74 The Allergic Cat

Last week I wrote about ragweed, pollen, and allergies, especially in dogs. Cat can develop pollen or food allergies too, but it seems less frequent than dogs. This week, I have seen some indoor and outdoor cats with allergic symptoms. I think I see less feline allergy because most of my cats are indoor only (even though pollen does get into our houses.)

The symptoms of cats with allergies to pollen or food include itchiness, especially the face and ears, licking feet more, generalized tiny bumps, and raised red skin plaques. Some have other signs like sneezing, coughing, wheezing (asthma), and occasional vomiting and diarrhea (especially secondary to hairballs).

Cats can develop asthma just like people, which is a constriction of the tiny airways in the chest. It can be mild to severe. I probably never see the mild ones, but when cats are open mouth breathing and wheezing from an asthma attack, it is an emergency. And of course it isn’t healthy to smoke around cats, especially asthmatic ones.

Cats can also be allergic to flea bites, but we seldom see the actual fleas on cats because most cats are such great groomers. I do see more fleas on chubby patients because it is harder for them to groom themselves. So just because you don’t SEE fleas on Fluffy doesn’t mean she isn’t getting a single flea a day that bites her, which she quickly lick off. Revolution is a great topical product for cats that kills fleas, ear mites & many intestinal parasites.

Cat do occasional have food allergies. The symptoms are often skin related, not just gastrointestinal. They aren’t born with food allergies, but develop slowly over time, even when the food isn’t changed. I usually suspect food allergies if my patient doesn’t respond to steroids.

The treatment for cats is similar to dogs, with a few minor differences. Ideally we try to avoid the trigger, like keep them inside more. We try to remove pollens by bathing them or at least wiping them down with damp washcloths (“lick the cat”). We could try to give them liquid Benadryl, but most owners find that challenging. Apoquel isn’t approved for cats so I usually go straight to steroids, conveniently available in a long term injection. Fortunately, cats don’t have many side effects to an occasional steroid injection, unlike humans and dogs, so it is much safer.

Feline allergies are really a thing, and I don’t mean people that are allergic to cat dander (that’s a different article.) If your cat is grooming more, getting sores, or having respiratory signs, a vet can help. Come see us!

http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/cat-health/cat-diseases-conditions-a-z/what-bothering-your-cat-it-could-be-feline-allergies
https://www.catster.com/cat-health-care/cat-health-care-tips-seasonal-allergies