Cats can have allergies too!
Many times we think of the human being allergic to the cat, but the cats have allergies as well. If you are seeing frequent biting, licking their coat, sneezing, vomiting, or diarrhea, it may be caused by an allergic reaction your cat is having. It can be caused by something they are inhaling, the food they are eating, something in their environment they are coming in contact with (contact allergies), or fleas.
Contact Allergies: It is the least common cause of cat allergies. Your cat may be allergic to its flea collar or part of the bedding, (ie, wool fabric). Usually the cat will be seen scratching at the point of contact with the irritating material, what ever that material happens to be.
Food Allergies: Cats can develop food allergies after they have been on the food for a while. Some of the known causative factors can be beef, pork, chicken, or turkey. Food allergies can lead to problems in the digestive system, as seen with the vomiting and diarrhea.
Flea Allergies: Believe it or not, cats can be allergic to fleas. It is not usually the flea bite itself that causes the problem. It is the saliva of the flea that irritates the skin causing the cat to scratch. This can lead to open sores, hair loss, and bacterial infection.
Inhalant Allergies: The causative factor here can be pollen from trees, grasses, weeds, mold, mildew, and dust mites. These allergies can be seasonable and more prominent in the spring and summer months. The inhalant allergies are the most common of these four cat allergies.
What is the treatment for cat allergies?
The treatment can be the use of steroids. The problems with steroids is that they can provide only short term relief for the cat. Repeated injections over months and years may be required to keep the symptoms at bay. There are many bad side effects of steroids too.
Another treatment that is proving to be very helpful for many cats is the use of natural products, such as Omega-3 and Biotin. Omega-3 helps improve the skin and coat of the cat. Biotin is part of the vitamin B complex and studies have shown it to be very effective in helping dry skin, seborrhea, itching skin as seen in cats with allergies. Biotin can be found in a powder as a supplement or in brewer's yeast. Brewer's yeast contains other ingredients along with the biotin.
There are no side effects to the natural supplements; this is a huge advantage over using medications with many side effects. Continue to educate yourself about the solutions you would want to choose for your animal. Avoiding medications may be the route you want to consider. Changing your cat's diet may be what is required as well.
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