Cat Allergies
Minor and major irritations from allergies affect both people and animals. When our cat experiences cat allergies, what can we do?
One of the first and most popular body organs to be attacked is the skin. The skin will display:
You will see and hear your cat scratching or biting at the allergy site trying to remove or get relief from the itching, tingling, and/or pain.
Much allergy information about our household cats and dogs are available in brochures, magazines, books, and the Internet. A cat vet who specializes in feline health care will have cat allergy information available for your education.
Five causes of allergies are:
How to eliminate or control allergies:
Prevention is the key to help keep your cat from agents that cause allergies. Do use flea and tick medicines. Large numbers of fleas and ticks on a cat are harmful and can be deadly.
Investigate and identify which toxins, chemicals, and insecticides may be contributing or causing the allergy and remove it. Remove one item at a time and observe the reactions of the cat. Read the labels on the containers to see if there is one particular ingredient that is the irritant. For example, alcohol or ammonia fumes.
Start eliminating food ingredients one at a time. Replace eliminated food with a protein source and observe and record. For instance, replace dry food with a high quality meat source and note any changes in the health condition of your cat. Remove any food which your cat has not eaten to avoid attracting unwanted harmful organisms contaminating uneaten food.
Good housekeeping will remove or lower the infestation level of molds, fungus, yeasts, bacteria, and possibly some viruses and make the environment less hostile and more pleasant for your cat and your family.
Remove other infected animals, their toys, their food and water dishes, and their bedding. Isolate each animal from the other. The parasite or other agents that are causing the allergy can be contagious to other animals and family members.
