About Mild Cat Allergies

Mild allergies found in cats (up to 15 percent) are very common. The cat's immune system comes in contact with and overreacts to foreign substances called allergens. Cats are not usually born with allergies. About 80 percent of cats usually start to develop allergies between the ages of 1 and 3. In cats the overwhelming response with any type of allergy is through the skin. The solution to your cat's allergies is to discover the irritant and remove it or lessen it through treatment.

  1. Symptoms

    • Symptoms can occur immediately, within 30 minutes or over a longer time period as the cat's body learns to react to the irritant. This is one way an irritant can be genetically learned and transferred to the next generation. Common symptoms that can alert you to your cat's allergy are; constant licking of paws, face rubbing, pulling out tufts of hair, scratching, skin twitching, red lesions due to skin chewing (usually on the back), hot spots (bare skin) as found in dogs, crusty dermatitis and belly licking.

    Causes of Cat Allergies

    • Cat allergies are caused by four types of irritants; contact, insect, food and inhalant. The most prevalent cat allergies come from inhalants, such as trees, grass, weed pollens, house dust, mold and mildew. Contact allergies are the least common, with examples being bedding, rubber and plastic materials and flea collars. The insect allergy found in cats is due mainly to the flea. The severe itching that results can cause open sores and lead to secondary bacterial infections. A food allergy may be due to a response to the type of protein eaten; such as beef, pork, chicken or turkey.

    Cat Hives

    • Feline cat hives are the immediate result of a cat's allergic reaction to an irritant, usually within the past 30 minutes. Hives can appear anywhere on the body as raised hair patches; they are circular in shape, and they cause itching. The most common irritants to cause hives are insect bites, drug allergies, insecticides, new food or a new brand of cat litter. The hives will continue until the irritant is removed. Afterward, the hives are usually gone within 24 hours. Your veterinarian may use cortisone treatments if your cat is in extreme distress.

    Treatment for Cat Food Allergies

    • The best treatment for a food allergy is an elimination diet. This will be a simple diet from your veterinarian that can be home-cooked, allowing you to eliminate or add individual food ingredients to diagnose the culprit. This process can take up to 10 weeks. When an ingredient is reintroduced, reaction to it can occur withing a few minutes or up to 10 days. Be sure to take accurate notes of each change of ingredient and any reactions. If you feel this is too time-consuming, you can use a commercial hypoallergenic diet.

    Additional Treatments

    • Additional cat allergy treatments include avoidance, which involves identifying irritants through intradermal skin testing; topical therapy, which consists of using special shampoos, rinses and anti-itch solutions; omega-3 fatty acids, which improve coat quality and shine; and antihistamines, which control 70 percent of cat allergies, research shows. Further, steroids, which are drugs that are extremely effective for cat allergies, may be used as a last choice. Steroids need to be used sparingly and with extreme caution as they can cause significant harm.