could be swollen.
Are there several types of allergies?
Four known types of allergies in a cat:
Contact - Pollen, Tree, grass, weed, mold, mildew and dust.
Flea - A flea allergy only requires the bite of a single flea to trigger intense itchiness for 2 to 3 weeks and itch-producing reaction can result even when the flea's saliva is deposited in the skin. This may result in the cat severely scratching or chew itself, leading to the removal of large amounts of hair. There will often be open soars or scabs on the skin, allowing secondary bacterial infection to begin.
Food - Cats are not likely to be born with food allergies but develop them over time so therefore may show up in cats at any age.
Inhalant - Cats can be allergic to all of the same inhaled allergens as us, pollens (can be seasonal), perfumes, dust etc.
How Can Cat Allergies Be Treated.
Contact - remove the irritant, this may seem easy but requires some detective work to find. It could even be a flea collar, wool bedding, or tray litter.
Flea - frequent bathing can help immensely, or the use of a hypoallergenic shampoo, if this is not possible then your vet may prescribe steroids to block the allergic reaction. Either way a strict ongoing flea control is essential.
Food - testing is done with a hypoallergenic diet and the cat must eat this special diet exclusively for a minimum of eight weeks, preferably more, until her symptoms go away. It takes about eight weeks for all other food products to get out of the system. Once the symptoms have stopped you'll begin to reintroduce old foods to see which ones might be causing the allergic reaction or your vet will recommend specific food.
Inhalant - Buy dust/scent free cat litter, clean bedding at least once a week and any other materials that gather dust. The itching may be relieved by use of steroids which block the allergic reactions and gives relief. Also, using a hypoallergenic shampoo can help and also then allows a lower strength steroid to be used. It may be the case that over time the cat's immune system will see the allergy as less of a threat and reactions will become less severe.
She may show a variety of symptoms:-
* Sneezing, coughing (if the cat has asthma), wheezing.
b) Skin itching and scratching more.
3. Eyes itching and runny.
* Itchy back or base of tail (most commonly seen in flea allergies).
5. Itching ears plus ear infections
6) Vomiting
g) Diarrhoea
8) Snoring from an inflamed throat.
i) Paw chewing and could be swollen.
Are there several types of allergies?
Four known types of allergies in a cat:
Contact - Pollen, Tree, grass, weed, mold, mildew and dust.
Flea - A flea allergy only requires the bite of a single flea to trigger intense itchiness for 2 to 3 weeks and itch-producing reaction can result even when the flea's saliva is deposited in the skin. This may result in the cat severely scratching or chew itself, leading to the removal of large amounts of hair. There will often be open soars or scabs on the skin, allowing secondary bacterial infection to begin.
Food - Cats are not likely to be born with food allergies but develop them over time so therefore may show up in cats at any age.
Inhalant - Cats can be allergic to all of the same inhaled allergens as us, pollens (can be seasonal), perfumes, dust etc.
How Can Cat Allergies Be Treated.
Contact - remove the irritant, this may seem easy but requires some detective work to find. It could even be a flea collar, wool bedding, or tray litter.
Flea - frequent bathing can help immensely, or the use of a hypoallergenic shampoo, if this is not possible then your vet may prescribe steroids to block the allergic reaction. Either way a strict ongoing flea control is essential.
Food - testing is done with a hypoallergenic diet and the cat must eat this special diet exclusively for a minimum of eight weeks, preferably more, until her symptoms go away. It takes about eight weeks for all other food products to get out of the system. Once the symptoms have stopped you'll begin to reintroduce old foods to see which ones might be causing the allergic reaction or your vet will recommend specific food.
Inhalant - Buy dust/scent free cat litter, clean bedding at least once a week and any other materials that gather dust. The itching may be relieved by use of steroids which block the allergic reactions and gives relief. Also, using a hypoallergenic shampoo can help and also then allows a lower strength steroid to be used. It may be the case that over time the cat's immune system will see the allergy as less of a threat and reactions will become less severe.
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