Beef, dairy products and fish, especially tuna and mackerel are responsible for almost 90 percent of food allergies in cats. These products cause a skin reaction as opposed to diarrhea.
Note: Food preservatives including Benzoic Acid and Propylene Glycol (read labels) are toxic to cats.
Milk causes diarrhea as opposed to a skin reaction. This is called Lactose Intolerance.
SYMPTOM BOX * Severe itching all over the body * Itching with small scabs located primarily on the head, neck and ears.
WHAT YOU CAN DO * 1/3 of cats with food allergies also have concurrent flea allergies, therefore scab like lesions and itching are focused on the head, neck and ears. * Siamese and/or Siamese cross bred cats less than 2 years old may be at increased risk of food allergies. * A relatively new dietary option for food allergy therapy involves using Hydrolyzed Proteins. These are conventional proteins broken down into such a small size they are unable to cause an allergic reaction. Hypoallergenic diets containing Hydrolyzed Protein are available commercially. * Purina's Prescription Diet Division offers CNM HA (the HA stands for Hypoallergenic) * Exclude is a diet made by DVM Dermatologies. It comes in a powder form and is mixed with water to the desired consistency. * If itching and skin lesions resolve then reappear within 2 weeks of feeding the cat his former food, a food allergy diagnosis may also be confirmed.
The cat's nutritional history should include a complete list of commercial and homemade foods as well as snacks, treats, toys, medications and human foods.
The only way to find out the true cause of a food allergy is to use an elimination diet. A single source of protein is used for 12 weeks to see if the cat's condition improves.
Then new ingredients are added back into the diet one at a time, every five to seven days, until the problem recurs. Using this method, and noting what was added when, if there is a reaction you will know which food ingredient is responsible for the problem.
* For the elimination diet to work, start by using a protein source the cat has not been previously exposed to. * Ingredients recommended for homemade Feline diets that work best initially for cats include one protein source or a combination of one protein and one carbohydrate source.
For example: * Lamb baby food * Lamb (mutton) and brown rice * Venison and potato * Use distilled water or boil tap water and refrigerate -- this helps avoid chlorine, which can be a factor. * If diarrhea is present, avoid foods with wheat barley, rye and avoid milk. * Food allergies tend to be life long but once you identify the offending allergen, you can find a variety of suitable diets that don't include the problem foods but still provide a balanced diet. Several "allergen" free diets are available. Keep a daily diary during the elimination phase to keep track of the type of food eaten and any signs that occurred as a result.
If a food allergy is the only cause of the problem, itching should stop and signs should improve 100%. Up to 1/3 of cats with food allergies also have other allergies and therefore, may only respond partially to an elimination diet. Flea Allergy Dermatitis and Inhalant Allergies are the two most common causes and should be ruled out through other testing.
COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENTS
HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES
Vitamin C in high does acts as an antihistamine and may help with itching, if present. Ascorbate powder is a source of Vitamin C -- 100 milligrams 3 times daily is an average daily dose. Check with your vet to be sure.
Millions of tons of dead, diseased, dying, disabled and decaying animals, meat waste and fat are processed at Rendering Plants across the U.S. What is commonly found in rendering plants? It's not uncommon, in a rendering plant, to find such dead animals as; skunks, snakes, opossums, cat, dogs, circus animals, raccoons, horses and foxes. In addition, the Rendering Plants also transforms billions of pounds of decaying flesh and kitchen grease, from mainly fast food restaurants, into billions of pounds of commercial meat and bone meal, tallow and yellow grease and much of it ends up in commercial pet foods. Rendering Plants claim that although they sell their products to various companies including pet food companies and cosmetic companies, they are doing it as a public service and not for profits. A peek inside a Rendering Plant Various animals in all types of conditions lay in piles awaiting their turn to be added to the mixture as swarms of maggots can be seen all over the piles. This is what you would witness inside of a Rendering Plant. It's as if you are witnessing a nightmare as you hear popping bones, squeezing flesh and the cries of the not yet dead animals as the poor souls emit their final sounds of agony as they face their final curtain. From this process, a fat of yellow grease or tallow is produced and skimmed off. At a hammer mill press, the remaining moisture is squeezed out and pulverized into a gritty powder. After bones and hair are removed, all that's left are meat, bone meal and yellow grease. All types of p;aces from poultry farms to cattle feed lots, dairy and hog farms to fish feed plants and pet food manufacturers purchase this goo and mix it with other ingredients to feed the billions of animals that meat-eating humans, in turn, will eat. How can your pets possibly be benefiting from these products Don't you think that your pet deserves better than to be fed ingredients from Rendering Plants? So now you know what to do when you see labels on your pet food with ingredients such as; beef and chicken fat, poultry by-products, fish meal, tallow, yellow grease, meat meal or meat by-products - avoid them. Pets are shoved into the pit with flea collars still attached. The insecticide Dursban arrives in the form of cattle insecticide patches. Euthanized drugs given to pets and pharmaceuticals leak from antibiotics in livestock are also included. Heavy metals from pet ID tags, surgical pins and needles as well as plastic wrap from supermarket rejected meat, chicken and fish. According to Rendering Plant officials, it's not economically feasible to have someone at the Rendering Plants to remove the ID tags, Styrofoam trays and shrink wrap. So they all go into the mix that becomes part of your pet food. It's not unfair to conclude that without Rendering Plants, U.S. cities could be filled with diseased and rotting carcasses. Diseases and bacteria could infect the population but the big question is; is it safe for pet food manufacturers to use products from Rendering Plants in our pet foods? In the final analysis, we have to understand that Rendering Plants produce products that are toxic to our pets. The drug Sodium Phenobarbital is used to euthanize pets of all type. This drug is not destroyed in the rendering process; therefore the product produced by the Rendering Plants that go into our pet foods contains sodium Phenobarbital. All pet owners want is food for our four-legged friends that is wholesome, nutritional and free of toxic ingredients. The pet food companies have proven they are not going to do that. They consistently produce pet foods that are killing our pets and millions of pet owners continue to buy their products and feed it to their pets. Pet owners have refused to invest the time to discover what goes into a bag of their cats' or other pet food. You must realize that you are, in fact, sentencing your pet to a premature and painful death. Yes, I'm speaking to all you pet owners that purchase the commercial pet foods. Because of your failure to learn what goes into the foods you feed your pets, the commercial pet food industry capitalizes on that and while pet owners spend billions of dollars buying this cheap and toxic foods, your pets die prematurely and the pet food companies laugh all the way to the banks.
Both Carol Osborne & Ike Lowe are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Carol Osborne has sinced written about articles on various topics from Pets, Dogs and Food for Cat. Copyright 2007 Dr. Carol OsborneGet FREE from Dr. Carol at