
Just like humans, some cats can develop allergies. Unfortunately, they may even be allergic to cat litter. Although this isn’t a pleasant problem for you or your feline friend, there are ways to conquer this problem. Here are some tips and hints that may help your itchy kitty.
Look to the Litter
There are many brands of cat litter on the market today. They can range from clay, clumping, silica gel crystals, pine, corn, wheat, recycled paper, and even walnut shells. Some of these cat litter such as clumping and clay can contain small particles of dust that can irritate your cat’s respiratory system or cause it to be itchy. In addition, many cat litter company’s add a fragrance to their products to help mask the odor of your cat’s waste. However, not only do most cats prefer unscented litter, perfumes can also cause allergies in your cat.
If you have recently changed cat litter brands and have noticed your cat sneezing, itching, or experiencing watery eyes, he could be reacting to the cat litter. The simplest way to try to get the allergy under control is to either switch back to the old brand or try a completely new litter.
Cat litters that are made from biodegradable ingredients such as recycled paper, pine, or walnut shells are low on dust particles and contain no added perfumes.
Some experts also recommend switching out the plastic litter box to one made of ceramic or metal as these accumulate less dust than the traditional ones.
Time to Visit a Veterinarian
If you have tried every cat litter on the market and Fluffy is still reacting, then it may be time to visit your veterinarian. Here he or she can do tests to figure out exactly what your fur baby is allergic to. With this information, your vet can then prescribe an antihistamine to help alleviate the symptoms or perhaps even prednisone if the allergy is severe enough.
Tips for Conquering Cat Litter Allergies
Along with the above suggestions, here are some other tips you can follow to help alleviate allergies (or the chance of allergies developing) in your feline.
- Wash the litter box thoroughly with hot scent-free liquid soap once a week to control the dust particles.
- If you use a clay litter or another non-clumping formula be sure to change the entire litter box contents frequently to control odor.
- Use a litter mat to reduce the amount of litter spread around the house
- Housebreak your cat so you can eliminate the litter box altogether.
- Talk to your veterinarian about getting allergy shots for your pet.
No More Itchy Kitties
It’s always a good idea to find the source of your cat’s allergies, whether it is directly connected to the litter or not. Leaving an allergy problem untreated in your feline can lead to other more serious health issues, so be proactive and get to the cause of the problem. Your cat will be so happy you did.
How do I housebreak my cat? I have always used a litter but my cat is definitely allergic to clumping litter but even with clay litter the itching is not completely gone. This started about 4 months ago and before that no problems for 10 years!
I have been to the vet and he wanted me to change the food, use an anti flee etc. (my cat does not have flees)