Food allergies can occur at any time in your cat's life, potentially causing diarrhoea and vomiting. Some direct intolerances can be revealed early, via a blood test, but in most cases it is usually after the symptoms have been spotted that treatment begins. Allergies are most commonly found in fish, dairy products, beef and chicken, in that order.
Symptoms
Typical symptoms of food allergies include;
- Itchy skin.
- Recurrent ear infections.
- Scratching.
- Hair loss.
- Hot spots.
- Skin abrasions
- Vomiting.
- Diarrhoea.
Testing for allergies
The most effective method of testing for an allergy is a 12-week trial, where a food is withdrawn from the diet and then reintroduced to see if it has any effect on the symptoms. As most sources of pet food are made up of fish, beef, chicken, dairy products, corn and wheat, it helps to switch to a food that your cat hasn't eaten yet, such as lamb or rabbit with rice or potato. This new food must be the only thing the animal eats for the duration of the trial, which should be conducted under veterinary supervision.
After the trial period
Once your cat has finished the 12-week trial period, you simply try introducing one element of the old diet each week, such as fish, chicken, wheat, etc. to see how your cat reacts to each. If the symptoms return when a food is reintroduced, you may have your culprit. Once the suspect food is identified, your vet will usually advise you to stop feeding the food, and reintroduce once more, as cat's can often have a reaction to a new food regardless of intolerance. And don't suppose that an allergic reaction is limited to a single food source, complete the full trial process in case there are multiple reactions at work.