Can Cats Be Allergic to Food?

Cats that have allergies to the food they eat will normally scratch their necks and heads. They also might be having gastrointestinal problems like vomiting or diarrhea.

Food allergies can show up in a cat at any age. If you know that to which food your cat is allergic you should avoid feeding that food. For Example your cat is allergic to beef. You should avoid feeding your cat any product which contains Beef. 

A cat might get allergies either by air, through food, or even by skin (transmitted by Fleas). Those cats which spend time outdoor may be more prone to pollen and flea allergies. 

Some cats can also develop asthma who are exposed to cigarette smoke

Food Allergy In Cats - Symptoms, Treatments And Diagnosis

Not only humans’ Even animals are affected by food allergy. It mainly affects cars and is rated among the main causes of atopy, flea bite allergies. Cats usually develop allergies from constantly fed kind of foods.

Often cats are sensitive to a certain type of food ingredient. So, an antibody in their intestinal tracts responds, leading to food allergy. Among all other type of allergies, with a 10% ratio allergies caused by food are more prone to cats.

Food allergies affect male, neutered cats and also female ones. It is also a misconception connecting specific breed of cats to allergies caused by food. This condition can initially create symptoms for cats from four months young to eleven years old. But majority of food allergy cases occur between 3- 6 years in cats. These cats are also in connection with inhalant allergies.

The main difference between food intolerance and food allergy should be learned to correctly manage allergy in cats. Allergy caused by food are taken as true allergies revealing symptoms like itching and skin problems associated with feline and canine allergies. Incase diarrhea or vomiting happens without creating allergic responses, it means that it’s only intolerance of food. Cat food intolerance is similar to a human having a stomach ache or diarrhea as a result of consuming spicy food or eating food that is fried. By utilizing foods food intolerance and allergies can be prevented. This doesn’t offend the agents.

Many studies reveal that few ingredients of food are the main causes of allergies when compared to the rest. The main common causes in cats are dairy products, fish and beef. Many pet owners would have observed that the following ones are the main ingredients found in foods that are consumed by the cat. Even though few proteins are more antigenic, it still comes in similar forms. So, this reaction depends mostly on the quantity of exposure.

The symptoms of this allergy in cats are most likely the same to most kinds of allergies. But the major ones are excessive scratching, hair loss, military dermatitis and itchy skin. For pet owners it is difficult to distinguish cars that suffer from atopy or food allergy by physical signs. But, they must suspect food allergy if these symptoms begin to take place during winter or through out the year and the cats fail to respond to antihistamine or steroid treatment.

When you figure out the symptoms of different allergies in cats it is very simple to diagnose the allergy. Symptoms of food allergy are similar to that of bacterial, notoedric mange, hypersensitivity to intestinal parasites, seborrhea and yeast infections.

It is necessary to carry out food trials. Elimination and provocative testing diets could be done. One should feed the cat with foods that has carbohydrates, proteins for 11 – 12 weeks without any treats. A typical instance is potato and venison or potato and duck. These foods are commercially available in the market or could be homemade. Young and growing cats have special nutritional needs. Diets made at home containing a carbohydrate and a protein eliminating multivitamins and fatty acids could be fed for 12 weeks. Food trials for kitten are carried out by giving a commercially balanced diet. After few weeks, feed the cat with previous food that they once have consumed. In case the symptoms are shown then it’s surely food allergy. Others perform blood testing which is not accurate when compared to trials (food).

Feed the cats with commercial diets from hill or Purina or homemade diets which makes treatment of allergy simple and easy.

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Allergies in Cats -- Wheezing

What a prolonged case of wheezing in a cat.

I’ve been praying that it’s nothing more than a case of allergies in cats – or, in this particular case, allergies in Mittens.

Why not? After all, allergies are the most common cause of wheezing in cats.

Mittens, an affectionate if skittish, part-Siamese cat, has been wheezing for months on end. We still don’t know what’s causing her persistent wheezing.

Pixie, Mittens’ reluctant guardian (she acquired the cat willy-nilly), finally took her to the vet after weeks of foot dragging. (I hasten to add that Pixie is going through a turbulent time in her life, which has made it difficult for her to attend to things she normally would’ve managed easily.)

Wheezing in cats means there may be congestion in the lungs or sinuses. Congestion can be brought on by allergies or infection caused by bacteria, virus, or fungus. Another possibility is heart disease.

Mittens blood work was normal. Cat flu and pneumonia were ruled out. The vet told us that her chest x-ray showed an enlargement of the heart and “increased activities” in the area. Perhaps she had a tumor?

Based on her chest X-ray though, the radiologist thought that Mittens might have allergies. He gave her a cortisone shot, which immediately stopped the wheezing – for one day only, alas. Now, she’s back to wheezing. She sounds like she has a very, very stuffed up nose. Sometimes her breathing sounds completely normal; other times it’s quite labored, a gasping, high-pitched wheeze. Doesn’t appear to be any foreign object lodged in the nasal passageway.

The odd thing is that she has a healthy appetite and what appears to be a normal amount of energy. She has no nasal discharges, often a sign of respiratory infection. Except for the wheezing (which sometimes gets so bad that it interferes with my sleep, although apparently, not her sleep), she looks and behaves no different than when she was perfectly healthy.

Could it be asthma? It’s supposed to be one of the most common causes of wheezing in cats, and much more of a problem for cats than dogs. Asthma can be triggered by allergies. The wheezing sounds just like a person having an asthma attack.

Other causes of respiratory problems like wheezing in cats include:

Hairballs – Cats swallow fur when they groom themselves, and they sometimes cough and gag up hairballs. It’s not a problem usually, but if they look like they’re choking, take them to the vet immediately! An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of fur, as they say. Regular brushing can prevent the build up of hairballs.

Heartworms – Surprisingly, these parasites, which live inside the pulmonary (lung) arteries and the right side of the heart, can cause shortness of breath and coughing. Heartworms can be a serious condition leading to high blood pressure or heart failure. Preventing these nasty worms from growing inside your cat is your best line of defense because the drugs to combat these worms can cause side effects that can be quite dangerous to kitty.

Heatstroke – It’s easy for cats to get overheated if you leave them in a hot environment where they can’t escape or cool off. Cats can’t sweat like we do, so their international temperatures can quickly rise. The cat will start panting. If you can’t get the body temperature down quickly, the cat can collapse and even die.

In Mittens’ case, hairballs, heartworms, and heatstroke, have all been ruled out. So what is the cause of her wheezing? The vet didn’t seem to know.

Pixie suspects that Mittens has a tumor. If so, she would need surgery. And at 15 years of age, Pixie believes that Mittens is too old to benefit from surgical intervention.

I pray that the wheezing is nothing but allergies.