Kitty allergies driving me insane!

[saitou_amaya]

I am so frustrating and pulling my hair out because my cat is allergic to SOMETHING but we cannot figure out what! He is the most precious, friendly, cuddly, and high maintenance cat I’ve ever met. He is about 3 and we got him from the shelter a couple years ago. Shortly after we adopted him is the first time this happened. Basically he will get so itchy he will lick, chew, and scratch bald spots on himself. Real cute. Then we have to take him into the vet and they give him a shot of steroid and an antibiotic and it gets better again for a few months then rinse and repeat. We talk about oh, is he allergic to grain or maybe poultry or maybe soy or… We did try one particular cat food that seemed to help but then he got a UTI and they found crystals in his urine so he needs to be on a urinary diet.

He is currently on a prescription diet of Royal Canin Urinary/Hydrolized Protein ($50 a bag of course!). The vet said, oh this will definitely work, the food molecules are broken down so much the body does not realize they are allergic or something. But now here we are a month later and he licking himself raw again. So either he is still allergic to this special food or he is allergic to something else. He gets the dry food and also half a can of grain free, poultry free cat food. I think we will try stopping the canned food and see if that helps. He is an inside only cat and does not have fleas. What else could this be?!

[RPM]

I am sorry this is happening to you both. Jingles to you and kitty!

I had a friend whose cat had periods of constantly licking her fur off. He took her to different vets, multiple times, tried different foods and treats, nothing really helped. They finally figured it might be a nervous condition that flared up from time to time. His kitty had a great life, except when she didn’t. She was indoor only, had had a huge house to roam with a screened porch to hang out on; then they moved to another huge house but no screened porch, just a deck she couldn’t be left out on alone.

Not saying your kitty has stress issues, just that it might be something besides food allergies? Very hard to diagnose! Is there some other irritant he could be getting exposed to from time to time? A different detergent used for fabrics he sleeps on or has other contact with? Something in one of his toys? Your perfume or someone else’s?

I am much more sensitive to chemical agents than my kitty is, and I never know what causes various skin irritations. I always review what I have eaten recently, but also soaps, detergents, fragrances, etc. I rarely can figure it out.

[CanadianTrotter]

Cats can have anxiety issues and they are not necessarily related to their home life at all. A friend of mine had a cat that was provided an excellent home but this cat would go through cycles of biting the tip of its tail and licking until there were bald patches. All physical problems/food allergies were ruled out and the vet put him on a low dose of kitty Prozac…it worked.

[Simkie]

What flea prevention are you using?

It’s my understanding that some cats are so sensitive to fleas that a single bite can really set them off. And while the topicals like Frontline or Revolution or whatever will prevent your cat from getting fleas, they don’t stop every single bite. The vet recommended the Seresto collar for that instead.

Might be worth a shot?

[rockonxox]

Have you tried a skin prick allergy test? I never thought I’d be the one to do that… but I had such issues with my dog that I just bit the bullet. Turns out the poor guy is allergic to a bunch of things food wise and environment wise, including human dander. He has to have meds (and of course keep everything clean, regular rinses, and good food without the ingredients he is allergic to). After over a year of trying to “eliminate” environmental and food factors I am so glad I went the test route. I wish I did it sooner. You can keep trying to eliminate things, but even though the test is expensive up front (~$200 for my 80lb dog) it has saved a lot of $ in the long run as we don’t have to go to the vet all the time or waste money on food that flared him up.

[saitou_amaya]

So to answer questions: he is not on any kind of flea prevention. He is an inside only cat as in he never ever leaves the house and we have no other pets so he would not be exposed to fleas. The vet had this thought as well, but he definitely does not have fleas and the vet felt that the risk of his skin flaring up from the Frontline was bigger than the risk he could get fleas.

I seriously am considering the allergy testing. It is so expensive but so is taking him to the vet for a shot of Dex every 4 months. Does anyone know, do they make oral daily allergy medications for cats, like Claratin or Zyrtec for cats? Maybe that is something that could work?

I really don’t think it is a stress or anxiety thing. He is a very happy kitty. He loves his humans and sleeps in bed with us every night and is just a very chill cat. Honestly, he is the best cat I’ve ever known and my husband and I say almost every day how lucky we are to have such a perfect cat, which we is why we are kind of okay with all the money we spend to keep him healthy!

One thought I had was his kitty litter. I use the Tidy Cats extreme clumping with frebreeze because honestly it is the bomb and works so well! But maybe the dust or Frebreeze is irritating his skin? It is usually his tummy and groin area that gets the itchy spots. So today I picked up some all natural kitty litter. Any other ideas I should try? We have always used the same laundry detergent and neither my husband or I are big into scents because they give me migraines.

[danacat]

@saitou_amaya

So to answer questions: he is not on any kind of flea prevention. He is an inside only cat as in he never ever leaves the house and we have no other pets so he would not be exposed to fleas. The vet had this thought as well, but he definitely does not have fleas and the vet felt that the risk of his skin flaring up from the Frontline was bigger than the risk he could get fleas.

One thought I had was his kitty litter.

My sister has three ‘indoor only’ cats – they never go outside – but a few years ago they did get fleas. In fact she had to have her house flea bombed. Crazy that fleas somehow got in and then managed to cause an infestation. It can happen.

Could be the kitty litter or an allergy of course. Hope you figure it out!

[Rain]

My sympathies, I’m sure this is driving you crazy! We all just want our animals to be happy and healthy and it’s maddening when nothing seems to work.

