My cat has seasonal allergies, scratching & biting. How to help?

You can try adding an omega-3 fatty acid supplement for pets to the diet. This can help improve skin health and act as a natural anti-inflammatory. Cats can take some over-the-counter antihistamines but online veterinarians are prohibited from discussing human medication usage in pets. I recommend to call your regular veterinarian who will be able to give you a recommendation. If this doesn’t help within two weeks, or if Roy gets worse, have him examined by his veterinarian. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

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.

Cats can be allergic to flea, food, or the environment (like human hay fever). I would recommend starting by talking with your vet to see if they have any guess to which of these Wookiee is allergic too. Generally, I recommend getting on a prescription diet for allergies, and then experimenting with different allergy medications if the symptoms are still present after 2-3 months on the food. You could also try the medications first if you need quickly relief, but then you won't know if the meds are really needed or if a food change could help. There are many different medication options, but your vet can tell you what they think will work best for Wookiee. Good luck!

There are no medicine safe for cats over the counter. If the steroid injection helped, then there is a good change it is from an allergy. You will have to talk to your vet about a long term solution such as a diet change or allergy testing to control the signs since long term steroid use can have unwanted side effects such as weight gain and diabetes.

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 recommend to either have Lilly checked for hyperthyroidism or try a diet trial with a hydrolyzed protein for 12 weeks. Call your vet to discuss which option seems like the best for Lilly. Unfortunately, Allergies to something in the environment, food allergies, flea allergies and hyperthyroidism will all look the same so you must start ruling them out one by one. You may also look into joining a clinic like Banfield or VCA that offer wellness programs. These programs are not insurance but the office visits are free and you get a discount of services and medications outside of the program. You will need to check and verify details with any of these clinics in your area. Not every service will be covered by the program. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

If Bugs responded to steroids and antihistamines it may be an allergic reaction. You may talk to your vet about allergies caused by flea bites, food allergies, or environmental allergies. In some pets, 1 flea bite can cause a body-wide allergic reaction. He may also need a hypoallergenic cat food for a few months. Common causes of increased eosinophils are allergies, parasites (external and intestinal parasites), and fungal infection.