Cat Allergies Questions

inkysmom

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My little cat Ruby has had allergy tests and is basically allergic to everything. I found him as a 3 month old starving kitten I'm Aruba and brought him home with me. He's 6 now. Clearly his system was not adapted to live in New England as he's allergic to pine, there's pine tress everywhere all year long, many other local plants and weeds not native to Aruba but common here and timothy. I have 2 horses and timothy is in the hay they eat so I'm sure I bring that home constantly on my shoes and clothes. He's also allergic to flies which he loves to catch and eat all summer when they get I'm through the holes he loves to make in the window screens.
He also tested positive to many of the foods he loves, pork, salmon, many other things but the dermatologist said food allergy tests are completely unreliable and to ignore those tests? So did the regular vet. Why do them so specifically if they're so unreliable? He gets raw skin from scratching and constant overgrooming.
Steroid shots work for a few weeks nut I don't like steroids as they're dangerous so I don't want them used much.
Questions, dermatologist wants him on a restricted diet but he's a very picky eater and is a thin small cat, only 7 pounds.

Anyone have any similar experiences? I only have 2 cats left and they're both thin and inseparable so both would be eating the same thing. Now the 2 of them eat 1 or 2 small cans if Fancy Feast a day (that's all they will eat I know it's not high quality but they refuse everything else and both are on the verge of too skinny) and I put out 1 cup of Iams indoor hairball dry food but it takes them a few days to finish the 1 cup so neither are big eaters. That's the only dry food that doesn't have any of the things that Ruby's allergic to in it. Vet says not good enough. They're both also pretty active, run, play, wrestle so burn off a lot apparently.
He's going to get allergy shots for the environmental allergens. I went to a dermatologist because I wanted the comfort of him getting the shots and being at the vet hospital for the day in case he has a bad reaction or anaphylaxis he'd be in a full hospital and monitored so they could save him better than I could half an hour away from any vet. But now I find out that they order the shots and want me to give them myself at home and watch him for 6 hours. Is this normal or should I go somewhere else? I've lost a lot of pets in the past and this little guy is very attached to me and otherwise young and healthy. I know allergies can be risky and I don't want to take any unnecessary chances.
I'm even afraid to give him his vaccinations while his immune system is so sensitive. The vets always make everyone do the rabies because it's legally required but his skin lesions were so bad and infected every time I brought him in even with repeated antibiotics injections none of the vets has said a word to me about it but said to get his allergies under control first. So I guess he counts as a medical exceprion for now.

To be honest I do believe in vaccines being necessary but know they can cause serious allergic reactions and am petrified to give him any. He's an indoor only cat his whole life. He had them last a year and a half ago so might still have immunity, probably titers make sense.

But my main questions ate about palatable and affordable food and if it's standard to give the allergy shots myself, and how risky is it.
 

valentine319

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My cat is on zytec. I would think the vet would put it on an allergy med. I did not do shots. Someone else will need to answer that. My cat was on natures instinct limited ingredient rabbit.

I'm assuming by allergy shot you mean the allergen shot to get them to no longer be allergic?
 
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inkysmom

Inky's legacy - Belly rubs CAN tame feral cats!
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Yes, he has so many environmental allergies to local plants and weeds it makes aense. Yes i mean the shots to make him not allergic anymore. He's also very difficult to medicate. He drools and spits out anything you give him and knows the time of day so will literally hide for hours and stop eating. I had to give him clavamox for his infected sores twice a day, it was a nightmare. He fought and drooled most of it out and spit and hid every night and morning and wouldn't eat and wouldn't even come out for treats. I had to chase him out from under the bed with a broom then under the shelves then behind the TV then under the cabinet. Then lock the bedroom trap him in the bathroom, out from behind and under the toilet. A 7 pound cat can fit into the most amazing places. Then hang on for dear life while he thrashed, cuffed, scratched, frantically shook his head at just the right second and spit while drooling. I got more of it then him. Had to get a whole extra bottle it got everywhere. The whole process took an hour twice a day. Then he got violently sick from the clavamox after only 5 days, diarrhea and vomiting nonstop.
I had him on benadryl for the scratching, tried low dose and high dose. Tried liquid, that was a nightmare. Even tried im injections I had from my cat Inky since I know how to do them and Inky also hated oral meds but didn't care at all about shots. But nope Ruby hates everything. He flips out with the needle and tears around with the needle in him and then I have to find him and the needle.
No daily meds for him. Feisty little pita.
 

