Do you have an itchy cat or a cat with poor coat? Have you wondered if your cat has allergies? Allergies in cats are a common cause of skin problems, but they can be frustrating to diagnose and treat.
Quick Overview: Allergies in Cats
Other Names: Non-flea non-food-induced hypersensitivity dermatitis (NFNFIHD), Atopic dermatitis, cutaneous advere food response (CAFR), flea allergy dermatitis (FAD)
Common Symptoms: Itching and scratching, hair loss, scabs on skin, scratch marks on skin, ulcers or open sores on skin.
Diagnosis: Treating effectively for fleas to rule out FAD, skin or blood allergen testing, novel protein or hydrolyzed protein diet trials.
Requires Ongoing Medication: Yes
Vaccine Available: No, but allergy testing can be used to develop allergy immunotherapy, which works on similar principles to vaccines.
Treatment Options: FAD can be resolved by treatment and prevention effective for fleas. Food allergy can be managed with an appropriate hypoallergenic diet with oral medication sometimes also needed. Environmental allergy can be managed with oral medication and allergy immunotherapy if testing has been done.
Home Remedies: Keeping a cat indoors may reduce outdoor allergen exposure, especially during spring and summer. Rarely, a particular allergen may be indentified and removed (allergen avoidance).
What Are Allergies in Cats?
Allergies are an abnormal immune response to a harmless stimulus. When your cat’s body contacts an allergen through their skin or after breathing it in, a chain reaction starts that’s out of proportion to the danger your cat is in—a hypersensitivity reaction.
Immune systemsentinel cells release cell signals that cause itching, swelling, and redness.
Cats are not usually born with allergies- they develop as your cat ages. Cats are usually diagnosed between six months and three years, but as diagnosis is often difficult, cats have been diagnosed as old as 14 years!
Most Common Cat Allergens
By far the mostcommon allergyin cats is to flea saliva. This may be called ‘flea allergy’ or ‘flea allergic dermatitis’ (FAD).Flea allergiesare thought to be the cause of around a third ofskin problemsin cats, and some cats are so sensitive they may react even if you haven’t seen a flea.
Cats can also have hypersensitivity reactions to mosquito and other insect bites, but this is less common thanflea bitehypersensitivity.
The next mostcommon allergyis environmental allergies.
In dogs, this is generally termed ‘atopy’ or ‘atopic dermatitis’, but in cats it’s usually called ‘non-food, non-flea hypersensitivity dermatitis’.
This is anallergento things in the environment- pollen,cleaning products, weeds, trees,dust mites,dander, andcigarette smokeare all possibleallergensyour cat might have a hypersensitivity reaction to.
Food allergiesmake up about 1-5% of skin disease cases in cats.
Food allergiesare built up over time- a cat can have eaten chicken-based food his whole life and still develop an allergy to chicken!
The most commonfood allergiesin cats are beef, chicken and fish- all of which are common in feline diets.
Symptoms of Allergies in Cats
Allergic cats most often exhibit symptoms of skin irritation, showing scabbing, itchiness, and over-grooming.
Cats with allergies often have a skin reaction called ‘miliary dermatitis’. This causes hundreds of little rash-like, scabbylesionson yourcat’s skin, especially along the back and neck.
They are alsoitchy- you may see them itching with their paws or grooming more often. Overgrooming theiritchyskincan also lead to patches ofhair loss. Some cats will be more prone toear infections.
Cats that are allergic to airborneallergenssuch as pollen might also showallergy symptomssuch asrunnyeyes,itchyeyes,sneezing, or even coughing and fast breathing.
Lastly, cats with allergies to their diet may have some gastrointestinal symptoms as well, such as loose stools, excessive gas, and occasional vomiting.
Diagnosis of Cat Allergies
Diagnosingcat allergiesis theoretically simple, but it can take a long time. Sinceflea allergyis the mostcommon allergy, the first thing to do is to rule outflea allergyas a cause of your cat’s symptoms.
This means applying prescription-strength flea treatment to every animal in the house for at least 12 weeks without any break in cover. This is necessary to ensure that the flea life-cycle is broken. If, with good flea control, your cat improves, a flea allergy will be presumed- but not diagnosed, as it could be a coincidence.
If your cat doesn’t improve despiteflea control, the next rule-out is food. To diagnose afood allergy, ahypoallergenicexclusion diet must be fed.
This must either be a prescription hydrolysed diet or a novel protein diet. This diet needs to be fed exclusively for eight weeks to see whether your cat is going to respond- it’s usually necessary to shut them in for this time to ensure they aren’t eating at a neighbour’s house.
If your cat improves,food allergyis likely- feeding a bit of their old diet and watching for a return of theallergicsymptomsis enough to be sure.
Iffood allergieshave been ruled out, by definition your cat must be suffering from Non-Flea, Non-Food-Induced Hypersensitivity Dermatitis (NFNFIHD)- in other words, some sort of environmental allergy. Determining exactly what your cat is allergic to can be done withblood testsorskin testsusing subcutaneous injections to test for a response.
In some cases, referral to aveterinarydermatologistmay be necessary, especially if your clinic doesn’t have the appropriate equipment forskin tests, or if your cat’s case is difficult.
Treatment for Allergies in Cats
Treatment of allergies in cats varies depending on the types of allergens your cat is sensitive to.
Treating allergies in cats usually involves a combination of approaches.Allergenavoidance involves reducing your cat’s exposure to anyoffendingallergens- try keeping your cat indoors with the windows closed on high-pollen days, ensure the house is clear ofmildew, and usehypoallergenicbedding. Usingcat littersthat aredust-freecan also help.
A change in diet can help cats, even if they aren’t allergic to their food. Feeding a diet with lots of fatty acids may help to prevent allergens from working their way under the skin and causing problems.
For all allergic cats, flea treatment is essential. Even if your cat’s allergy isn’t to fleas, the extra itch caused by a flea infestation can set them off with a flare-up. Talk to your vet about prescription flea treatment.
Lastly, drugs that prevent immune over-reaction may be necessary. These can includecorticosteroids,antihistamines, and cyclosporine, among other things. These can be given by injection (allergy shots) or with tablets at home.
Conclusion
Feline allergies are a common cause of skin disease in cats, but most can be cured with effective flea treatment. For those that can’t, proper diagnosis and treatment with the vet should help to reduce your cat’s symptoms.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the symptoms of a cat with allergies?
Most cats with allergies suffer withitchinessand skinlesions(bumps on their back and neck). They may also have bald areas where they have pulled out their fur, orsneezingandrunnyeyes.
How do you treat a cat with allergies?
Treating allergies is something that should be undertaken with your vet. Most cats need a combination ofallergenavoidance,fatty acidsupplements,flea control, and drugs to reduce the immune reaction.
What are the mostcommon allergiesin cats?
The mostcommon allergyin cats is Flea Allergic Dermatitis, followed byenvironmentalallergenssuch as pollen anddander.Food allergiesare comparatively rare, making up 1-5% of skin diseases in cats.
Can a cat haveseasonal allergies?
Yes! Cats that have anallergic reactionto pollen will often havesigns of allergiesin the spring and summer, and fewer or no signs in the winter.
