Cat inhalant allergies

Part 4 on cat allergies will cover inhalant allergies, also called atopy and is the second most common allergy in cats. The same allergens that cause allergies in humans can cause inhaled allergies in cats. However, while a human will sneeze, cough, and have watery eyes, a cat usually always have itching skin, much the same as a food allergy or flea bite allergy.

Cause and symptoms: common allergens are grass, weed, and tree pollen, fabrics, dander, dust mites, and mold. Seasonal itching for an inhalant allergy usually begins at age 1 to 3 years, whereas a flea bite allergy usually begins at age 3 to 5. Atopy causes itching around the face, neck, back, and thighs, with tiny seed-like scabs and possible hair loss.

Treatment: Steroids such as Prednisone are often prescribed to block the allergic reaction. Some allergens are believed to absorb through the skin, so hypoallergenic shampoo can help relieve itching, along with fatty acid supplements. Keeping grass or weeds mowed so that they don't pollinate will help somewhat. If your cat requires injections every other month, consider alternative treatment. Side affects of prolonged use of Prednisone are:
*excessive appetite, thirst and panting
*immune suppression
*inflammation of the pancreas
*urinary incontinence
Alternative treatments are: antihistamines, Omega 3 fatty acid supplements, and herbal topicals such as calendula, comfrey, and chamomile. An air cleaner in your home may help. I would also suggest feeding only a food that has no chemicals and preservatives, since it could be a food allergy.

Cat flea allergy dermatitis

Part 3 on cat allergies will cover flea allergy dermatitis. It is the most common allergy in cats, caused by the cat's skin having a severe reaction to flea saliva. Most cats can be bitten dozens of times and have no problem. In cats that have the reaction, just one bite can cause them to itch all of the time, and because they groom constantly, you probably won't see any fleas on the cat. Care must be taken to treat the skin irritation so a secondary bacterial infection doesn't develop.

Symptoms of flea allergy dermatitis are:
* extreme itching, licking and scratching
* chewing and biting the rump, in front of tail
* loss of hair from intense scratching and chewing
* open sores or scabs on the skin
It can be diagnosed using an intradermal skin test with flea antigen. Some cats will also develop tapeworm from ingesting the fleas while grooming.

Treatment is the removal of fleas from your cat's world as much as possible. Since the cat's skin is already irritated and broken, don't apply chemical flea products to kill the fleas. Follow these steps:
* use a flea comb to remove fleas from the cat
* Vacuum carpeting, pet bedding and anywhere the cat lays. Pitch the bag from the vacuum when done.
* Wash pet bedding
* clear away any outside vegetation where the cat lays; shaded areas with organic matter should be treated, as well as the lawn.
* This process will need to be repeated every 14 to 21 days to eliminate any new emerging fleas.
* Sooth the cat's skin so it can heal.
There are several products that can be used to sooth the flea bites and irritated skin. For severe cases, your veterinarian may prescribe corticosteroids or cortisone steroids either by tablet or injection. Some other treatments to sooth the skin are: bathing with oatmeal shampoo, adding neem oil to your cat shampoo, and using a calendula skin spray on the affected areas. These products can be purchased at Only Natural Pet Store, link for which is at the right. For more information on killing fleas without chemicals, please refer to my posts dated October 1, 2007 (Chemical Free Flea Control) and October 5, 2007 (Neem oil for flea bites) on my other blog "The dog log."

Cat contact dermatitis

Part 2 on cat allergies will cover contact dermatitis. It is the least common allergy that cats suffer from, and the easiest to cure. Cats can have allergic reaction to substances they come in contact with. The most common of these is exposure to certain plants, usually those with oily leaves like the rubber plant. Contact allergies can also be caused by chemicals in carpet cleaners or fresheners, dust, newspaper, carpeting, wool, some cat litters, bedding, grass, weeds, mulch, shampoos, and flea collars.
The symptoms are itching with hives or bumps on the skin and dry itchy patches. It usually appears on the ears, chin, abdomen, inner thigh and under the tail. Excessive itching can lead to hair loss. A skin patch test can confirm if it is contact allergies.
Topical treatments can relieve the itching, and in extreme cases a steroid shot is given. You'll need to do some detective work to determine what is causing the allergy. Removing the irritating substance from your cat's environment will solve the problem. Only Natural Pet Store (link at the right) has a full line of hypoallergenic shampoos, and all natural flea control.
Since the symptoms are the same as a food allergy, I recommend changing your cat to an all natural or raw food diet, as the ingredients in commercial cat food can cause many allergies. See my previous post from October 22nd below for more information on food allergies.

Cat food allergies

Part 1 of cat allergies will cover food allergies. Over the next few weeks I will cover all of the allergies that plague cats: food, contact, inhalant, and flea allergies.

Food allergies are a common cause of skin problems in cats. Allergies occur when the immune system over-reacts to an otherwise harmless substance.

Symptoms of a food allergy can be soft stools, periodic vomiting, diarrhea, itching of the top part of the body, face, neck, hair loss due to over-grooming and scratching, and itchy and red ears. Food allergies can appear to be another type of allergy. They can cause respiratory distress, so you may think your cat has an inhalant allergy when it actually could be food-related. In the case of my dog Abby, it began seasonally, she itched and licked constantly and I thought she had fleas or a flea bite allergy, but always showed negatively for fleas at the vet, so it was diagnosed as a contact allergy. The prednisone helped relieve her symptoms, but it didn't fix the problem. Eventually her allergies were no longer just seasonal, and the ear infections reared their ugly head. First you need to rule out other causes, such as fleas, and whether the itching is a seasonal problem or occurs year round. A food allergy test can be done by your vet.

Steroids such as Prednisone and Prednisolone are usually prescribed for skin allergies in cats. However, steroids have many side effects, such as kidney damage, ulcers in the stomach and intestines, and weight gain. Steroids suppress the immune system, so a cat on steroids shouldn't be vaccinated because steroids prevent the immune system from responding to the vaccine.

If you're feeding a dry kibble formula and your cat is vomiting periodically, check your cat food ingredients. Top allergens to cats are beef (often listed as meat by-products or meat and bone meal), chicken, fish, corn, wheat, and diary products. Try a grain-free formula. Grains account for the majority of food allergies in cats as they really shouldn't eat any grains. Cats with allergies do best on super-premium, raw, or homecooked diets. Even cats with no allergy symptoms do better with an all natural diet, because the fewer allergens the immune system has to deal with, the less chance it will over-react. The highest quality kibble contain no wheat, corn, gluten, preservatives, or other harmful ingredients or fillers. You don't need an expensive allergy specific food if you feed an all-natural healthy food.

Holistic treatment of allergies in cats involves a homemade diet, along with skin-healing supplements such as Omega 3 fatty acids, and immune supporting treatments.
Only Natural Pet Store, link at the right, has a wide assortment of immune balancing products as well as Omega 3 fatty acid products to choose from. Note, if you feed an all natural or raw diet to your cat, you probably won't need to use these supplements for long, as the diet change itself will balance the immune system, but the products do provide relief while the diet change starts to repair the damage.