maggiedemi

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Fancy Feast canned food is fine, I use it. I don't use Indoor dry food though because my cats got really skinny on it. I think it's lower in fat so that Indoor cats don't gain weight because they supposedly aren't as active as outdoor cats. But I felt it made my cats lose too much weight and they didn't really like the taste.
 

cat princesses

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May cat has severe allergies. We just did allergy skin testing and she is now receiving allergy shots at home. I am also giving her atopica for dogs using it off label. The atopica has been a life saver. We just added in the allergy shots as well. I'd like to say allergy shots are expensive and they are life long. It's not like humans who eventually go off of them. Since using the atopica her excessive licking and scratching has stopped. The goal with adding allergy shots is to eventually reduce the atopica to hopefully only afew days per week.
I am sure food allergy testing in cats isn't reliable in dogs apparently you get a better result. I could suggest maybe you try something with a different protein like rabbit or duck. I like the wild calling brand food and they make a rabbit flavor. I'm not sure what to say, my bet is it's more environmental allergies vs food. Trying to figure out food with a cat you usually go with a hydrolized food hills z/d wet from the vet which is crap imo and you're supposed to feed that and only that for like 3 months. If you see improvement then you add in one protein at a time like a duck and only feed that for x number of months. It's a very long process and well, with cats, they're fussy eaters. I couldn't get mine to trybthe z/d for long enough and she's little like your cat only 8 lbs so I didn't want to risk her loosing weight. I'd see about the atopica if I were you. I like the dog version because it's a nice gel cap and it is easy to pill my cat. The liquid version for cats apparently is disgusting tasting for them and messy to administer direct into their mouth. The dermo at the vet specialty center said the dog one is her choice for cats and it's worked very well for my girl. I'm really hoping the allergy shots help as well.
 

kittensx4

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May cat has severe allergies. We just did allergy skin testing and she is now receiving allergy shots at home. I am also giving her atopica for dogs using it off label. The atopica has been a life saver. We just added in the allergy shots as well. I'd like to say allergy shots are expensive and they are life long. It's not like humans who eventually go off of them. Since using the atopica her excessive licking and scratching has stopped. The goal with adding allergy shots is to eventually reduce the atopica to hopefully only afew days per week.
I am sure food allergy testing in cats isn't reliable in dogs apparently you get a better result. I could suggest maybe you try something with a different protein like rabbit or duck. I like the wild calling brand food and they make a rabbit flavor. I'm not sure what to say, my bet is it's more environmental allergies vs food. Trying to figure out food with a cat you usually go with a hydrolized food hills z/d wet from the vet which is crap imo and you're supposed to feed that and only that for like 3 months. If you see improvement then you add in one protein at a time like a duck and only feed that for x number of months. It's a very long process and well, with cats, they're fussy eaters. I couldn't get mine to trybthe z/d for long enough and she's little like your cat only 8 lbs so I didn't want to risk her loosing weight. I'd see about the atopica if I were you. I like the dog version because it's a nice gel cap and it is easy to pill my cat. The liquid version for cats apparently is disgusting tasting for them and messy to administer direct into their mouth. The dermo at the vet specialty center said the dog one is her choice for cats and it's worked very well for my girl. I'm really hoping the allergy shots help as well.
I have a cat with allergies as well. He is five, I have had him since birth, and this just started a couple months ago. My vet was thinking seasonal so we did a steroid shot hoping it would get him by. A month later the scratching was back. We put him on chlorpheniramine pills. Right now I crush a quarter tablet in his wet food, any more than that and he won't eat it, then he eats a pill pocket with another quarter in it and this is twice a day. We did that for another month and it worked great. Last Sunday was his last dose but Friday his symptoms returned. We discussed allergy testing and have decided to do the allergy pills through fall and if symptoms return then do the testing. I know they aren't very reliable for types of food, if it is food, but it's my understanding they are pretty reliable at telling if it is food, seasonal or environmental. At least that would give us direction. I am so worried it's food. We haven't rushed into a food trial because I have 5 cats that insist on eating th e same foods, so they would all have to switch. Of course I will do that if need be but we aren't there yet. I am worried as cats being cats, he will start refusing the laced pill pocket and I will need an alternative. Steroids are not a long term option, too risky. My vet mentioned atopica, but said she doesn't have experience using it with cats and didn't know alot about any long term I'll effects. Any info and insight you have on it would be appreciated. Fyi...the scratching is on his head in the area between the eyes and ears. I am in a rural area so there is no dermatologist for hours away.
 
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