Cats are demanding when it comes to grooming and good coat condition. However, they sometimes overdo it, taking off an excessive amount of hair. As a result, the animal may look neglected and the fur may have patches of alopecia. To prevent your cat from pulling its fur, first you need to understand the underlying problem that leads to this behavior. Unfortunately, it is not always easy and obvious to get the answer.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Assessing if the Cause is Attributable to Environmental Allergens
Step 1. Understand pet allergies
When humans have an allergy, such as hay fever, they tend to have eye pain, runny nose and sneeze frequently. Cats, on the other hand, react differently. Most of the time they manifest allergy with itching, consequently they continue to scratch and lick their fur.
Just as some people are allergic to peanuts, seafood or have hay fever, cats can also be sensitive to one substance and tolerate another well
Step 2. Try to understand possible environmental allergens
Potentially anything in the environment can be an allergen if the cat is sensitive to it. However, the most common ones are usually dust mites, grass pollen, certain trees and flea bites.
- If your cat has a pollen allergy, you may notice that it begins to over-care for its fur and that the situation worsens in the season when there are pollens in the air, such as in spring those of trees or in summer those of flowers and grass. In addition, there is a wide range of superimposable reactions to the various pollens, so the animal could only find relief in winter, when the presence of pollen is very minimal and is unable to trigger the reaction.
- There are other substances that can irritate the cat (in a slightly different way from allergy, but which produce the same effect). These may include spray deodorants, perfumes or hairspray when used near the animal and are deposited on its fur, causing it itching.
Step 3. Eliminate possible environmental causes
Unfortunately, it is notoriously difficult to diagnose the exact allergen that causes a cat reaction. Blood tests or prick tests that can be performed on dogs produce nearly random (and very unreliable) results in cats. This means that the veterinarian can arrive at a diagnosis mainly by excluding other possible causes of skin irritation (such as parasites, food allergies or behavioral problems) and then see if the treatment against excessive scratching of the cat leads to results.
Part 2 of 3: Treating Environmental Allergies
Step 1. Minimize your cat's exposure to suspected allergens
Remove as many causes of allergy or irritation as possible. Do not spray aerosols or deodorants when the cat is near, do not light scented candles (the smell settles on the pet's fur which can start licking to get rid of it) and use the vacuum cleaner every day to minimize dust mites in home.
This method is not always effective, especially if the cat is allergic to pollen, in which case drug therapy is required
Step 2. Give him anti-inflammatories to reduce irritation
The vet should first make a discretionary decision regarding the need for this therapy. Drugs that are used to relieve itching can have side effects, and the vet must consider whether the benefits outweigh the risks.
- If the cat continues to lick its fur causing irritation and redness of the skin with the risk of infections or ulcers, drug therapy is certainly recommended. If, on the other hand, there are only a few and small patches of alopecia, the situation is probably not serious enough to require the use of medicines. In any case, the decision is up to you alone, after consultation with your veterinarian.
- The most used drugs in this context are anti-inflammatories. Corticosteroids, such as prednisolone, are inexpensive and effective. Generally, a medium sized cat is given a 5 mg dose orally once a day, with or after meals, for 5-10 days (depending on the intensity of the itch), while the dose is reduced to one. tablet to be taken every other day during the pollen season.
- Whenever possible, try to stop medication during the winter. Although cats are relatively resistant to the side effects of steroids, unlike people or dogs, there is a risk of increased thirst and appetite (which leads to weight gain), as well as an increased risk of develop diabetes mellitus (that caused by sugar). It is therefore advisable to analyze the specific risk for your pet with your doctor.
Step 3. Administer antibiotics to the cat, in case of skin infection
They may need to be given these medications if your cat has pulled out so much fur that it irritates or infects the skin. In this case, the skin may appear shiny or moist and you may notice the loss of sticky substances or unpleasant odors in the area.
You can soothe his discomfort at home by gently bathing the infected area twice a day with a salt water solution and then pat his skin dry. To make the salt water solution, dissolve a teaspoon of table salt in half a liter of water that you previously boiled. Store this solution in a clean container and soak a clean cotton ball every time you want to treat the cat's injured area
Part 3 of 3: Analyzing and Treating Other Possible Allergens
Step 1. Consider the hypothesis that the cat has a food allergy
This is another common cause of skin problems, which results in constant licking of the hair. When the cat eats food to which it is allergic, a mechanism is triggered that makes the skin very itchy. Most of the time this type of allergy is due to a particular protein found in food (such as nuts that people are allergic to).
Step 2. Change your cat's diet if you see that he suffers from a food allergy
The positive aspect of this form of allergy is that by changing foods and eliminating the allergen, you "cure" the cat that stops feeling itchy. However, as already mentioned, there is no reliable laboratory test for food allergies. The diagnosis is made by subjecting the animal to a hypoallergenic diet.
- The simplest way to give him a hypoallergenic diet is to consult with the veterinarian so that he can prescribe a diet tailored to the animal. Hill's foods such as d / d, z / d, z / d ultra or those of the Purine formula HA are prepared in such a way that the protein molecules contained in them are too small to physically stimulate the receptors present in the intestinal wall responsible for allergic reaction.
- The alternative to these products is to analyze all the food that the cat eats and find a food that does not contain any of the ingredients to which it is sensitive.
- It can take up to 8 weeks to reduce or eliminate the effects and symptoms of the previous allergen from the body, so don't expect an immediate result. In addition to implementing the elimination diet, it is necessary for the animal to follow an exclusively hypoallergenic diet, so that it does not accidentally eat a food containing an allergen.
- If the cat has a food allergy, you can choose to continue feeding it on a hypoallergenic diet or to add a new food every two weeks and pay attention to the skin reaction, before stating that the food is suitable for your cat.
Step 3. Evaluate if the pet has a flea allergy
Parasites are also a common cause of hives, particularly fleas. When the flea bites, in fact, it injects saliva into the skin, which acts as a powerful allergen. If your cat continues to lick and scratch its fur, it is essential that you have a monthly flea treatment and that you spray a specific insecticide to eliminate flea eggs and larvae in the house.
Among the main products that have been shown to be effective are fipronil, which you can find on the market without a prescription, and selamectin, branded Stronghold, which is only available with a prescription. Apply the treatment regardless of whether you've seen fleas or not. This is because only one flea bite is enough to trigger the allergic reaction in the animal and, even if the flea does not live on the animal and may have moved away from the cat, it still feels itchy
Step 4. Find out if your cat is suffering from behavioral problems
When a cat takes excessive care of its fur, its body releases endorphins, a natural form of morphine. This makes him feel good and many cats tend to over-groom themselves precisely because they feel pleasure from the production of endorphins. This is even more true if the cat is a little stressed for some reason, since the care of the coat offers him a form of relief.
- Try to understand why the cat is stressed. Perhaps another intruding feline has entered the house or you recently got a new pet. By addressing the underlying cause, you will most likely get the solution to your cat's skin problem.
- Eventually you can use Feliway, a solution that releases a synthetic version of the feline pheromone (chemical messenger) and allows the cat to feel safe and secure. You can find this product in the form of a spray can or room diffuser (the latter is the best option because it acts constantly).
