Flea allergy

Kaiser has been out enjoying the warmer weather - and so have the fleas! 

Poor Kaiser has been grooming more than usual and has lost some of his beautiful coat  especially over the rump. Normally cats are only mildly irritated by fleas but Kaiser is allergic to flea saliva. Just one flea bite causes intense and long lasting itchiness.

To make Kaiser more comfortable we must try to eliminate all fleas from him and his environment.

Capstar or Comfortis kill the fleas and paralyse flea mouthparts preventing deposition of saliva.

Every month his owners will give him Advantage, Revolution, or Comfortis  to keep flea numbers as low as possible.

Because fleas spend most of their life cycle off the cat as larvae and pupae in bedding, carpet, dirt and leaves they will have to wash his bedding in hot water and dry it in the sun.  They should also vacuum carpets and furniture often. they may decide to call a professional to fumigate the house.

Kaiser has had an injection of cortisone to block the allergic reaction and give relief from the intense itching.

Hayfever season

Thurston

Poor old Thurston has been scratching his face and ears non-stop since the blossoms came out last week.
Like his owner he is allergic to spring pollens. Unlike his owner whose eyes and nose stream in spring, Thurston gets itchy, mainly around his head. He has scratched the hair away above his eyes and made his skin bleed.
Scabs and little sores dot the back of his head and are scattered down his back.
His owners treat him for fleas with a monthly treatment so that fleas and flea allergy don't irritate him, too.
Thurston has gone home on allergy tablets and will feel more comfortable soon.
Next spring  he'll be living in Queensland.  Away from the blossoms he and his owner might enjoy spring more.

Cats have allergies too!

An allergy to flea saliva is the most common allergy we see in cats. Cats allergic to fleas groom more than normal and some develop large ulcers on their lips or in their mouths. Some scratch furiously around their head and ears, others develop pimple-like lesions on their rumps and trunks, or red lines on their legs and bellies. Cats are so fastidious with grooming that we frequently find no trace of the fleas.
After a thorough check for other parasites and problems we treat the affected cat, any other pets in the household and the house for fleas before we go on to allergies that are more difficult to treat and diagnose.
As usual cats love to confuse their vets - cats with food or pollen allergies may show all or any of the same signs as flea allergic cats! Food allergies are the least common type of allergy but we prick our ears up if a cat has intermittent vomiting or diarrhoea as well as skin signs. 
We prescribe a special low allergy diet if we suspect food allergy. If the signs go away on the diet then we trial different proteins until we find the one the cat is allergic too.
Atopy, which is the proper name for allergies to pollens, dust mites and other inhaled allergens, is more common than food allergy, but more difficult to diagnose and treat.