Air Brush Lubricant
Does it sound like my cat has allergies?
My cat pulls chunks of fur out of his back. His vet told me years ago it is probably allergy related and not to be concerned about it. In the summer his eyes do get pretty watery and crusty, but he does the hair pulling thing year round. He also vomits hairballs a lot, for obvious reasons. He did have pretty bad bowel movements, but that has gotten slightly better since changing his food. Does it sound like this could be a result of allergies? Most sites I have looked on said the hair loss and skin itching would be mainly in the belly area, face and neck. Does it sound food or air related? How to I spot the vomiting of hairballs? (I brush him regularly and have started him on a lubricant.) Does anyone have a suggestion on a good dry food to help with allergies that is reasonably priced?
It could be, or it could be a stress related behavioral issue. As with dogs, allergies are more likely to be due to something in the environment vs something in the food. If you want to rule out food, there’s really only two options. The first is a prescription diet from the vet. The second is a limited ingredient diet. The only one I know of is Natural Balance’s Duck & Pea formula. The goal with the food is to pick a protein and carb that your cat has probably never eaten. So no chicken, fish, corn, wheat, rice, etc. No treats or tablescraps while you do that. The usual recommendation is for 8-12 weeks of the new diet. If no improvement after three months you can be pretty sure it’s not the food.
Then I would recommend an antihistamine such as Claritin or Benadryl or Zyrtec. Get the dose from your vet. Some work better than others for a particular animal so if one doesn’t work, try another. If you go through a few and none are working, I’d move on to the behavioral possibility. Prozac is good..lol. You could also try that Feliway diffuser.
For the hairballs, when I see my cat starting to work on one, I do a combination. In the morning I give a teaspoon of pineapple juice mixed into his canned food. In the evening I do the hairball jelly (Petromalt, Laxatone, etc). The pineapple juice has an enzyme that breaks the fur down and the smaller chunks work through the system a little easier. I do that routine for 5 days. On an ongoing basis, some people find that either more fiber or more protein help. Fiber can be found in pumpkin, if your cat will eat it. Maybe a half tablespoon to a tablespoon a day. Metamucil works as well, if your cat drinks enough water. I wouldn’t do more than maybe a quarter teaspoon or half teaspoon a day depending on how big your cat is.
Good luck!
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