Allergies In My Cat

[eric981]

Hi All,

My cat seems to have bad seasonal allergies that causes her to itch. In October 2017, I took her in because she had scabs all over her neck and base of tail from scratching. The vet gave her steroids and it helped clear everything up. Since then, I have been using Welactin to try and keep her allergy symptoms under control (I tried Aller-911 Allergy Aid but was told that Flaxseed isn't effective for cats), but I'm not sure how well any of it is working.

I noticed that she has been biting a bit behind one of her legs and today I noticed that there are a bunch of bumps. It almost looks like bug bites with a little bit of yellow puss. I've ruled out fleas, and I don't see any other bugs ever around, so I don't think they are bug bites. I've noticed these bites before, and they seem to come and go. They seem to stick around longer because she doesn't let it heal and instead bites at them.

I talked to her vet and they didn't really have much to offer. They basically said we could do a food allergy trial or continue with steroid injections every once in a while. Although, they did tell me the negative side effects to steroid injections.

Anyone else ever deal with an itchy cat? I'm hesitant to try a food trial, but if it is food allergies, I suppose I would want to know.

 

[abyeb]

Some basic information about food allergies in cats are covered in this article: Skin Conditions In Cats

Some common allergens for cats are chicken, beef, and grains. Does your cat’s current food have any of those ingredients? A food trial can be simple, like trying a grain-free food with a novel protein (like rabbit or duck).

 

[eric981]

Thanks for the reply. I feed her Wellness Wet food and dry food switching between chicken and turkey for both. The reason I'm hesitant on trying a food trial is because she is a very picky eater and will wake me up in the middle of the night if she isn't happy with her food. Her current food is the only food that she seems to like. I'll try calling her vet to discuss it though.

 

[duckpond]

Maybe introduce a new protein, in wet and or dry, to see if you can find something she likes? or if the vet has a food he wants you to try see if you can get a sample and see if she likes it, then go from there? Or even still chicken or turkey but a different brand, maybe some ingredient in the wellness that does not agree with her?

You may also change her litter, not sure what you are using? if its clay try one of the others out now, grass, or walnut, silica crystals? there are a lot of options. If your using one of those try a different one? all fragrance free?

Even change the cleaning products you use, fragrance free laundry soaps, eco and pet friendly cleaners?

Just some thoughts, some of those things may be easier to do, while looking for another food she will eat? best of luck, let us know how it goes with her.

 

[CrystalRain22]

I've been having a similar problem with my cat, she itches constantly and has licked/chewed the fur off the back of her tail and lower stomach. My vet wasn't much help, basically looked her over each time I brought her in and said she looked healthy. She did refer me to a veterinary dermatologist, my appt is on the 28th. Maybe bring that up as a possibility? I agree with the previous posters, if you can start a limited ingredient diet it may help narrow down possible allergies since chicken is a major allergen. I'm using Limited Ingredient Instinct rabbit cat food, currently transitioning to that instead of Nulo chicken and turkey. I recommend switching to Dr. Elseys Precious Cat litter, it's scent free and mostly dust free! Here's the link Chewy.com is also a great website to check out different kinds of litter and food that may work for your cat. Hopefully this helped, best of luck to you and your cat! Hope we both find out what's making our cats so itchy soon!

 

[cmillarkat]

One of my Maine Coons has allergies. Not scratching it is in his nasal area. He gets so so congested.

He won't eat much. Until he smells as best as he can, then only real fishy cat food draws him in. He is getting benadryl tabs cut in half
I hope someone can give me ideas to help clear his nose.

 

[MissClouseau]

If I were you before doing food elimination test which takes time, for the time being I would first try my chance with a prescription hypoallergenic food. If it helps (I hope it does!) once his wounds are healed you can do food elimination test if you like and find it necessary.

My brother's cat who is very allergic as well has been on Hill's z/d for many years now. Obviously one thing might work well for a cat but not the other though.

 

[cat princesses]

I would ask your vet about atopica. My cat has severe allergies and I had to take her to an animal dermatologist for a consult. We are using the dog version which comes in pill form and it’s much easier for me to administer. She is also in allergy shots 2x per week. This has given her a normal life free of itching. I would also like to add using steroids isn’t good it can cause sudden diabetes and trust me, I have a diabetic cat currently in remission, that is not fun. Be extremely careful with steroids.

 

[inna-catmom]

I would ask your vet about atopica. My cat has severe allergies and I had to take her to an animal dermatologist for a consult. We are using the dog version which comes in pill form and it’s much easier for me to administer. She is also in allergy shots 2x per week. This has given her a normal life free of itching. I would also like to add using steroids isn’t good it can cause sudden diabetes and trust me, I have a diabetic cat currently in remission, that is not fun. Be extremely careful with steroids.

How long has your cat been on Atopica? We struggled for a year on/off Prednisone, diets, environmental changes, nothing helped. Started Atopica 7 weeks ago and definitely huge improvement. Started on every other day this week, hoping he will tolerate it. I am just worried about long term effects. Thank you!