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.

Hairballs or asthma?

At first Gus's carer thought he had hair balls. So did the friends she asked. He gagged and convulsed and brought up froth. She gave him some laxative paste.

Everything in the litter tray seemed normal and for a while Gus seemed OK.

When she rushed off to work he was curled up on the lounge in the sun room as usual. 

But the gagging started up again, especially at night. She noticed that he wasn’t eating all his dinner and sometimes stopped he stopped in the middle of the gagging and breathed heavily.

One night he crept on to the end of the bed and wheezed and gasped for breath until she was sure he was choking to death. 

Next morning she rushed him into us. We X-rayed his chest and found a very hazy lung and signs of chronic bronchitis.

We took samples from Gus’s lungs and found he had pneumonia. Gus had developed an airway and lung infection on top of the chronic bronchitis. 

Cats get asthma and bronchitis, just like humans do. For some it is worse when there are lots of pollens blowing about, for others being cooped up inside with the stagnant air and dust mites in winter set the wheezing and coughing off.

His carer remembered that he had always had a bit of a wheeze, especially in spring and early summer. She hadn’t thought much of it.

It is very easy to confuse coughing with vomiting or regurgitation. Usually food or bile will come up at some stage with vomiting. Vomiting cats often lose their appetite or have diarrhoea as well. Coughing cats don’t go off their food unless they develop an infection as well.

Some asthmatic cats have life threatening breathing difficulties if they are not treated adequately. If you notice your cat coughing, gagging, breathing with difficulty, especially with the mouth open and the neck extended, contact your vet.

Check out Fritz the Brave for more information or for reliable support and information if your cat has asthma or bronchitis.


Gus is back to his irascible self after a long course of antibiotics. He's getting used to a puffer and spacer, and quite likes all the attention we give him.