Kitten with allergies? Hair loss? only 9 weeks old.

Hey guys.

So as some of you may remember, I was in the process of adopting a second kitten named Corvo. When I brought him home, I noticed his eyes were watering and he was sneezing now and again. As I just got over dealing with my first kittens URI, I brought him back to the shelter to be fully looked over by a vet before taking him home.

So, almost a week has passed, and I now hear back the the antibiotics have not been helping the sneezing and eye watering, and that she thinks he may have an allergy to dust. When he's inside of a house, all he does is sneeze and have water eyes. When she puts him in her screened porch with air flow, he has no issues. Dry eyes, no sneezing.

This would all be fine, except for two things.

One: I have no idea if you can test for allergies. If the little guy is allergic to dust - fine. I'll take him home and get him on allergy meds. But she doesn't know for sure, which scares me.

Two: He's not loosing his hair. He was already tested for ring worm, which came back negative, so now they are doing a bunch of blood tests to see whats up. (thank god the shelter is paying for all of this.)

If it turns out whatever is causing his hair loss is something curable/manageable (and not contagious.) I will have no issues bring him home. I even considered that if he does have an allergy to dust, that the hair loss may be due to excessive itching, but she said she hasn't seen him itch too often.

Any suggestions? I think my first plan of action is to ask what to do about a cat who has, it seems, bad dust allergies. What do I give him?

Also, any ideas at all to the eye watering plus hair loss would be so helpful. I'm basically playing sherlock with the shelter lady trying to figure out whats up.

Where is the hair loss?  Could he be overgrooming and that's what's causing it?   What is he eating?  Food allergies can cause skin issues (but not usually the sneezing and watery eyes) 

What all has he been tested for? All the biggies, plus feline herpes? 

Honestly, if he were allergic to dust, I would think putting him in a screened porch with air flow would be dustier than inside,wouldn't it?  So I would expect him to be worse (if it were dust allergies)

Yes, I believe they CAN test for allergens, but think it is very pricey.  Not sure if a shelter will go to that expense, but if they are willing...GREAT.  Otherwise, it could just be seasonal allergies, as long as he comes back negative on everything else.  I know cats can have seasonal allergies just like people, and be treated almost the same way - with certain allergy meds).  

that they can get to the source of the problem(s)

I loath unscientific advice but here is my less than well researched anecdotal reply. One of my Siamese cats - ascertained a show cat by the various breedrs(tho I spayed her..not into showing. It was just that I connected with this kitten!) - started to show tiny bald spots at age 14 wks or so. This was 2 wks after she arrived and she had been fine in wk one. It was determined by a feline specialist vet that she was overgrooming. Stressed because she was alone (with the dog) but Siamese especially need companions and I was so busy tho I took a week off after she came home. So, as it happened, I adopted a pregnant Siamese from a rescue group and kept 2 of her kittens -my office mgr has the third. She was fine once she had more activity and adjusted to her new home. I would check the other allergies but ask your vet re the extra grooming possibility. Good luck!

Sadly, the shelter lady isn't able to get back to me for a week, as she went down to VA to pick up some kittens that were going to be killed. I suppose I'm just going to have to wait the 2 weeks to see what all the tests say. I'm very worried about the little guy, and really hope the hair loss is just from him being itchy or something. Wont know for a week or so, but I'll post in this thread when I do get some answers.

Thanks!