Food allergies in cats

Overview

Does your cat seem to be itchy year-round or frequently come down with ear infections? What could be making your cat so miserable? Your cat may be exhibiting symptoms of an allergy to what he is eating. The most common causes of food allergies in cats are the animal proteins and carbohydrates found in their regular diet. This includes fish, beef, pork, chicken, milk, eggs, corn, soybeans, and wheat. Some veterinarians even feel that preservatives used in pet foods also might be problematic.

Symptoms

• Itchiness (regardless of season or environment)
• Excessive paw licking
• Ear infections
• Rash appearance on ears, feet, and stomach (secondary skin infection)
• Excessively licking or chewing around the base of their tail or anus
• Excessive rubbing of the snout with their paws

Treatment

It can be difficult to determine exactly what your cat is allergic to, especially since a cat can develop an allergy quite suddenly, even if he has been eating a particular brand of food for years without any problems.

If you suspect that your cat has a food allergy, your veterinarian may suggest an elimination diet, commonly called a food trial. The idea behind a food trial is to feed your cat a protein and carbohydrate source that they have never been exposed to. For example, if your cat has an allergy to chicken and you feed him a rabbit based diet, his symptoms should go away. In order for a food trial to work, you will feed your cat a hypoallergenic diet with no treats or any meat based heartworm prevention. Meaning, you will feed your cat only the new food, until your cat‘s symptoms go away, which can take anywhere from 6-8 weeks. Hypoallergenic diets in cats are usually venison, duck, or rabbit based. Next, you will gradually bring back your cat's old foods, preferably one ingredient at a time. This way, if any symptoms appear again, you will know what is causing the problem, and avoid feeding it in the future.

Cats with food allergies may also need other treatments to make them comfortable until the food trail has had time to take effect. Such treatments may include antibiotics for any skin infections that develop from the scratching and licking, ear antibiotic and soothing ointments, and possibly corticosteroids.