Allergy to rice??

I suspect that my 6 months old kitten (Shelby) is allergic to rice...do any of you know if it's even possible? According to the vet it is so rare that they don't have an hypo-food without it. And also if there is good quality one without rice as an ingredient? (That I couldn't find in Canada)
Thank you all so much! The poor thing is scratching so bad and she's starting to have bald spots.

Wow I have never heard of rice allergies before....actually and interesting tid bit..when cats have a variety of food allergies, some vets will put them on a hypoallergenic diet consisting of rice and lamb.......

Could it be something else???....was she just eating rice...or what this a certain dry/wet food that gave her the reaction??.....I know certain dyes in foods can cause allergic reactions in some cats.....

Also which the scratching.......

Has parasites been eliminated as a possibility....ecspecially demodex???

Usually a food allergy in a cat w/ cause gastrointestinal issues rather than skin disorders

Allergies to rice are actually becoming MUCH more common, and there ARE foods that do not have rice in them. Natural Balance makes some EXCELLENT foods (Venison and Green Pea), which would probably really help your baby's allergy, and it is also available in Canada

Originally Posted by vanillasugar

Allergies to rice are actually becoming MUCH more common, and there ARE foods that do not have rice in them. Natural Balance makes some EXCELLENT foods (Venison and Green Pea), which would probably really help your baby's allergy, and it is also available in Canada

Click to expand...

Really???.....wow.......

Well I guess like how peanut allergies in people were unheard of 40 years ago....nowadays it is common....
Ecspecially among parents who consumed peanut products during nursing...Maybe its the same way w/ rice in cats....all the rice consumed caused an autoimmune response....

Thats is really interesting.....though i do hope Shelby is ok...and the problem can get taken care of....

IVD makes Duck & green peas, rabbit & green peas, lamb & green peas & venison & green peas for cats. My labrador has allergies to EVERYTHING and he is doing really well on their Rabbit & Potato food for dogs.

first food that comes to mind is the natural balance venison and green pea that vanillasugar mentioned. its a good food, and no grains of any kind.

I'm sure it is possible. People can be allergic to anything, so I'm sure cats can be, too. I had a friend with a sick puppy who had to cook his food for him for a week or two. She made a mixture of hamburger and rice. Maybe you can do the same thing, but just use hamburger and a different grain. Then you are certain there are only two ingredients. Then if she tolerates that, you can try different commercial foods.

That way you can rule out an allergy to the preservative, or food coloring, or a vitamin.

Also, remember kittens and cats can lick themselves bald from anxiety. Are you sure it is scratching?

Best of luck with this itchiness!

The natural balence is a good food to do a trial with ... feed only it for 6-8 weeks and see if there is an improvement..

Cats can be allergic to rice ( it is about 10% of those who have allergies) ... You may want to do a homemade diet or a raw diet...

TALK to YOUR vet ..... before trying any of these as it could be any number of things...
May I ask what kitty is eating??

OH! and I can't believe I didn't think of this first Innova EVO not only doesn't have any rice, but it has NO grains AT ALL! That might also be a good choice!

My iams kitten food doesn't have any rice in it. (dry). most of their other foods do though i think.

Have you actually fed her rice to see if it causes more problems?

She could have more than just rice allergies unless that is all you are feeding to be 100% sure. What food are you feeding?

If you are feeding like, Hill's Presicription z/d then rice is a very good possibility, since it's mostly rice! if you are feeding a food with multiple ingredients it could be anything from meat to veggies to what have you. I haven't found all of the things my cat is allergic to, but he is allergic to Peas for sure. It's all a matter of doing food trials really.

I forgot to thank everyone for all the answers the last time I posted about Shelby`s allregy. Thank you!
Well now, she is on an hypoallergic food, and her sores are starting to look better. She does have to wear one of those Elizabethan colars though, because she kept licking them.
It's been two days with the collar and she is frequently shaking her head...when I looked at her ears, I found that both looked a bit red and blotchy, both have little brown residues inside and her left one has got some kind of yellow pimple that looks like it`s filled with pus. The poor thing!!
Do I bring her to the vet tomorrow? Or is it caused by her ears behind fliped a lot inside of her collar? I put a bit of baticingent on the pimple because it looked bad....but I wish I could do more...She went to the vet two weeks ago and her ears where perfect...

Anyone know what could be the problem with her ears???

*sigh* This morning both her ears had this kind of yellowish small protuberance on the inside (midway down the ears). I'm really wondering if it could be the collar? Because her ears keep being flipped back in it and I read they can be very fragile.
I also tried to swab the brown dirt from her ears but it seems really stuck and Shelby is shaking her head like mad when I try....desperation.

it could be a bad ear mite infection... yes take her to the vet... it could be just a detox from the allegy food..

Hmmm, yes, food detox could be it....I was planing on bringing her to the vet first thing tonight, but when I called them they said it was most likely due to the collar irritating the ears and her not being abble to clean them out...So they said to try and clean it for her and put some polysporin on the red spots. Hope it will work...

sends you a good luck

Thank you! the vibes seem to work.
Shelby is getting a bit naughty though...she has found a way to get around her collar and lick one of her sores. Don't cats have healing instinct?lol Would she just lick her whole stomach sore if I let her??

On another subject, my mother's 5 years old lady cat has been throwing up for the last three weeks. The vet first thought hairball and gave her a jelly, but she's still doing it. Maybe it's her food? So many cat worries these days...