allergic cat

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nobody@junk.min.net - 21 Feb 2006 22:38 GMT

How does one figure out what a cat is allergic to?

Alan

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cybercat - 21 Feb 2006 23:06 GMT

> How does one figure out what a cat is allergic to?

Look at what you are feeding her. Many cats are allergic to grains, esp.
corn or wheat gluten. Do you see that in the ingredients? If so, (or even if
not) try another food without it. Does your cat scratch more when your house
is dusty than when it's clean? Could be dust. Same with mold, they can be
allergic to the same things we are.

My cat has athsma and allergies. Everything got better once I found a food
that does not bother her--but she also gets Depo Medrol shots quarterly.
Your best bet is to talk to your vet. (Depo is a steroid and there are
downsides to using it, including a risk of the cat developing diabetes esp.
if they need shots as frequently as every two months or more.)

In addition to the Depo, when my kitty is clearly suffering (scratching, has
little bumps, or purrs "thickly" so I can hear the congestion) my doctor
okayed giving her 2 mgs of Chlortrimeton every twelve hours. (NOT the one
that says "D", just the one for allergies.) The tabs are 4 mgs and you can
just cut them in half. I find this helps her after just one does. (Makes her
sleepy, but she's a cat! What's one more hour when you are already sleeping
20 a day!)

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nobody@junk.min.net - 22 Feb 2006 23:32 GMT

>> How does one figure out what a cat is allergic to?

>Look at what you are feeding her. Many cats are allergic to grains, esp.
>corn or wheat gluten. Do you see that in the ingredients? If so, (or even
>if not) try another food without it. Does your cat scratch more when your
>house is dusty than when it's clean? Could be dust. Same with mold, they
>can be allergic to the same things we are.

Haven't seen a problem with dust. A few years ago, the cat had the same
problem he has now - scratching the fur off his neck, hiding, and
generally feeling miserable. We did change food, and he recovered, so we
guessed that he was allergic to fish. We've fed chicken since, but just
discovered the food he's been eating all these years contains fish oil
(why?) We just got lamb and rice food that's supposed to be
hypoallergenic (vet recommended it after seeing the cat), but it can take
weeks for the change in food to help (if the previous food was the
problem, and the new food doesn't contain something he's allergic to.)

>In addition to the Depo, when my kitty is clearly suffering (scratching,
>has little bumps, or purrs "thickly" so I can hear the congestion) my
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>does. (Makes her sleepy, but she's a cat! What's one more hour when you
>are already sleeping 20 a day!)

I was wondering about an antihistamine.

Thanks,

Alan

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Phil P. - 22 Feb 2006 23:26 GMT

> How does one figure out what a cat is allergic to?

What are your cat's symptoms? Could be dietary or environmental or
autoimmune.

The best starting point would be an elimination diet to see if the cat is
allergic to a specific protein or ingredient. Hill's Prescription Diet z/d
is a good diet
for ruling out food allergies or aversions. If the cat is still symptomatic
after ruling out dietary causes, the next
step would be a search for environmental allergens.

Phil

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