Flea allergy dermatitis (flea bite hypersensitivity) is the most common skin allergy in cats. As the name suggests, it is caused by an allergic reaction to a flea bite. There are 15 known allergens in flea saliva, each one is capable of causing an allergic reaction in the cat. Just one bite from a flea is enough to trigger an allergic reaction in your cat. Cats rarely become desensitized to flea bites once they develop an allergy. Cats that are not allergic to flea bites rarely develop lesions from the bites, but may bite or scratch at the flea when it bites them. There does not appear to be a breed or sex predilection for this allergy.
Symptoms of Flea Allergy Dermatitis:
Flea bite allergy is characterized by being a seasonal allergy that is worse during peak flea times in the summer and fall. Even in temperate areas or in cases with home infestations, the symptoms of flea bite allergies appear to worsen in the summer and fall. Cats that have flea allergies will bite at the base of their tail and scratch frequently. Even a few fleas can cause hours and days of intense itching. Many cats have a characteristic loss or thinning of hair above the base of the tail. In addition, fleas or flea dirt (feces) can be found on the cat the majority of the time. The feces, or flea dirt will dissolve into a red color when moistened; this is because it is primarily digested blood. However, if the cat is bathed or treated regularly, very little evidence of fleas may be found. Severely affected cats may itch over their entire bodies, have generalized hair loss, and red inflamed skin.
Treatment of Flea Allergy Dermatitis:
Your veterinarian will be able to diagnose flea allergy dermatitis. This can be done visually. Signs of fleas on your cat are a good indicator. However, extremely sensitive cats will have few if any fleas on them. This is due to excessive self grooming. In such cases, to get a definite diagnosis that your cat is in fact allergic to flea bites & not something else then a intradermal skin testing is required. Treatment involves several areas:
- Eliminating fleas from your cat & environment, and preventing re-infestation of fleas.
- Treating secondary skin infections caused by excessive biting & scratching of the skin. This may involve a course of antibiotics, medicated shampoo & or a topical medication.
- Antihistamines or steroid injections & or ointment may be prescribed by your veterinarian to control inflammation & reduce itching.
- Anti-inflammatory injection to reduce the itching.
- Hyposensitisation (desensitisation). This involves injecting minute amounts of flea antigen into the cat in the hope that it will re-programme the immune system so it’s not hypersensitive to flea antigen.
Treatment of Flea Allergy in Cats
Treatment primarily involves preventing the fleas from coming into contact with the cat.
Flea Treatment of Cats: A number of topical and oral preparations are available to use as flea control. It is best use an adulticide, which kills the adult fleas, plus an insect growth regulator (IGR) as well. IGRs help to kill immature forms of the flea, preventing them from developing into biting adults. Talk to your veterinarian about what flea product(s) will work for you. In choosing the product(s) your veterinarian will consider the severity of the flea allergy dermatitis, the severity of the flea infestation, whether your cat goes outside, whether there are multiple cats in the household, how easy it is for you to treat your cat, etc.
Treatment of Environment: Environmental treatment for fleas involves treating the house, outside areas the cat may frequent, and especially sleeping areas of the cat with a product that kills the adults (adulticide) and with an insect growth regulator as well. Another alternative is to use sodium polyborate powder (eg., Fleabusters). Vacuuming, and proper disposal of the cleaner bag are also very beneficial. Other pets in the home should also be treated as they could continue to bring fleas into the environment. While injudicious use of pesticides and growth regulators is never recommended, an effective flea prevention program is much safer and easier than dealing with a full blown flea infestation.
Hyposensitization: Hyposensitization of cats with a series of injections does not appear to be very effective.
Video: How to remove Fleas from Cats
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
