We’ve all heard about people who are allergic to cats and, in fact, we’ll be discussing that topic later on in this blog. But the truth of the matter is that allergies in cats are also quite common, and it’s important that you learn to recognize the first symptoms so that you will be able to take care of your cat properly in the event that you cat is allergic.
What is an allergy?
An allergy is an alert, a warning system letting us know that there’s something harming our body’s health. Just as in humans, cats can be allergic to many different things, such as pollen, some foods, flea bites, fungus and even you humans.
The most common symptoms that will warn you that something isn’t right are coughing, sneezing, reddened skin, scratching, vomiting or diarrhoea, hair loss or inflamed skin.
Whenever you notice any of these signs, the first thing you should do is make an appointment with your veterinarian to have the appropriate tests done. Once the type of allergy in question has been identified by way of a blood test, intradermal skin testing or an allergy test, you can start whatever treatment your veterinarian recommends to help us feel much better.
What does this treatment involve?
You must realize that there is no one single medication for curing an allergy, but that you can give your cat allergy-fighting medications which will help relieve and even get rid of the symptoms completely.
In the case of food-related allergies, it will be more effective to eliminate whatever food is causing us to have this reaction from our daily diet than to use a medication. The veterinarian will additionally give us an antihistamine shot and can recommend some hypoallergenic dry cat food so that we won’t be missing out on any nutrients.
In the event that an allergy is affecting our skin, it’s most likely due to some flea bite, so you will have to take us to see the veterinarian as soon as possible to be given proper medication and a treatment for getting rid of the fleas and relieving the itching.
And what if your cat is allergic to humans?
No reason to panic, because there are also measures that can be taken to deal with the symptoms, so there will be no need for you and your best friend to part ways. As in all cases, the first thing will be to go to see the veterinarian in order for the vet to prescribe an appropriate treatment, but on your part it will be highly important that you keep the house as clean as possible. Keep in mind that the allergy is to human dandruff and dead skin, and so you’ll have to dust and vacuum up all that lint and those dust bunnies wherever they may be hiding.
