cat allergy to sisal

[Jonas0]

An allergy blood test has shown that my cat is allergic to sisal (allergen level result at 200). His vet has urged removal of the cat scratching tree. I wonder if anyone has had a similar case or if there are any suggestions on what to replace the scratching tree with. Thank you.

 

[Maurey]

Are you able to source any cat trees or posts locally that have cotton rope? They're the best option for cat scratchers in general, imo, as they last much longer than sisal (my cat tower w/ cotton rope still looks like new after a year of use), but can be a pain to find outside of Europe. If they don't sell them locally to you, I can link you an Etsy account that export anywhere, but they are more expensive than I'd expect you could get them for locally.

You other alternative is jute, but imo, it's way worse than sisal -- sheds a lot, and just doesn't last long.

That said, I'd like to point out that allergy blood tests tend to be fairly inaccurate, sadly. What kind of symptoms is your kitty having, in terms of allergic reaction?

 

[vince]

Remove the sisal, wash the post to remove all trace of it and staple a piece of carpet in the place of the sisal. Might not last as long, but kitty probably won't have allergies to that. You could try one of those flat corrugated cardboard scratchers as an alternative. My cats all seem to prefer the cardboard ones anyway.

 

[Jonas0]

Are you able to source any cat trees or posts locally that have cotton rope? They're the best option for cat scratchers in general, imo, as they last much longer than sisal (my cat tower w/ cotton rope still looks like new after a year of use), but can be a pain to find outside of Europe. If they don't sell them locally to you, I can link you an Etsy account that export anywhere, but they are more expensive than I'd expect you could get them for locally.

You other alternative is jute, but imo, it's way worse than sisal -- sheds a lot, and just doesn't last long.

That said, I'd like to point out that allergy blood tests tend to be fairly inaccurate, sadly. What kind of symptoms is your kitty having, in terms of allergic reaction?

Thank you for taking the time to respond. For a minute or two, I thought I had the answer to my question, only to realise that his allergy test is also showing allergens towards cotton (with an allergen result of 127 -- lower than what he registered for sisal, 200, but still...). To be honest, I am not entirely sure what to make of the allergy test. My cat was diagnosed with Addison's disease a while back, but despite on-going treatment and some improvement, there are other aspects of his health that are worrying (constant scratching, endless self-grooming, skin issues, ear infections, blood in stool, etc). The allergy test also identified 9 food ingredients (barley, carrots, corn, peas, oatmeal, soybean, rice, potato and kelp) leaving me with virtually very few options in terms of dry food... The only one I can find is Taste of the Wild Turkey (3 ingredients only).

I might follow your suggestion and just rip the sisal off, and put some carpeting instead, in addition to getting a few cardboard scratchers. Your cotton rope suggestion is very tempting though... I wonder what others make of these allergy tests...

 

[Jonas0]

Remove the sisal, wash the post to remove all trace of it and staple a piece of carpet in the place of the sisal. Might not last as long, but kitty probably won't have allergies to that. You could try one of those flat corrugated cardboard scratchers as an alternative. My cats all seem to prefer the cardboard ones anyway.

Thank you very much for responding. The cardboard scratchers sound like a good idea. And replacing the sisal with carpeting is worth trying. I would feel bad if I were to get rid of the scratching tree entirely, as my cat loves to perch himself on top and keep a watchful eye on us all.