Allergic itching-atopy-treatments & concerns

Hi all, this is my first posting. I have 7 kitties--all rescues--all indoors--all very well loved & cared for! One of my kitties--Bobby-- began itching a few days ago. At first I thought it was fleas brought in on us. But none of the kitties have any evidence of fleas. So my fiance took Bobby and his sister Tabitha--who has a small sore by her ear and was seen scratching a couple times--to the vet. Unfortunately our regular and very well liked and trusted vet is out of town for 3 weeks. I do not fully trust the backup. She said it was probably allergies--which after much internet research--I do believe is likely. She then prescribed prednisone-1/2 of a 5mg tablet every other day. I am very nervous about giving him steroids, given all the potential side effects. She also mentioned benadryl, but I do not know how much or how little and feel quite nervous about that as well. I have done more internet searching--and don't like the side effects of either one. The poor baby sometimes looks like he is being bit by invisible mosquitos--so I hate to do nothing at all--but so far the cures seem worse than the "disease". We are in the middle of a very heavy pollen season--heavy even for this area (South Eastern Appalachians)--so I'm tempted to ride this out for a week or so if he doesn't get too crazy.

Has anyone out there experienced this and if so, can you share your stories--good and bad. I believe some of the other kitties are scratching a bit too--but nothing like Bobby. Again, flea combing by us and by the vet did not turn up a single sign of fleas.

Oh yea, she said Tabitha appeared to have a yeast infection in her ear and had slightly swollen glands (she did not provide a reason for the glands . . .) and gave us something for her ears--I haven't looked that up yet!?

Finally, Bobby and his 4 brothers and sisters will be 1 year old in July. My other two were 1 around Dec 1, 2004.

Allergies can be a pain in the toosh! I can understand your fear of prednisone, but honestly I would use it to get the itching under control. Long term use can be harmful, but the short period of time they are on it to get the itching to stop is not bad at all.
If some of the kittys are itching more than usual, I would treat them all with frontline or advantage just incase. If you have a kitty with a flea allergy, even one little bite can send them into an itching frenzy.
Benadryl does not usually work with cats. In all the studies I have read, they say that there aren't really any effective allergy meds for cats. The best way to help them is to find out what's causing it to help them. I went through this with one of my cats, and had an allergy test done. I found out it was something in the food he was eating, and after a few months of eliminating it, he's back to normal.
The ear infections can be caused by the allergy. The medication for the ears will take care of it, as long as you use it for the specified period of time.

Thank you for your info--it sounds like perhaps you've experienced this with some kitties. I've been watching Bobby and had my windows closed a lot more the last 24 hours, and he seems less (but not totally) better?

I am not going to rule out the prednisone if his itching continues over the weekend--but I am still very interested in any alternatives anyone out there might know of--especially in case this ends up being a more long-term problem. Or if he appears to be suffering too much--right now it's occassional and otherwise he is playing, eating and acting normal. IT seems to come in fits--so far no scabs or fur problems. I guess I just want to be sure he really needs it and that maybe there isn't something a bit more "homeopathic" that I could try first. I have to admit, though, all this research on itching--and now I'm itchy too!!!!

I sure am glad I found this forum! It is reassuring to hear the same information that I've gleaned from the internet searches (such as the benadryl really doesn't work) -- Thanks again! I look forward to more input . .

Thanks again Sandie, jacquisun

Originally Posted by Sandie

Allergies can be a pain in the toosh! I can understand your fear of prednisone, but honestly I would use it to get the itching under control. Long term use can be harmful, but the short period of time they are on it to get the itching to stop is not bad at all.
If some of the kittys are itching more than usual, I would treat them all with frontline or advantage just incase. If you have a kitty with a flea allergy, even one little bite can send them into an itching frenzy.
Benadryl does not usually work with cats. In all the studies I have read, they say that there aren't really any effective allergy meds for cats. The best way to help them is to find out what's causing it to help them. I went through this with one of my cats, and had an allergy test done. I found out it was something in the food he was eating, and after a few months of eliminating it, he's back to normal.
The ear infections can be caused by the allergy. The medication for the ears will take care of it, as long as you use it for the specified period of time.

Click to expand...

Daisy is allergic to flea bites and suffered terribly from itching, a few years back. Once we had zapped the fleas, the itching still continued. Our vet said this was quite a usual thing, so this may be why your cat is still itching, even if whatever caused the reaction has stopped/gone away. I had Daisy on a course of steroid tablets (can't recall the name now, sorry) - but the tablets did the trick. A short course of steroids should not be dangerous for your cat, and it's worth doing, just to relieve the poor thing's itchiness. Daisy is now happy & healthy, six years on from the treatment. I hope yours will be too.

Sue

Allergies can be maddening. I had a cat with severe skin allergies - we traced it to fleas, wool, plants, food and other things. She had them year round. There was no way to keep her away from it all so we resorted to prednisone and topical creams when it got really bad.

I also am reluctant to give my babies steroids, but in the case of this poor girl, it was the only way to provide relief. We were forced to use them regularly on a long term basis, and while it probably shortened her life, the relief that it provided was worth it. We had to compare quality of life to quantity of life in her case.

Good luck - I hope this is seasonal and it will go away soon!

There may be an "all natural" product advertised for allergies, I just dont hold alot of stock in those things. In most cases with allergies, it's a descision between the steroids, eliminating th cause, or them itching.
Depending on the allergy, they say that cats respond best to Chlorpheniramine. I have seen people get good results when it's an enviromental allergy, but not with food or flea allergies.

Hi all, Just wanted to let you all know, Bobby's itching has subsided quite a bit. And I have yet to decide what it was I wanted to do about the itching. What I have notice, however, is that most all the kitties are itching occassionally, so I"m going back to the flea search. Plus, I also got some mysterious bite on my thigh a couple nights ago when resting on the "new" couch purchased used from an animal benefit 2nd hand shop. I am keeping the prednisone on hand for if the itching comes back badly--in the mean time, I"m back to flea combing. Thanks all for the input and life experiences--I'm always intersted in updates on this subject, because I"m sure it's not the end of it. Just the same, I plan to play it cautious and curious . . . and keep the prednisole on hand . .. just in case.

I should hopefully post pictures on the "new comers" topic area soonish,
Best Wishes to all the Kitty Lovers