My kitten has been scratching a lot, and now she's sneezing!

Around the time I gave her a collar, she's been scratching at the neck. I thought she was still not used to it, so I let it be so she could get used to the collar. Her collar is loose on her because it's too big her little kitten neck. I had to create an extra hole in the collar because of how loose it is. Right now, I can fit 3 fingers between the collar and her neck.

But with time, she's been scratching more of her head and face, especially the ears. The most she scratches is the neck, but the ears are second place.

And now, since yesterday, she's been sneezing quite a bit. This morning she sounded like there was something in her nose, so I looked in it, but saw nothing.

I'm wondering if it's an allergy to 2 new foods I bought her. She is currently eating Hill's Ideal Balance Chicken and Brown Rice Kitten Food (dry) and Blue Buffalo Wilderness Grain-Free Chicken Canned Kitten Food.

http://www.petco.com/product/118400/Hills-Ideal-Balance-Chicken-and-Brown-Rice-Kitten-Food.aspx
http://www.petco.com/product/123225...-Canned-Kitten-Food.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch (Chicken flavor)

Could you please look at the ingredients section of both foods and see if you find anything my kitten could be allergic to? I would think the Hill's Ideal Balance is causing her allergies, as it's quality is less than the Blue Buffalo Wilderness. 

Another possibility to the sneezing (but not the scratching) is the fact that yesterday, my mom had the bathtub repainted. It had a VERY strong paint smell, but when the professional finished, the smell faded. Right now the bathroom door is closed, and no one's allowed in it until the paint is fully dry. I don't smell any paint at all anymore, but since cat's noses are stronger, maybe she does smell it, and it's causing her sneezing.

So far, I see no rash or sores. Her skin looks normal. She also acts normal. Very playful.

Any ideas? Obviously, I should take her to the vet soon. But I would like to know your opinions. Thank you!

It could be all kinds of things. What food was she on before? Without that information it's much harder to pinpoint possible food allergens.

It's also possible there's something in the collar itself that's irritating her...maybe a dye or something, or maybe even the clasp.

The paint could certainly be causing the sneezing...New paint smell can trigger asthma attacks in asthmatic cats, so respiratory irritation is certainly possible.

She used to eat Simply Nourish Source High Protein Kitten Food (dry).

http://www.petsmart.com/cat/dry-foo...d36-25938/cat-36-catid-200028?var_id=36-25938

That was all I fed her.

http://www.petsmart.com/cat/collars...-catid-200080?var_id=36-25270&_t=pfm=category
This is the collar she is wearing.

I can't tell a huge amount from the collar. I suppose there could conceivably be and allergy to the metal (thinking of human nickel allergies) or something in the fabric. The only way to tell is to remove the collar and see if she gets better.

With the foods, I suppose it's possible she's reacting to rice, but it's highly unlikely as it's a pretty hypoallergenic grain. There's nothing else in the dry food that she wasn't eating before. Other possible culprits are the cassia gum, guaranteed gum or carrageenan in the canned food. I know my Asha isn't good with carrageenan, but that shows as diarrhoea rather than skin issues.

Looking at your OP again, I think the first thing to do is get that collar off her. Given that the irritation started at her neck and spread up, I'd say that's the most likely culprit. Also, check her ears - its just possible she's got ear mites, and the timing is just coincidence.

If any of these symptoms continue for more than a few days after removing the collar, get her checked by a vet. Better safe than sorry.

Thank you! I'll try all that!

I removed her collar. Time to see how her scratching goes as the days pass!

:cross: for you both.

I just noticed in the collar something that MIGHT have been to culprit to her neck scratching. The collar had a long tag, and I had cut it off the day I bought it, but apparently I left a little piece of tag, and it's pointy. Maybe that was poking her skin all this time. I cut it all off now. What do you think? Should I put the collar back on and see if she still scratches?

Leave it off for now. The way the itching spread sounds like something more than a label digging in.

You have a point. I'll leave it off.

I took Yuhi to the vet, and the vet said she has no mite or irritation symptoms, and that the reason she's scratching is most likely the collar. She said Yuhi just probably needs to get used to it, and that if she can't, then she should be left collar-less. The vet said her own cat couldn't get used to a collar and she left it collar-less too. What I'll do is put the collar back on and see if Yuhi can get used to it. If she doesn't after a good while, I'll buy a different collar and see how it works. If it doesn't work either, I'll leave Yuhi collar-less.

P.s. I put the collar back on the day I took Yuhi to the vet. Yuhi hadn't been wearing it for a good while. (I put it on in case she somehow escaped the cat carrier or something, as her collar contains my information.)

I'm glad Yuhi got a clean bill of health from the vet Now to teach her to tolerate the collar....probably easier said than done!

Good luck. I hope she accepts it soon :cross:

TangerineSunset said:

 
I took Yuhi to the vet, and the vet said she has no mite or irritation symptoms, and that the reason she's scratching is most likely the collar. She said Yuhi just probably needs to get used to it, and that if she can't, then she should be left collar-less. The vet said her own cat couldn't get used to a collar and she left it collar-less too. What I'll do is put the collar back on and see if Yuhi can get used to it. If she doesn't after a good while, I'll buy a different collar and see how it works. If it doesn't work either, I'll leave Yuhi collar-less.

P.s. I put the collar back on the day I took Yuhi to the vet. Yuhi hadn't been wearing it for a good while. (I put it on in case she somehow escaped the cat carrier or something, as her collar contains my information.)

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Have a chat with your vet about getting a microchip inserted, which has a number that is linked to a database that contains your information.