Having itchy skin can make life miserable for your cat. If the itch is caused by an allergy, then determining and avoiding the trigger may be all that’s needed to resolve the problem.

Cats with multiple allergies can be particularly difficult to diagnose and manage. They can also be expensive and time-consuming to treat. Early intervention is important, so if you suspect your itchy cat has an allergy, book an appointment with your vet.

What is a Cat Allergy?

An allergy occurs when there’s a particularly strong immune response to an allergen – the substance that produces an allergic reaction. The cat’s immune system over-reacts and stimulates an inflammatory response.

Common allergens for cats include house dust mites, pollen, food proteins and flea saliva. Less common allergens for cats are mould spores, fabrics and the dander of other species (feathers, wool, dogs).

Allergen avoidance can often be effective for cats, especially for those with a flea allergy, food allergy or contact allergy.

Common Allergies in Cats

It's important to be able to recognise different types of allergic reactions and behaviours your cat may display to help their quality of life. Allergic reactions can be life-threatening, so it can be vital to act quickly. Cat allergies include:

• Allergic contact dermatitis: This is caused by direct contact with an allergen or substance causing an allergic reaction. Symptoms can include itching, skin lesions, bald patches, scabbing, infections and sores.
• Atopic dermatitis: Also known as atopy, atopic dermatitis is caused by an environmental allergen such as pollen, dust and mould. Symptoms can include itching, scratching, raw areas from overgrooming, bald patches, eye and ear scabs, and skin infections.
• Feline asthma: Known as allergic bronchitis, this can be caused by an environmental allergen such as perfume, cigarettes, pollen, mould and dust. Symptoms can include short coughing fits, breathing difficulties, wheezing, blue lips and increased swallowing.
• Flea allergy dermatitis: This is a common allergy in cats caused by flea bites. Symptoms can include sores and weeping, itchy skin on their head and neck, fluid lumps, scabby bumps, bald patches, restlessness, coughing and sneezing.
• Food allergy: Food allergies in cats are uncommon, however, they can be life-threatening and appear within minutes or hours after contact. Severe symptoms can include breathing difficulties and throat swelling. Milder symptoms can include vomiting and diarrhoea, facial and body swelling, itchy skin, wheezing and dizziness.
• Drug allergy: Though it can be uncommon to have an allergy to a drug, reactions can be life-threatening. Severe symptoms can include breathing difficulties, seizures, collapse and death. Milder symptoms can include vomiting and diarrhoea, itching, bald patches, drooling, coughing and sneezing, lethargy and abnormal breathing.

Cat Allergy Symptoms

If you believe your cat is suffering from an allergy symptoms, speak to your vet immediately.

Cats with an allergy will commonly have a combination of skin problems, tummy issues (vomiting and diarrhoea), nasal discharge and conjunctivitis.

There may be skin lesions after exposure to a particular allergen in allergic contact dermatitis. Cats with feline asthma will have wheezing, coughing and breathing issues. Cats with atopic dermatitis may show clinical signs of raised, pink or red skin sores, and hair loss due to the constant scratching, licking and chewing. Skin and ear infections can also set in.

Cat Allergy Testing

An allergic skin disease can look like any other skin problem. Your vet will want to rule these out before a diagnosis of an allergy can be made and a treatment or management plan recommended. Your vet will examine your cat noting the pattern of their skin lesions and take a detailed history to help determine the cause of the itchiness (also known as pruritus).

A seasonal pattern to the skin problems may be noted. Your cat may then undergo various skin tests including an intradermal skin test to identify any potential allergens. This test involves injecting allergens into the skin and seeing if a wheal or swelling appears in that area. If there’s a reaction, this indicates that the cat is sensitive to that allergen.

There currently aren’t any reliable, sensitive or specific blood tests for cat allergies.

Managing Your Cat's Allergies

If your cat has environmental allergies caused by pollens, grasses, or house dust mites, it’s useful to bathe your cat or wipe their coats with a damp cloth. Regular vacuuming and dusting along with periodic steam cleaning of carpets can also help. Air conditioning and filtration are also effective for removing allergens in the home and controlling cat allergies.

If house dust mites are a problem for your cat, keep in mind that mattresses, carpets, fabric upholstered furniture, bedding, soft toys, cushions are all sources for these. Remove or wash soft furnishings regularly to remove the house dust mite faeces which cause the allergy. Complete elimination of house dust mites is difficult, but keeping your home as dust free as possible will reduce their numbers, lower the allergen burden and help to prevent your cat developing allergies.

Flea bites are often a problem in cats and flea saliva can cause your cat to scratch so much that their skin becomes broken. The intense itching can lead in hair loss, skin trauma and secondary bacterial infections.

If your cat pollen–allergic cat likes to go outdoors, keep them inside when the pollen count is high and when mowing the grass. Cats can be allergic to grass pollen, weed pollen and tree pollen so keep weeds and trees with heavy pollens out of the garden if possible.

Food allergies in cats are uncommon but can produce various symptoms. Cats may have a sensitivity to a certain food that causes a mild tummy upset but if they have a true allergy, their body will overreact and produce antibodies against the dietary allergen. The food allergen can be a protein found in dairy products, beef or fish. Whenever the cat eats a food containing any of these proteins, they can have itchy skin as well as a tummy upset.

Eliminating the food protein can be tricky and takes time - strict dietary control is essential. Consider conducting a food trial. Feeding your cat one protein and one carbohydrate, like chicken and rice, and excluding all other foods isn't easy. Hydrolysed protein diets are available from veterinary nutrition companies, so ask your vet for advice on feeding your cat a specialised diet.

Cat Allergy Treatment

Unfortunately, there’s no treatment to cure an allergy. The simplest solution is to avoid the allergen that’s causing the allergy but it’s not always that simple!

If your cat has a flea allergy, flea control products are essential. Ask your vet to recommend a flea preventative for your cat. But if the cause of the cat allergy can’t be determined, medication to control your cat’s itching may be given to make them feel more comfortable. Immunosuppressive drugs like steroids may also be prescribed along with pain medication, antibiotics, antifungals if your cat has secondary infections, and antihistamines.

Immunotherapy is a fairly new treatment where an allergy vaccine is either given by injection or under the tongue. Allergen-specific immunotherapy is designed to alter the immune response. Apart from allergen avoidance, this is the best treatment for atopic dermatitis. Your vet may recommend this treatment if allergen avoidance is impossible, and your cat has symptoms for 4-6 months every year - immunotherapy takes up to a year to be effective.

Allergies in cats can be frustrating to manage but whether your cat's allergy is triggered by fleas, pollen, house dust mites or food, it may be possible to reduce or eliminate the allergens. If you’re concerned that your cat is itchy and constantly scratching, ask your vet for advice. 

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Content provided from Vetstream's Vetlexicon Felis - www.vetlexicon.com/felis

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