Allergies are a response of the immune system, mediated by immunoglobulins E (IgE), to different external agents. This reaction can occur in both people and animals. In the case of our cats, it has been seen that they do not respond exactly the same and that the production of IgE is less because they produce a more balanced response between antibodies and cells. For this reason, it is important to perform specific tests for cats.
On the other hand, it has been seen that when a cat is allergic to something, it is not usually only to that substance, but rather the symptoms appear due to a cumulative effect. That is, there is a threshold from which signs are shown, coughs, sneezes, skin problems . Below that threshold does not mean that the cat is no longer allergic, but rather that by controlling some of the causes of the allergy, the symptoms will not appear.
For this reason, some of the treatments we use in cats are aimed at reducing this load of allergens and thus avoid exceeding the threshold for the appearance of symptoms.
But what can cats be allergic to?
The first thing we want to disprove, because it has not been scientifically proven to date, is that the cat may be allergic to the dog’s epithelium. There are no studies, to date, in which any case of allergy from cat to dog has been described.
If we suspect that our cat may be allergic, we can make an allergen panel to find out exactly what it is.
The allergen panel is a list of the most frequent elements to which our cats are allergic. It is done from a blood sample and sent to a laboratory that will indicate the amount of response it presents for each allergen (mites, pollen, grass…) and thus determine what is causing the allergy. to our cat.
The laboratories offer two types of panels, food and environmental. In any case, we only recommend doing the environmental panel.
This is because the panel of food allergens is only reliable to rule out allergies to foods that have come out negative. But if we get positive results, it is often due to cross-reactions with environmental allergies and does not imply that the animal is allergic to that food.
So how do I rule out a food allergy?
Currently, the only reliable method of ruling out or diagnosing a food allergy is through an elimination diet, as occurs in people. That is to say, feeding our cat with a hydrolyzed protein feed, exclusively, (without sweets, table scraps, things from the floor or flavored products) for several weeks.
If the symptoms decrease or disappear: it is a food allergy.
What is it that we test in the environmental panel and what is each thing?
The panel of environmental allergens, specific to cats, includes:
tree pollens
- pine
- Platanus hybrida: plantain
- Betula verrucosa: birch
- European Olea: Olive
- Cupressus spp: cypress
Grass pollens
- Pheum red clover: weed timotea
- Lolium perenne: ballico
- Cynodon dactylon: common grama
weed pollens
- Ligustrum vulgare: privet
- Taraxacum vulgare: dandelion
- Zumex crispus: sorrel
- Plantago lanceolata: plantain minor or seven veins
- Urtica dioica: greater nettle
- Chenopodium album: pigweed or quinhuilla
- Artemisia vulgaris: mugwort
- Ambrosia elatior: ragweed
- Parietaria officinalis: parietaria
Fungus
- Aspergillus fumigatus: fungus present in decomposing material that often causes disease in immunosuppressed individuals.
- Alternaria alternata: opportunistic plant pathogenic fungus causing dark brown spots on leaves.
- Penicillum notatum: fungus related to the penicillin families. It does not imply allergies to antibiotics.
Dust or storage mites
- Tyrophagus putrescentiae: mite present in stored products such as flour or feed.
- Dermatophagoides farinae (dust mite), common inside buildings, especially on carpets and mattresses.
- Dermatofagoider pteronyssinus: very common mite in homes (rugs, mattresses, pillows…)
- Siro mite: mite of stored products such as cereals or feed.
These are the possible allergens to which our cat may be allergic. The importance of knowing them lies in the different treatments that we can use to improve their quality of life.
References:
Diesel, A., 2011. Serum allergen‐specific immunoglobulin E in atopic and healthy cats: comparison of a rapid screening immunoassay and complete‐panel analysis. Veterinary dermatology, 22(1), 39-45.
Halliwell, R., 2021. Feline allergic diseases: introduction and proposed nomenclature. Veterinary Dermatology, 32(1), 8-e2.
