How to help your cat with allergies.

Itching, scratching, losing hair or maybe shaking their head – these could be signs that your cat may be suffering from an allergy.

So what can you do?

There are a number of ways to treat allergies including medical treatment; care products such as shampoo or conditioner as well as dietary changes.  Your vet is ideally placed to help you.

There are different causes of sensitivities and allergies

• Food sensitivities and allergies – Both of these are a reaction to particular foods but in the case of allergies this is triggered by the immune system
• Environmental allergies – an allergic reaction to something in the environment such as mites, pollens, dust and moulds
• Fleas – an excessive reaction to flea bites
• Bacterial infections

HELPING WITH FOOD ALLERGIES AND SENSITIVITIES

When dealing with a food intolerance look for foods with unusual proteins, which your cat is unlikely to have eaten before.  An ideal food has unusual proteins and limited number of ingredients, reducing the risk of feeding a problem causing ingredient.

Hydrolysed proteins are also good.  Hydrolysation cuts the protein molecules into very small pieces making them less likely to trigger a reaction.

HELPING WITH ENVIRONMENTAL ALLERGIES AND SENSITIVITIES

Your cat’s skin is his first layer of defence against allergens in the environmental. So creating a healthier skin can improve the protection. Nutrients such as Omega-3 from fish oils and vitamins and minerals including zinc, vitamin A and B-complex can all help maintain a healthy skin.

RELIEVING THE SYMPTOMS

Omega-3 fish oils can help support the natural anti-inflammatory process and so help with the distressing itching your cat is experiencing.