How to Test Cats for Allergies
If your cat has been acting unusually itchy, sneezy or aggressive, then a cat allergy may be to blame. Common allergy symptoms in cats are fairly easy to spot, because they are quite similar to the symptoms displayed by an irritated and allergy-suffering human. However, pinpointing the allergen can be a bit more complicated. Fortunately, there are several ways that you can test your cat for allergies to try to resolve the issue before taking your kitten in to the vet.
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Instructions
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Check your cat's skin. With cats, most allergies translate to itching. However, some types of itching can indicate the type of allergen that is causing the problem. Small scabs around the neck and head areas, called millet lesions, usually indicate a flea allergy. On the other hand, localized rashes or redness can indicate a contact allergy, such as a problem with cat litter or bedding. General, full-body itching indicates an airborne allergen or a food allergy.
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Give your cat a good flea bath. While a flea bath will not replace a monthly flea treatment, it will kill all the fleas that are currently on your cat's body, giving her a fresh start. If the millet lesions fade and disappear over the next week or two as you continue to bathe your cat once or twice a week with the flea shampoo, then you will know that you have identified the culprit--fleas--and will need to start your cat on a more aggressive flea prevention program. Always check the flea shampoo to make sure that you can treat your cat with it frequently while you are attempting to isolate the problem.
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Change your cat's litter and bedding. Since localized itching tends to lead to focused scratching, if your cat has a red rash or sore area that he is targeting with tooth and nail, you may have a bedding or litter issue. Make sure that all the cat's bedding is natural material, such as cotton, and replace the cat litter with shredded newspaper. Cat litter often contains chemicals and clay products that irritate cats' skin. As with the fleas, chart the progress of the irritated spots, and if they dissipate over the next week or two, you have likely resolved the issue.
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Switch your cat to an all-natural diet. Cats can develop allergies to the chemicals and preservatives in cat foods. This leads to general, constant and all-over itching. The best way to resolve the issue is to feed your cat an organic, preservative-free diet. Some people like to feed their cats entirely fresh food. All diet switches should be done gradually and under a vet's supervision to avoid malnutrition and gastrointestinal upset. You will need to monitor your cat's behavior to see if the itching is ameliorated by the change in diet.
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Monitor your cat for seasonal, inhalant allergies. Like people, cats may be allergic to ragweed, pollen or mildew and dust mites. If your cat has these seasonal allergy issues, then you will have to monitor their behavior to determine the culprit. Mark the times of excessive sneezing, itching and other allergy symptoms on your calendar. Then use human allergy seasons to pinpoint the culprit. You can also have a vet do a skin allergy test just as they would for a human if you do not want to chart your poor feline's itching for an entire year.
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Tips & Warnings
If your cat has serious respiratory difficulty, then do not delay in treating it. You should take your cat to a vet to ascertain the issue and resolve it immediately.
