My cat scratches and chews her hair out. Is it allergies? What helps?

Although not the typical affected areas, make sure flea are controlled as this can contribute to ther allergies. A food change may make a bit different as this can be a food allergy. You want to switch to a hypoallergenic diet; royal canin, Purina and science diet all have good diets for this. From there you may need a low dose of cortisone intermittently to help but cats can build a resistance to long term use and have side effects. There is another immunosuppressive drug known as atopica that is helping some cats now. There is another drug called Apoquel that is not labeled for cats but is showing good relief in several

The only thing that can help reduce the reaction to the food is steroids, prednisolone is usually very helpful and relatively safe if given in low dosage, you will have to consult a vet in order to get a prescrition.

This overgrooming behavior is often due to stress and/or allergies. You can try using Feliway a pheromone diffuser which often relaxes cats. I've also had success with the anti anxiety supplement Solliquin. Solliquin is a soft chew and most cats like it. If giving oral medication is making Jasper stressed out then I would go back to giving the steroid injection for a while. You can also have the medication compounded into a tuna flavored liquid you can mix in the food then you wouldn't have pill Jasper. This is a difficult problem and you've done well controlling it. I also often try a long acting antibiotic injection as this will stop any infection in the skin and that may reduce the chewing and biting. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Jasper.

I can understand being nervous about steroids, but that is what helps with allergies, especially flea allergies. If you clear up all the fleas both on Cody and in your home, then likely only a short course of steroids is needed. I would speak with your vet about your concerns, and discuss trying a course of steroids, which would likely really help him.

Hello. This is an indication that Tigs is allergic to something in his environment, be it pollen, dust mites, possibly even his food. Cortisone can keep his symptoms under control, but over time there can be side effects from multiple steroid injections. You could try allergy testing to see what Tigs may be allergic to & start a desensitization protocol. This can take some time, so it is best to work with a veterinary dermatologist to get the best results. If he might be having some issues with his food, then a trial with a hypoallergenic diet may be appropriate. Make sure you are doing as good a job as you can controlling fleas as this is a major cause if skin irritation in cats. The important thing to know is we can not cure allergies, just control the symptoms. Steroid injections ( cortisone ) are just one tool to help keep the symptoms under control. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely due to allergies. Benadryl is good as is prednisolone for example. However, these are only going to help with the itch temporarily. However, it is crucial to get rid of the allergic component and treat the allergy as if not, the itch will continue. Also, it is crucial to treat the likely secondary infection. There is no at home treatments as the other medication that can be used in cats for this is a prescription medication called prednisolone. One thing you can do at home besides dealing with the possible allergies is using an e-collar which you can get from your local pet store or online to prevent any further self-trauma. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

I have a flea-allergic cat too and it is very frustrating. Ask your vet about giving her an over-the-counter allergy medication to help relieve the itching. Chlorpheniramine and cetirizine (Zyrtec) are commonly used to help cats with itching. Something else to consider is that your cat may have other allergies that are contributing to the problem. A common allergy is to the protein source in the food. Ask your vet about a limited diet or about getting Boris started on a product like Prescription Diet z/d. This diet is formulated with hydrolyzed proteins, a process that changes the protein in the food in such a way that the body doesn't recognize it as an allergen, and it still provides the nutrition your cat needs to be healthy. Also, consider asking for a recommendation to a veterinary dermatologist. They have more and better testing available to them as well as specialty education in skin problems that may make them better able to help you and your cat.