Cats might not tell you when they are not feeling well, and they are not as likely to give you an early warning when they are under the weather. This is one of the reasons that many people believe incorrectly that cats do not suffer from allergies like dogs or people. This is not the case, however, and cats can have allergies to a variety of different things in their environment.
Cats with allergies might display a variety of symptoms, and you might not realize that your cat is not feeling well due to an allergy. The veterinarian is a big help in isolating the cause of your cat’s allergies and in identifying an allergy as the root cause of your cat’s health struggles. Being aware of the things that your cat is exposed to that could cause allergies can help you to isolate the cause and improve your cat’s situation.
If you are ready to learn some more about whether or not cats can have allergies, you need to keep reading!
How Do I Know My Cat Has Allergies?
Cats can show a lot of symptoms related to allergies. They might sneeze like humans do or have runny eyes. They can also show signs of itchiness by scratching, pulling out hair, or even having scaly skin. Cats can also feel poorly when they have allergies and hide under the bed or in the corner of the closet.
Cats with more serious allergies might not eat well or could vomit or have diarrhea frequently. Some other cats will show their allergies by being grumpy about being petted or picked up. Sometimes allergies in cats seem like behavioral problems but are actually caused by something that is creating havoc with their health and comfort.
What Causes Cat Allergies?
Cats can have allergies to things, just like people or other pets.
Food
The most common reason that your cat might have allergies is related to the food they are eating. Food allergies are very common in pets due to the high grain content of kibble foods. Your vet can help you to find a better feeding plan for your cat, but you might have to switch them to an allergen-friendly food or a raw diet.
Other Pets
Cats can also be allergic to other animals in the home. It is not unheard of for a cat to have allergies to dogs or other kinds of animals that might share the house with them. This can be tough to resolve without having to give away another pet, and the most common solution for this kind of allergy is to give your cat some antihistamines each day to help them to combat their allergies to the other pets.
Soaps and Cleaning Products
Cats can also be sensitive to laundry soaps and cleaning products. This is a fairly simple thing to isolate, but it can take time to see results when you have eliminated the right thing that your cat is allergic to. When you are looking into cat allergies related to environmental things like cleaning products, you will need to have patience and be systematic in how you go about finding the thing that is causing your cat to feel poorly.
Fleas Allergies
Another very common reason that your cat might have allergies is related to a flea infestation. Some cast does not show the other common signs of fleas, and they might not be scratching or show flea dirt or other symptoms. Fleas can cause allergic reactions rather than other kinds of symptoms that include what might look like mange and crusty or thick skin.
Cats with severe flea allergies will need to be kept on treatment to prevent fleas at all times, and you might want to consider moving them indoors until they have healed from their bout with fleas and the allergies that they caused. Cats that are sensitive to fleas are usually also more prone to them, so it can be tough to keep this kind of cat flea free without a really good plan in place to prevent this kind of infestation from happening.
Can Cats Have Asthma?
Some cats can actually have bad enough allergies that they will have asthma. This is not common, but it can happen. You will need to be concerned about the possibility of asthma if your cat sounds like they are wheezing when they breathe or if they have runny eyes and issues with sneezing and congestion. These cats can be given breathing treatments, and they will usually also be placed on a long-term regimen with a corticosteroid product.
This is one of the trickier kinds of allergy symptoms to treat in cats, so controlling your pet’s allergies is critical to avoid serious complications like this. Cats with asthma can also have far more serious allergies overall than cats without this issue, so you might need to get a full range of supportive care help from your veterinarian for this kind of allergic condition.
Cat Allergies Can Negatively Impact Cat Health
If your cat has been showing signs that they are not feeling well, but you can’t figure out what is wrong, your cat might have allergies. Consider taking your cat to the vet to see if there is a good protocol to put them on to help them with their allergies. You can easily eliminate items that might be causing the allergies as well and switch your cat to an allergy-friendly food. Thankfully, there are so many ways that you can help your cat to feel better when they have allergies that you should not have long-term trouble managing your cat’s health.
Cats are not always good communicators about the way that they are feeling. Make sure that you always look into any behaviors that might indicate that something is making your cat feel poorly. Catching allergies early can help make them far more manageable over the long term and can prevent your cat from developing things like asthma and other more serious secondary conditions.
Country Club Animal Hospital can help your cat with allergies in Miami, FL. Give us a call at (305) 663-3300 or book an appointment online!