Allergies

Good morning.  My cat has recently become an indoor/outdoor cat.  He was an a youngster but for the past 4 years, he's been strictly indoors.  I moved to St. Petersburg, FL in January and he is now 100% indoor/outdoor.  He has developed an allergy to either grass or fleas, the vets can't decide which.  He's currently on Revolution for flea prevention but he's licked the fur off of his back legs and tummy.  

There doesn't seem to be any irritation.  Should I put him on steroids? Will that be ok for him?  How long is the treatment?

Thank you!!  

If he is still having symptoms after you have treated for fleas, I would venture to guess he is allergic to grass.

The steroid treatment will vary from cat to cat; but, if he does have an allergy to grass and is allowed to come in contact with it, I highly suspect he will have to be on steroids permanently. Though, possibly at a maintenance dose...depending on what he can tolerate.

There are side effects to take into consideration with long-term use if steroids:

Increased Appetite
Increased Thirst/Urination
Weight Gain
Diabetes
Liver Disease
Kidney Disease
And a few others...

Not all cats will develop these problems; but, I have been told by vets that you do see higher instances of diabetes.

If you suspect grass to be the trigger, I personally would keep him inside for 6-8 weeks (will likely have to use some meds to get things cleared up initially.) See if his allergy issue goes away. If, when you let him back out the symptoms come back, then you have your answer.

If he were my cat and he did in fact have a grass allergy, I would choose to keep him indoors only vs. have him on steroids permanently.