What are some common cat allergies?
The most common cat allergy is a flea allergy. Even though your cat may be indoor-only, they can still have contact with fleas on your clothes that you bring in, especially if you have a dog that goes outside. There are also food allergies, and then there are environmental allergies from exposure to dust mites, pollens, and other things like that.
Dr. Ben Larson
Berry Farms Animal Hospital - Cupola Animal Hospitals
How do allergies impact the health and wellbeing of my cat?
Allergies play a large part in the overall well-being of your cat. They may have asthma, so they may not even be able to breathe well if they do come into contact with these allergies. They can have some skin issues, so they'll be uncomfortable. They'll be scratching and pretty irritated. They may even have some GI issues, including diarrhea or vomiting. Allergies have a significant role in the problems we see in our cats.
What are some signs and symptoms that my cat may have allergies?
Some symptoms of cat allergies are:
- Scratching
- Diarrhea
- Hair loss
- Ear infections
Why is it important to avoid self-diagnosing allergies in my cat?
It's imperative not to self-diagnose because a lot of other issues can mimic the signs of allergies. So your cat could even have an underlying endocrine disorder or even something else. We want to make sure it is allergies first before treating and going down that route.
How will a veterinarian diagnose whether or not my cat has allergies?
We'll do some skin tests, possibly a skin cytology, and we may get a skin scraping to get an idea of what's going on with your cat's skin. We may also take a look in the cat's ears to figure out what allergies your cat is experiencing.
What types of treatments can be used to relieve the symptoms of a cat that is suffering from allergies?
There are many different treatments, including injectable antibiotics, steroids, and oral medication. It all depends on what type of allergies are identified by your veterinarian as to what treatment path we go down. That's why it's important to avoid self-diagnosing and to bring your cat in so we can figure exactly which treatment route we should go.
How effective are treatments for cats suffering from allergies?
They're very effective. Once we identify the allergy, the treatment path that we choose will be effective towards that allergy. It's essential to bring your cat to the vet to figure out which type of allergy it is and do that treatment according to really whatever it is.
If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (615) 224-7776, you can email us, or you can reach out on Facebook. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.