Looks like a drooling St. Bernard!!

 

My cat has itchy allergies, and When I give her allergy medication she begins to foam and drool as like she is a ST. Bernard!! 

It literally looks like snot is coming out of her mouth!

Is this normal? Could it be because she hates the taste??

I just want to give my poor

 love some relief from her itchy's!! 

Any advice????

Thanks!! 

Tammy

Cats commonly do this, drooling thick foamy drool when they're given a pill that's bitter tasting.

What allergy med are you giving?  Is it something that your Vet prescribed?   Has the cause of your kitty's itching been determined?  (food allergy, allergy to something in your home, fleabite allergy, underlying health issue, some type of mites, etc??)

What age is your cat, how long has she been experiencing itching?   What parts of her body is she scratching?   Is she biting her fur?   Does she have bald spots from scratching?   Any sores on her face or skin?

Does she go outside?

Is it Benadryl? Ask the vet about using zyrtec (a pill) instead. Although food lady is right - even better is to find the source of the problem and address that.

She is 2 yrs old and the vet said its not  a mite or flea allergy. We are ruling out the food allergy but it is taking time. The Medication is Benadryl. And she is an indoor cat 100% of the time. We have been battling this with chronic ear infections as well for well over 1 1/2 yrs. She has been given a steroid shot over a year ago but I am concerned about the harm it can do to her life span.I feel horrible she is constantly itching her face, under her jaw, by her ears, and in her feet and even her rear end.

For pills that are bitter to cats, I found it helpful to use gelatin capsules.   They're just empty capsules made of gelatin that you can open up and pop the pill or pill portion into.   They come in various sizes.  Can often get them at health food stores, very cheap to buy.   I used to order mine from www.iherb.com.   This way the cat doesn't taste the pill at all.   BUT you have to ensure 2 things --- that you sorta lube up the gelcap (with pill inside) a bit to help it go down easily (once gelcaps get wet they get sorta sticky), so I would just use a tiny bit of margarine or olive oil........AND get a 3 cc syringe and GENTLY give your cat 3 cc of water following to ensure the gelcap goes down the esophagus.   They actually say that all pills given to a cat should be 'chased' with a bit of water as there have been studies done that show many pills sort of get stuck and then inflame the esophagus, causing "erosive esophagitis."  Your vet clinic should be able to give you a 3 or 5-6cc syringe (without needle of course).   Just give 1cc at a time and slowly to avoid it going down into lungs!

I once had a cat who started itching, the sides of her face mostly......and it made me feel so bad for her.   I tried eliminating everything in my home that could cause it.   Sometimes just certain "scents" can cause allergies in cats (inhalant allergies).   Things like my much-loved Bath & Body Works wallflowers, scented candles, room sprays (I am a scentoholic!).   I had carpet at the time and would sometimes sprinkle that Arm & Hammer carpet fresh powder on carpet then vacuum.......was concerned the residue of that was the problem so had all carpets steam-cleaned professionally (using a company that uses only HOT STEAM and not CHEMICALS to clean the carpet - that's critical.....you have to ask).   I wondered if my laundry soap/fabric softener etc that I'd wash her bedding and such in was the cause so switched all to non-scented.  

Did you get new carpets in your home recently?   There are a lot of chemicals in carpets and there is a lot of 'off-gassing' from them when they're new and of course cats lie on them.  

The steroid shot your kitty had will NOT shorten the life span at all............but too many of those shots over time can predispose a cat to developing diabetes.    Has your vet tried a short course of Prednisone?    When I tried this with my cat, it did at least give her a few weeks of relief.

I remember reading once that for a cat with allergies to give them bottled or filtered water as opposed to tap water.

What sorts of foods have you tried?   My Vet didn't think my cat's issue was food related as her itching was mostly to her face.   I did suspect it MIGHT have been triggered by a different dry food I'd started as they seemed to coincide.

Have you tried any of the Prescription Hypoallergenic Cat diets?.....or even the premium foods that are more recommended?  (ones with single protein source like duck, rabbit, venison, lamb?)

Even consider cleaning products you use in your home.....like stuff you wash your floors with.   I ended up switching to more natural stuff that was non-toxic to pets...........even vinegar and water is better to wash floor with (use plain water after so no streaks) than chemicals.  

I think I read that stress can cause itching, too.   Any big changes in your home?   New baby?   Moved into a new home?

Another tip, until you can get some gelcaps.......is Pill Pockets.   Can get them at pretty much any pet food store, usually where the cat treats are.   Come in a couple of flavors.   You just put the pill inside it (it's like a soft treat) and a lot of cats will gobble it up.   Some cats are smart though, one of mine was......so what I'd do is.....just break off enough of the soft pill pocket so that I could wrap it totally around the pill.......to totally enclose it.....then pill the cat that way, and chase with 3-4 cc of water.   

In my cat's case, the itching eventually went totally away, after about 6 months of it.   Why, I'm not sure.
 

This is an old thread but this afternoon I tried giving my cat allergy meds in his food. It was Vetadryl. Though it was supposedly compounded my cat recoiled the first time like he had been stabbed in the mouth. And he had foam on his mouth. I thought that was strange. But then, the second time, same thing except, I think he gaged himself. He threw up and there was foam everyplace. He was like licking his chops.

Now I am having trouble getting him to eat wet food. It is like he is afraid of the food.

Of course dry he is fine with.

I was a little scared maybe it was something else that was causing it but I feel like I should go with the most likely explanation.

Was it compounded to taste like something (supposedly) yummy to cats?  Or compounded into liquid, or what?  Usually cats will foam uncontrollably from something very bitter tasting.   If you have something like that in pill form, you can try putting it inside an empty gel capsule and pilling them with it.  Otherwise you can try to hide it in food, but if it's THAT bitter, it's next to impossible to hide the taste.  We actually have one of our cats' meds compounded  into injectibles and/or  transdermal gels (depending on the drug)  because she is impossible to give anything by mouth.  Unfortunately, not all medications can be given that way. 

mrsgreenjeens said:

 
Was it compounded to taste like something (supposedly) yummy to cats?  Or compounded into liquid, or what?  Usually cats will foam uncontrollably from something very bitter tasting.   If you have something like that in pill form, you can try putting it inside an empty gel capsule and pilling them with it.  Otherwise you can try to hide it in food, but if it's THAT bitter, it's next to impossible to hide the taste.  We actually have one of our cats' meds compounded  into injectibles and/or  transdermal gels (depending on the drug)  because she is impossible to give anything by mouth.  Unfortunately, not all medications can be given that way. 

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In theory it was compounded into a beef or liver flavored tab. When I told my vet of the reaction the vet insisted that it was properly compounded and that it was likely the beef or liver flavoring the caused the reaction.  Though he has never acted that way before. Given the fact that I have found like 25 hits on Antihystamine cat and foam, I am thinking that the bitter taste of the pill caused the reaction.   He has been fine all weekend otherwise.

My vet said that the predlisone that I had been giving my cat was much more bitter.  I don't know what to say about that. For sure before I got the pill compounded into a fish flavor, my cat would not eat it. My theory here is that the pill was so small that he didn't smell it until he had already put it in his mouth and then, freaked.

I have decided to give him a natural remedy -- and so far, he tolerates it in his food no problem. Bromalen and qurican (sp)

We give Claritin (loratadine), 1/4 to 1/2 tablet once a day.  I smash it with the back of a spoon and mix it into their wet food.  Works like a charm!