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Cat Allergy Cats Get them Too
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What do I mean by cat allergy? Well for this article I am not talking about some humans apparent allergic reaction to our feline friends.
No, instead I am talking about cats who themselves have allergic reactions to certain substances.
The main difference between an allergic reaction in a cat and a human is that, with humans it mainly affects our breathing and occasionally our skin, whereas with a cat it is normally only a reaction to their skin.
A cat allergy is not often the first thing we think of when our cats show some sort of discomfort or excessive itching, but it is in fact quite a common occurrence with around 15% of cats suffering from some form of allergic reaction.
What are the possible causes of a cat allergy?
Just
like us humans, cats can become allergic to various things, however
the main ones are:
- Food - There are many brands of cat food all insisting that
they contain only the best ingredients and indeed many of them do.
However they may also contain something that your cat is allergic to, whether it is some natural ingredient like tuna or an added nutritional supplement.
It is impossible to know if your cat has this allergy until you notice repeated symptoms every time a certain food is fed.
- Medication - Some medications and even some vaccines can be the cause of a cat allergy in some of our pets. Again there is no way of telling before hand, however reactions to vaccines are relatively rare and should not prevent the caring cat owner from giving them to their pet.
- Insects and parasites - fleas are a common unwanted visitors for our cats and some cats are even allergic to the fleabites themselves. This can also be true for other biting insects.
- Airborne Allergens - Just like us humans, cats can also be allergic to things like grass seed, pollen, mould and even some household cleaning sprays and chemicals.
The symptoms of a cat allergy
As the skin is often affected the most, the most common sign of a bad reaction to something is twitching and scratching of their fur.
With
Little Mo she would run frantically around trying to escape her itchy
tormentor, even though she had no fleas but had just been bitten by
one.
Other symptoms include:
- Sneezing
- Face rubbing
- Excessive grooming
- Eye and nose discharges
- Breathing heavily
In some cat allergy cases hives may appear on the skin, as little circular raised red areas, which itch like crazy. This can sometimes occur quite soon after the cat has come into contact with the substance, but they usually disappear by themselves within 24 hours.
How to prevent a cat allergy attack
It is important to find out exactly what could be the cause of these allergic reactions. It can be very distressing and even painful for your cat every time an attack occurs.
To do this note down what has just happened within the last 30 minutes before the reaction became apparent. Ask yourself:
- Has he just eaten?
- Has his food changed?
- Is it the time of year for pollen to be released?
- Has someone sprayed something in the house or used a chemical cleaner etc.
- Has someone used a new perfume or aftershave near to your cat?
- Check that there are no parasites on the fur or in the ears.
If the cause is found and it is something you can remove from your cat's environment, then do this immediately. Unfortunately if it is something like pollen or seed grass then there is not much you can do apart from keeping your cat inside during the season and keeping windows closed
But even then they may still show some symptoms and an antihistamine from your vet will be required.
If all else fails and you are not sure what the cause could be, it is best to seek a vets advice, as they may be able to spot something. They will also be able to prescribe some medication to reduce the symptoms, which your cat will thank you for.
Veterinary Secrets Revealed.
