Cats with food allergies typically develop skin or gastrointestinal symptoms sometimes both.
What to feed a cat with food allergies.
Food allergies can develop at any time during a cat s life typically causing chronic year round itching and skin inflammation.
Continued raw meat diet.
There are some hypoallergenic foods on the market many of which are prescription cat food that contain only hydrolized proteins these are proteins broken apart so that the immune system cannot recognize them as a trigger for allergies.
Here are 6 things every cat owner should know about food allergies in cats.
Necessary nutrients cats are obligate carnivores which means that they rely on nutrients.
Choosing and caring for your new cat obesity care of obese cats anorexia food allergies feline diabetes to live a long healthy life your cat needs proper nutrition.
A recipe for healthy cats.
Food allergy refers to an allergic reaction to a protein found within food.
This diet will be free of potential allergy causing ingredients and will ideally have ingredients your cat has never been exposed to before.
It yields enough food for 10 14 days for the average ca t.
These foods contain hydrolyzed proteins which are proteins that have been broken down into amino acids and are safe for cats with any allergy.
Allergy testing can take a while so in the interim you should feed your cat a cat food specifically designed for cats with allergies.
In other words the cat s immune system is reacting to a specific protein found in a particular food item.
Food allergies are an immune reaction to an antigen in food.
The only way to diagnose a food allergy is to feed your cat a prescription or hydrolyzed protein diet exclusively for 12 weeks that means no flavored medications or treats.
This is where you will temporarily feed your cat a bland hypoallergenic diet where the proteins in any ingredients are so small they can t or very rarely cause an allergic reaction.
Affected cats may develop recurrent infections of both the skin and ears.
If you notice your cat is scratching has diarrea and vomiting or begins to lose fur and develop dermatitis this may be due to a case of food allergy.
Food allergies can manifest themselves from two years of age even with foods that your cat has habitually consumed.
About 30 of the cat population can suffer from it.
Food allergies are diagnosed by performing a food trial and managed through the long term feeding of a food that does.
The following recipe was developed by pierson.
3 pounds of whole fowl or rabbit including bones organs and skin.
If your vet suspects your cat has an allergy to cat food they will probably recommend an exclusion diet trial.
Here are some things to consider when selecting an appropriate diet for your cat.