I had a Golden Retriever with pretty bad allergies. He would also lick himself raw and get constant ear infections. I spent a year or two trying to eliminate everything in his diet and environment, and then finally gave up and went with prednisone. It worked. A lot of people hate prednisone and worry about liver damage, but I felt it was worth the risk for him to be comfortable. He lived to 13 with no liver problems.

Can cats be put on prednisone? It’s cheap and effective, or at least it was for my dog.

[CanadianTrotter]

@danacat

My sister has three ‘indoor only’ cats – they never go outside – but a few years ago they did get fleas. In fact she had to have her house flea bombed. Crazy that fleas somehow got in and then managed to cause an infestation. It can happen.

Could be the kitty litter or an allergy of course. Hope you figure it out!

Yep…indoor cats are not magically exempt from getting fleas.

[rockonxox]

@saitou_amaya

Does anyone know, do they make oral daily allergy medications for cats, like Claratin or Zyrtec for cats? Maybe that is something that could work?

Talk to your vet. Some OTC are safe for cats including Zyrtec, but you want to talk to your vet about dosage and what type you should use.

@saitou_amaya

One thought I had was his kitty litter. I use the Tidy Cats extreme clumping with frebreeze because honestly it is the bomb and works so well! But maybe the dust or Frebreeze is irritating his skin? It is usually his tummy and groin area that gets the itchy spots. So today I picked up some all natural kitty litter. Any other ideas I should try? We have always used the same laundry detergent and neither my husband or I are big into scents because they give me migraines.

I would try to find a litter that isn’t a dusty brand (like the clay) and has no scented stuff. I’m sure that doesn’t help and can really irritate a cats throat/sinuses. I like how clumping litter works, but to lessen the dust I will mix it with another type of litter that is dust free.

Tummy and groin are pretty common for the itchy spots. Those areas are very sensitive. As for other thoughts maybe this little write up will help: www.allfelinehospital.com/refId,40843/refDownload.pml . Honestly, as someone who has been through the gamete and tried everything I could think of to help with my dogs allergies, I would just buck up and get the test, especially if your vet recommends it. They may try to sell you on the dermatoligist too, but that was 3x as expensive and thankfully I was able to eliminate the 20+ things my dog was allergic to and for the few that are impossible he has meds that work.

If you’ve mainly noticed this since summer, it could be that you are bringing in the environmental allergens. Summers are always hardest for my guy.

@Rain

A lot of people hate prednisone and worry about liver damage, but I felt it was worth the risk for him to be comfortable. He lived to 13 with no liver problems.

Prednisone turned both of my dogs into peeing machines. My well trained dogs just could not hold it in on the prednisone. Had to take them out every hour… and for one of them it was 0% effective and I had to switch to Apoquel. No side effects at all. He actually just got a Cytopoint shot since this summer has been awful (for both of us). Winter with Apoquel he has no issues. Summer is our nemesis!

[Justmyluck]

If you are going to feed a Hydrolyzed protein diet it can be the ONLY thing you feed, no treats, no additional canned food, no lizards in the yard nothing. ONLY that diet or you’re wasting your money. Allergic cats should be on strict flea control. Allergies build on one another until they spill over and cause flair ups your cat may have multiple components to his allergies. You need flea control and a strict elimination diet. You can not say you’ve tried everything until you have tried everything properly.

[WPeg]

I had a cat with similar issues, and I was also beside myself trying to fix him, and the thing that did it was feeding a canned/wet food diet only - using regular “grocery store” cat food but reading labels to avoid fillers (soy, corn, wheat, rice) as much as possible. This means picking the smooth pate versions - not the sliced or chunks in gravy type (which requires more filler to create the texture). It worked like a charm.

Before I switched his food, he had started to lick ALL the hair off his belly and bite/chew his skin. He made weepy, raw sores on his skin. I treated for fleas, took him to the vet for a skin culture/exam, etc. The veterinarian said it was stress, suggested prozac, and said i needed to increase his quality of life.

This kind of set me off because other than his skin issue, I felt he could not possibly have a better life. He was indoor/outdoor, had a cat friend, had tons of attention, play time, cuddles, etc. So I searched internet forums until I felt like I had READ the ENTIRE internet, and someone mentioned the wet food thing.

So I switched him to strictly wet food twice a day, and that’s it. No kibble treats or supplemental dry food. It was really pretty amazing - he stopped itching pretty quickly, trimmed down and looked fabulous. He lived a long, trouble free kitty life with no issues. As a younger cat, feeding him dry food, he had developed urinary crystals that had to be cleared. Never had a reoccurrence after the wet food change. He never had kidney or other kitty problems. Sadly, he died at a ripe old age of 17 when he was hit by a car

I recently acquired a kitty and decided to “brush up” on the latest in cat care. I found this website, by a vet, which promoted only feeding wet canned food with no fillers, and is against “prescription” dry food diets.

http://catinfo.org/#Prescription/Therapeutic_Diets

and this short version of the feeding recommendations

http://catinfo.org/docs/Feeding%20Yo…es%2011-13.pdf

Her take is that cats need water with their food (meaning wet food) and that even the cheapest canned food is better than the most expensive dry food on the market.

If he doesn’t improve on his current plan, I would highly suggest feeding him as described in those links for a month and just see if he improves. I currently feed my new kitty the Fancy Feast Classic Pates (only the smooth pates - no slices/chunks/gravy types). For fun I occasionally throw in a jar of chicken baby food (chicken and broth only - no other ingredients like veggies) but it isn’t a balanced diet, so it is for treats only.

I hope he’s better, it is terrible to watch them suffer - I’ve been there!