What are the main types of cat allergies?
The main types of cat allergies are A) food allergies and B) environmental allergies. They tend to manifest a little differently. Environmental allergies tend to be seasonal, whereas food allergies are persistent throughout the year. Food allergies also often cause concurrent issues with digestion, unlike environmental allergies.
How do these allergies affect cats?
Both types of allergies can cause itchiness. In cats, the most common places they itch are their bellies. They also tend to get chronic ear infections and might have anal gland issues as well. Cats dealing with chronic allergies are uncomfortable; they lick their bellies and pull their hair out. They can get bacterial infections on their skin due to excessive grooming.
Can cat allergies be self-diagnosed?
There's no real way to self-diagnose allergies. Nothing you're going to give at home is really going to help them. By trying to give things like antihistamines, which may be safe but may not help, we're potentially delaying actual treatment, and the clinical signs can get worse.
What are the treatment options for cat allergies?
Treatment depends on the type of allergies. If we suspect a food allergy, we switch to either a novel protein or a strict hypoallergenic diet for a couple of months to see results. If we're dealing with environmental allergies, sometimes we'll use steroids. For long-term treatment, we might use a medication like Atopica. The treatment varies on a case-by-case basis, and there's no set treatment for any cat with allergies. Sometimes, it takes experimentation to find the right combination of medications and treatments that work for them. This is something we manage long-term, as we don't cure the allergies; we manage them.
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