Feline Allergies: Types, Symptoms, and Treatment

You have the sniffles, watery, itchy eyes, and/or rash. You are suffering from allergies. Did you know your cat can also suffer from allergies? The main allergy symptom in cats is itchiness. It is important as pet owners to learn how to recognize feline allergies so that you can help your veterinarian diagnose and treat your cat for the condition.

Allergies develop due to the immune system's overreaction to allergens or foreign objects, such as flea saliva, pollen, and food proteins. Cats typically develop allergies when they are young or middle-aged.

There are four basic types of feline allergies: contact, food, inhaled, and flea. Each of these allergies will be discussed as well as how allergies are diagnosed and treated below.

Flea allergies: Flea allergies are the most common type of feline allergy. While a cat who does not have flea allergies might experience minor irritation and itching from fleas or fleabites, a feline with flea allergies experiences extreme itchiness from one flea or fleabite. A cat who possesses flea allergies will scratch and bite at his or her fur excessively, even to the point of hair loss. Additionally, a cat with flea allergies might cause scabs and sores on his or her skin, which could lead to a skin infection. A cat with flea allergies will scratch around his or her tail.

Inhaled allergies: Inhaled allergies, also known as atopy, are common among cats. Inhaled allergies occur when a cat's immune system overreacts to some substance in its environment. Inhaled allergies include pollen, mold, pet dander, mildew, and dust mites. Cats suffering from inhaled allergies tend to scratch their face, feet, stomach, "arm pits," and chest. Sometimes felines with inhaled allergies also exhibit sneezing, wheezing, and other respiratory problems.

Food allergies: Food allergies do not typically appear immediately in felines; rather, they appear after a cat has been eating the same food for a long time. Symptoms of this type of feline allergy are excessive itching around the neck and head. Sometimes cats scratch and bite their neck and head so much it leads to hair loss. Other symptoms of food allergies may include ear infections and digestive problems, especially gas and diarrhea. Food allergies are non-seasonal, unlike inhaled allergies.

Contact allergies: When a cat possesses a contact allergy, he or she will scratch the spot in which he or she came in contact with the irritating material. Contact allergies can include a flea collar, a blanket, or a rug. Contact allergies are the least common kind of allergy among felines.

Diagnosis: Veterinarians utilize different tests in order to determine if your cat has an allergy, and if so, what the allergy is. Lab tests, radioallergosorbent serum tests, and/or intradermal skin tests may be utilized to determine what antigens cause allergic reactions in your feline. In the intradermal skin test, small amounts of antigens are injected just below your cat's skin to determine what your cat will respond to; red swollen bumps at specific injection sites indicate the things your cat may be allergic to.

The food elimination test is a great method for determining what food allergies your cat possesses. In this test, your cat is put on a special diet. After being on the special diet for a while, one kind of food is added to the diet. If no symptoms occur as a result of the added food, your vet will determine your cat is not allergic to that food. Another food is then added to the special diet and your cat is assessed again for allergy symptoms. This process continues until the cause of your cat's food allergy is determined. While this process is quite time consuming, taking from 8-12 weeks, it is the best method for determining your cat's specific food allergy.

Treatment: Treatment depends on the type of allergy your kitty has. For instance, removing the object or food may be enough to resolve a contact or food allergy, respectively.

Corticosteroids and antihistamines are typically used for inhaled and flea allergies. If these medications prove to be ineffective for your feline, allergy shots are also a treatment option for felines with allergies.

Our cats can suffer the same types of allergies we do, and it is our responsibility as cat owners to recognize what might be a potential feline allergy, take our cats to the veterinarian for a proper diagnosis, and follow the vet's treatment plan for our furry friends.

Sources:

Web Vet: Allergies:
http://www.webvet.com/main/article?id=6&med=1

Pet Well-being: Cat Allergies:
http://pethealth.petwellbeing.com/wiki/Cat_Allergies

Web MD: Allergies: Allergy Symptoms:
http://www.webmd.com/allergies/guide/allergy-symptoms