Cat Allergies

Spring is in the air and with the days getting longer we are able to spend that much needed time outdoors with our pets. However for some of us spring means itching and we are not alone, dogs and cats can also suffer as a result of the increased pollen in the air at this time of year.

Although itching can strike at any time of year and can be caused by a number of things including food, cleaning chemicals and dust mites, spring is a time when pet allergies can be at their worst and these allergies tend to be caused by outdoor triggers such as grasses, tree shrub, pollens, farm crops such as cereals, oil seed rape, mould spores and ragweed.

Unlike humans whose allergy symptoms are usually respiratory, symptoms to watch out for in dogs and cats are most often skin-related including itchiness

Allergies in dogs and cats are common with an array of symptoms; so what causes these symptoms and what changes could you make?

Allergies in dogs and cats are an abnormally intense / overreaction of the immune system to something that is normally harmless to the body, known as an allergen. Your pet may be born with sensitivities or for other pets, allergies are acquired over several years of continual exposure to the allergen.

Your pet, each day will also come across hundreds of harmless substances or particles, which are all part of the normal environment and which are not harmful. Under normal circumstances your pet’s immune system will recognise these and not see them as unwelcome invaders. However,