Cat Shakes Head

[mrw5641]

hi all

My cat is on royal Canin prescription HP food and prior to that the science diet prescription d/d food and ever since he's been on prescription he has this thing where he shakes his head like a dog a few times a day and periodically scratches in his ears.

Prior to that he was on science diet regular food and scratched quite a bit which was why he was on prescription.

I am putting him back on nature balance LID to see if that helps.

Any ideas on why a prescription food would make him shake his head or if the LID would help?

Vet said it was fine but didn't really have an answer to why.

 

[mrw5641]

Wanted to add I gave him some salmon wet food and he scathed within two hours I'm not sure if that's how long it would take to see a reaction

 

[Furballsmom]

Hello, this sounds like it could possibly be an allergic reaction, or a sensitivity to an ingredient in the food. Do you have a different vet you could talk to?

11 Key Facts About Food Allergies In Cats

 

[mrw5641]

Furballsmom thanks! I have spoken to two and they didn't see it causing any harm. That can even happen with hydrolyzed protein food?

 

[Furballsmom]

I don't know for certain about hydrolyzed food, which is to say it's not supposed to.... What about a specific ingredient, such as the salmon, or chicken?
I'm assuming the vets checked his ears? His teeth and gums? His breathing is clear?

Fur Loss And Excessive Grooming

 

[mrw5641]

His ears were red and gave him some drops and it's the Royal canin selected protein rabbit

 

[MissClouseau]

How long this has been going on? Could it be coincidence and not related to food at this time at least -- did they rule out ear mites? Does he have access to outdoors maybe it's a spring/summer plant he's allergic to? It's also more likely for them to have a little dust or plant pieces get into their ears when there are more around.

 

[mrw5641]

Furballsmom if he is allergic to say fish, how long after he ate would you see some sort of reaction to the fish? E.g. 2 hours later if he was scratching?

 

[Furballsmom]

I don't know if there are studies or research for this but from some threads I've seen here, and based on how soon a cats system starts absorbing what he's eaten, although I'm not a vet or nutritionist two hours is a possible timeframe. The thing of it is, every cat is different and their reactions can be different including the timing, so it's challenging.

To quote from the article I posted above;
Cats can be allergic to cat food of any type. The allergic reaction can be to a single substance in the food or to several ingredients. Any protein can be the cause of the allergy, including the most natural of ingredients. That's why a cat can be allergic to dry cat food, wet/canned cat food, commercial raw cat food and even a 100% homemade diet.

Did the drops help? As missclouseau commented, he could be reacting to something else in his environment.

The only real way to know is to try an elimination diet, as mentioned in the other link I posted in my post #5 above.

Hang in there!!