Allergies in Cats

Natural Remedies for Cats with Allergies

"Help! My cat has allergies!"

Nusentia® natural pet supplements have been helping cats support the symptoms that come with cat allergies. Our products are manufactured with the highest quality ingredients for maximum absorption and efficacy.

Summary

Celavin™ Omega-3 Fish Oil

Fish oil provides essential fatty acids which can help reduce inflammation caused by cat food allergies and inhalant allergies. This liquid is third party tested for purity and provides 2x more omega-3 than wild salmon oils.

Spectrin™

This antioxidant and nutrition liquid contains compounds, such as, beta-carotene, bioflavonoids, vitamins C and E, selenium, and sulfur-containing amino acids, which are needed to protect the body from the tremendous increase in free radicals that takes place during an allergic, or inflammatory, process.

Probiotics and Enzymes

This power duo supports your cat's immune and digestive system to reduce toxic irritants and improve immune response. Probiotics and enzymes work cooperatively and promote an allergy-free animal. Try the Miracle Pack or MiracleZyme® chews.

Diet

Cats are strict carnivores. If your cat is ill or displays allergies, make sure you're feeding an appropriate diet, void of carbohydrate fillers or grains, which could be contributing to the condition.

WHAT ARE ALLERGIES IN CATS?

An allergy is an unpleasant response to exposure to an inhalant, to a food, or to something in the environment. This response is triggered by the immune system. Allergies can affect all breeds of cat. Cat allergies usually develop between 1-3 years of age.

4 TYPES OF ALLERGIES CATS HAVE

1. Flea Allergy Dermatitis
2. Cat Food Allergies (and drug allergies):
   The most common allergens are beef, dairy, wheat, egg, chicken, lamb, soy, pork, rabbit, and fish.
3. Inhaled Allergies
   Allergens such as grasses, molds, pollens, and dust mites. 
4. Direct Contact Allergies
5. Some cat allergies are caused by irritants through direct contact with the skin.

CAUSES

Other potential root causes for cat allergies include genetic predisposition, environment, and antibiotics at an early age may cause cat allergies due to disrupting gut ecology.

Flea allergies and irritant allergies are usually more readily identified for the cat and treated by removal and control, but unfortunately is not the case with inhalant allergies and cat food allergies. There are things to look for to get a general sense of the problem and steps to take to improve your cat’s health.

SIGNS YOUR CAT HAS ALLERGIES

1. Gastrointestinal problems
2. Vomiting
3. Swelling around the head
4. Excessive scratching
5. Ear problems
6. Sneezing
7. Coughing
8. Swollen eyelids
9. Hair loss

CAT FOOD ALLERGIES

Obviously if you have identified the food(s) that your cat has a reaction to you should remove. This can be done through eliminating a suspected food, observing, then reintroducing. If your cat improves with elimination, and worsens with reintroduction there is likely a problem. With cat food it can be hard to distill down to the actual allergen as it may only be a particular ingredient, so you may want to look for options in cat foods that are designed for low allergy potential.

Here are some other steps to take nutritionally that will be sure to help:

Steps to Reduce Cat Food Allergies

1. Variety
   Provide some variety in the diet (especially with kittens)
2. Add Probiotics
   Put your cat on probiotics such as Probiotic Miracle. For kittens in their first year of life, probiotics are especially beneficial as they assist in creating a strong gut ecology where food allergies will likely not develop. For those cats that already have allergies, regular use of probiotics over time should greatly help to abate them.
3. Add Enzymes
   Digestive enzymes will help break down ingredients that are a challenge for your cat to digest naturally.

INHALANT ALLERGIES

Often these allergies in cats are in response to those that are inhaled or absorbed through the skin (atopic dermatitis). Here are the following steps to take with your cat:

1. Treat Skin Problems
   Reduce cat itching and scratching by treating the skin problems.
2. Improve Living Conditions
   Try to improve your cat's living conditions to avoid the allergens (easier said then done). Keep his sleeping areas clean. When your cat comes in from the outdoors, you can remove pollens by wiping down your cat's paws with a damp towel or cloth
3. Introduce Essential Fatty Acids
   Cats respond well to essential fatty acid formulas such as Celavin fish oil as they can reduce the inflammatory response (the severity)
4. Provide Antioxidants
   Vitamins and anti-oxidant that contain key vitamins, minerals, bioflavonoids, and amino acids are needed to protect the cat's body from the tremendous increase in free radicals that takes place during an inflammatory process.

FINAL NOTE

Often, allergies in cats are are misdiagnosed and the real problem is just a poor diet. Probiotics and enzymes make a huge difference for cats with allergies as does removing carbohydrates and fiber from their diet.