Food allergies in cats
Food allergies in cats are quite common these days. Experience shows that pets often face the same health problems as humans.
Food allergies are essentially an immune system reaction to certain foods or dietary components. Gastrointestinal disturbances lead to increased sensitivity and the active production of histamine, a biologically active substance that triggers an allergic reaction.
According to statistics, the disease is most often diagnosed in animals aged two to six years, but the first symptoms can appear as early as five months. Cats often have a hereditary predisposition to allergies. However, despite the widespread belief among breeders, scientists have not been able to prove a link between the development of food allergies and the animal's breed, gender, or spay status.
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How do food allergies manifest in cats?
Symptoms of food allergies in cats can vary, but the primary and most characteristic sign is itching. Its intensity ranges from severe to barely noticeable, and the itching is not seasonal and can be constant. Cats may scratch specific areas of their body—the head, neck, or ears—or the itching may spread throughout the entire skin.
Constant brushing causes bald spots to appear on the skin. These most commonly appear on the face, belly, thighs, and paws. The fur becomes more brittle, dull, and begins to fall out more rapidly than usual.
If a pet can't scratch all the itchy spots, they will begin to lick their fur vigorously in an attempt to relieve the discomfort. In some cases, licking becomes so intense that wounds form on the skin. Saliva can introduce secondary microflora into these wounds, often leading to inflammation and infection.
It is important to consider that bald patches can be the result of either a skin disease or excessive licking caused by allergic itching.
What can cause allergies?
What can cause food allergies in cats? Like people, your furry companions are unique, and what's perfectly harmless for one animal can cause a very strong reaction in another. However, veterinary experts have identified certain foods that most often cause ill health in your pets, including chicken, soy, and grains.
Dairy products, beef, and other ingredients are also at risk. Conversely, there are cases where a cat or dog has a severe allergy to all types of animal protein except fish.
| Reasons | Consequences |
| Poor quality feed | The composition of inexpensive diets, as a rule, is generously “enriched” with grains, corn and preservatives that are harmful to the digestion of carnivores. |
| Prohibited foods | No matter how patiently your cat appears, hypnotizing you with his gaze as you eat, or how diligently your dog begs for a piece of chocolate you brought with your tea, these human "benefits" will certainly not bring any benefit. Show courage and don't give in to provocations that could harm your furry friends. |
| Mixed nutrition | Unfortunately, many owners of these wily little creatures take this "slippery slope" in an attempt to diversify their pet's dry food menu with canned or natural foods. Unfortunately, this approach is fraught with not only allergies but also digestive upset and more serious consequences. |
| Addiction |
As a rule, an allergic reaction occurs precisely to ingredients that are constantly present in the animal’s diet, and not to those that were introduced recently. |
Symptoms and treatment of food allergies in cats
The first symptom of a food allergy in cats can be itchy skin and a rash localized on the face, ears, paws, and even the groin. Animals diagnosed with this condition may also experience discharge from the eyes and nose, as well as ear infections. Another sign is increased sweating, which can be detected by wet fur in the armpit area. It's important to distinguish between allergies and food intolerances, which are characterized by diarrhea and nausea.
How to treat a cat's food allergy? First, it's important to determine the type of allergy you're dealing with: besides food, you could be dealing with a reaction to parasite bites or environmental substances. Of course, if you're certain a particular food is the culprit, your first instinct might be to change the food. Don't rush. All modern diets contain multiple ingredients, meaning any one of them could be causing the flare-up, not just the main meat ingredient, for example.
Consult a veterinarian who will help determine the exact cause of the illness and conduct a series of tests to rule out other conditions with similar symptoms. They will then prescribe the necessary treatment for your unfortunate companion. Do not self-medicate!
Prevention
It's difficult to answer this question definitively, as no one is immune to allergies. The most important thing you can do is to consider your pet's diet. By nature, carnivores require a high amount of protein and a variety of meats.
Conversely, simple carbohydrates won't be beneficial for your pet. When choosing dry food, remember that it shouldn't contain soy, corn, grains, preservatives, flavor enhancers, or colorings. Fortunately for caring pet owners, Canadian specialists have developed biologically appropriate formulas for cats and dogs that meet the natural needs of furry pets with sensitivities.
Any questions? You can ask our website's staff veterinarian in the comments below, who will answer them as quickly as possible.
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2 comments
Marina
The cat (she is now 7 years old) had a food allergy (dermatitis) since birth and huge, terrible scratches (mainly on the head, neck, shoulder blades), medications did not help, she was allergic even to hypoallergenic food (Royal Canin, Purina), since it contains chicken, and this is a very strong allergen.
I did the following:
1) I changed the diet (!! Most importantly), feeding finely chopped pieces of boiled, absolutely lean beef mixed with boiled, mashed carrots in a ratio of about 60 (meat) to 40 (carrots). I feed twice a day: a bowl in the morning, a bowl in the evening (the animal is not hungry, doesn't beg for food, and doesn't eat it all at once; the morning portion is spread throughout the day, and the evening portion is spread over the evening and night). I preserve the meat and carrots in small containers, which I freeze. I don't use broth, as it removes excess fat from the meat. This is very quick and easy to do!!! Then it's convenient: take the food out in advance, let it thaw, mix it, and warm it up slightly.
IMPORTANT!!! Beef must be ABSOLUTELY LEAN; fat is unacceptable. Otherwise, fatty deposits may appear on the body (likely also a consequence of allergies). It's best to buy meat and carrots at the market from grandmothers, or from trusted sources. Store-bought products are apparently "stuffed" with additives.
2) I smeared the scratches with the drug “StopItch” (according to the instructions, for about 7 days);
3) gave children's "Zyrtec" (5-7 drops once a day for 5-7 days).
And that's all!!!
The most important thing is not to feed him anything extra (!), I tried giving him zucchini instead of carrots once (!) and the animal started itching again, it didn’t go away until we took Zyrtec and treated the wounds with StopZud (it doesn’t go away on its own).
I also had an ear infection (diagnosed at the clinic). I treated it with Surolan (3 drops twice a day for 7 days), after first cleaning the ears with Rosinka. The infection has cleared up, but I still need to clean the ears with Rosinka a couple of times a month as they get dirty, otherwise they'll hurt and itch again.
And another thing: sometimes the inside of my ear gets red, it flakes, and itches. I apply Calendula ointment morning and evening, and within about five days the redness goes away.
The result: a diet consisting solely of carrots and beef (!! This is the most important thing), "Rosinka" for the ears, and "Calendula" ointment for the redness. This turned out to be better than food and medication, which didn't help at all.
And it's absolutely necessary to feed your pet grass (oats or other grains), but grow it yourself, NOT buy store-bought nitrates! And it's best to use garden or forest soil, not fertilized or packaged. This is the only way to help your pet get rid of this nasty disease. Stay healthy!
PS: But you need to select food by trial and error; it’s possible that a different type of meat and other vegetables will suit another cat.
Daria is a veterinarian
Hello! Carrots are also quite an allergen. Be careful with them. Have you tried buckwheat? Animals need carbohydrates, as they provide energy. Otitis is a bit of a misdiagnosis =) Otitis is an ear inflammation. The redness may be related to an allergy. My cat also didn't respond well to the hypoallergenic Royal Canin formula. Dandruff appeared, and her fur started to tangle. We switched to Hill's and the allergy went away. Indeed, a diet for allergy sufferers needs to be individually tailored, through trial and error.
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