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Does My Cat Have Food Allergies?

Does My Cat Have Food Allergies?“Does my cat have food allergies? Can cats even get allergies?” Like people, pet cats can develop food allergies. In fact, food allergies are the third most prevalent cause of allergies in cats. Food allergies happen when your cat’s immune system starts reacting to a particular ingredient, usually a protein.

Cats can develop food allergies at any age and all cats are at risk of getting allergies. If your cat develops a food allergy, it can be a permanent condition, so it is important to identify the allergen and remove it from your cat’s diet.

If you’re wondering, “Does My Cat Have Food Allergies?” you probably already suspect that there is something amiss with your cat from its behavior. In a healthy cat, protein is broken down into single amino acids and nutrients which are absorbed into the bloodstream and distributed throughout the body.

Sometimes, for reasons that are not entirely understood, the immune system becomes overly sensitive to certain proteins. Your cat will produce antibodies to grab the proteins and release other chemicals into the bloodstream that cause allergy symptoms.

Common Symptoms Of Food Allergies In Cats

If you see any of the following symptoms in your cat, you should be asking yourself “does my cat have food allergies?”

• Upper respiratory symptoms such as sneezing, coughing, or wheezing
• Itchy or runny eyes
• Ear infections
• Gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, or excessive flatulence
• Frequent scratching of the head and neck
• Inflamed skin, hair loss, or sores

These symptoms could be due to other allergies, such as fleas or inhalants, but food allergies area also a common cause. Food allergies most commonly result in scratching of the head and neck area, leading to lesions or sores, loss of hair, and general deterioration of the coat. These symptoms will also likely intensify over time if the food responsible remains in your cat’s diet.

If you notice any of these symptoms, you should check with a veterinarian immediately to determine the cause. A veterinarian will be able to deal with the painful symptoms immediately and rule out other causes of allergies. A veterinarian will also be able to develop a plan to identify the food responsible for the allergies.

Dealing With Cat Food Allergies

Your veterinarian can prescribe cortisone, other steroids, or antihistamines to provide your cat with immediate relief from the allergy symptoms. But if your cat does have food allergies, the best way to treat it in the long run is to remove the allergen from your cat’s diet completely.

You can do that through a method called the food elimination diet:

• Identify the ingredients in your cat’s original diet. The most common sources of protein in cat food are beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey, and eggs. The most common sources of carbohydrates in cat food are wheat, barley, and corn.
• Put your cat on a diet of one protein and one carbohydrate that were not present in its original diet. For example, if the cat food your cat was eating contained beef, chicken, wheat, and corn, try feeding your cat a diet consisting of just pork and barley.
• If your cat’s symptoms disappear after 8-10 weeks, it is safe to assume that your cat is allergic to something in the original diet.
• From there, reintroduce one component of the cat’s original diet every 10 days until your cat’s allergy symptoms reappear. The last thing you introduced is the culprit.

When performing the food elimination diet, it is important to remember that your cat is a carnivore. The amino acid taurine, which is found in abundance in meats, is essential to your cat’s health. Even when introducing only carbohydrates into your cat’s diet, you should ensure that the protein component of your cat’s diet is at least twice the carbohydrate component.

Find The Right Cat Food At CatFoodInsider.com

Now you’re no longer wondering, “Does My Cat Have Food Allergies?” You’re wondering “How do I find cat food that won’t make my cat sick?”

Well, now that you’ve identified the offending ingredient, it’s as simple as finding a cat food that doesn’t contain that ingredient. CatFoodInsider.com has reviews of all the major cat food brands with deep statistical analyses of ingredients. Using our website, you can not only identify a cat food that will keep your cat healthy, but one with the best ingredients.