Cat allergies: an overview

Cat allergies: an overview

Cat allergy can turn out to be a serious headache for the respective parents. Cats can be extremely sensitive to allergies and seeing your feline struggling with discomfort can be such a pain. Moreover, cat allergies can even raise health concerns in your family, especially toddlers.

As with all the diseases, early detection is the key to alleviating any concerns of cat allergy. Let us look deep into some of the important aspects related to cat allergy.

Symptoms of cat allergy?

“Is my cat allergic? Why is she acting weird or sick?” If you are a cat parent, you would ask this question to yourself at some point or the other. If you feel that your cat is sick or showing any of the below listed common symptoms of cat allergy, you might want to start thinking of treating your cat for allergy.

  • Sneezing
  • Runny eyes
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Skin inflammation and
  • Red rashes
  • Hair loss

Things that trigger allergies in cat

There are different things that can cause allergy in your cat. Cats can even get allergic to food. Therefore, if your cat exhibits symptoms like diarrhea or vomiting after consuming a diet, ensure that you consult a veterinarian and take off that particular diet from the cat’s diet plan. Some of the common agents that trigger allergies in cats are listed below:

  • Fleas,
  • Pollen
  • Food
  • Fabrics
  • Household plastic and
  • Rubber items

How to treat allergy in a cat?

The first step in treating allergy in a cat is to sort out the root cause. Consulting a veterinarian is the ideal option. Prior to giving a visit to the local veterinarian, ensure that you observe your cat closely and note down all the symptoms that she is exhibiting.

Your veterinarian can screen your cat for different allergic symptoms to sort out the root cause. On most of the occasions, the veterinarian will administer a skin or blood test for your cat and will prescribe some drugs to get the condition under control.

Cat allergy prevention tips

Cat allergy to fleas is something that demands patience, time and effort to eradicate. Your flea control program for cat should include: keeping the household clean of fleas and using the ideal flea control product (recommended by the veterinarian) for your cat.

Cat allergy to pollen and molds can be treated by bathing your cat with the ideal shampoo recommended by the veterinarian. Ensure you do not bathe your cat frequently as it can dry out her skin, it is ideal to keep the bathing frequency to one to two times per week.

As we said, unlike dogs, cats can exhibit extreme reactions to allergies. Therefore, maintaining a good working relationship with your local veterinarian is also vital when it comes to alleviating any concerns about cat allergies. Make sure that you keep your household clean and offer fresh drinking water and well-cooked to your cat. It is also necessary for you to understand that cats can even get allergic to prescription drugs. Observe your cat for any allergic symptoms for one or two days post providing her with prescription drugs recommended by the veterinarian.