Pathology
- Atopy, flea & food allergy
What is atopy, flea & food allergy
Atopic Dermatitis
Atopy or atopic dermatitis is an allergic skin disease of cats. The cat's immune system “overreacts” to foreign “un harmful” substances (allergens), to which it is exposed. The most common type of allergy is atopy.
The allergens are absorbed through the skin or via the lungs. It can result in various symptoms. Some of the most frequent are itchiness and redness of the skin. The symptoms can be either localized (in one or several areas) or generalized (all over the cat). Common allergens that can cause atopy include house dust mites, tree pollens, grass and weed pollens. No matter what the cat is allergic to, it can be difficult to avoid the allergens.
For some atopic cats the symptoms occur seasonally (f.ex. pollen or fleas in the summertime). This is just as in human astmatics. But atopy can also start seasonally and then develop into a continuous problem. Atopy is a genetically inherited disease, and atopy can be seen in all breeds of cats.
Some cats suffer from both food allergy and atopic dermatitis, but atopy is considered as the major player in relation to allergic dermatosis in cats.
Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD)
When a flea bites a cat it is looking for a meal of blood to nourish itself. In order to suck the blood it inserts an anticoagulant into the saliva to prevent the blood from clotting while it sucks. It is the allergens in the saliva that cause an allergic reaction to occur.
If a cat has flea allergy, a single bite from 1 flea can be enough to provoke clinical signs.
In countries with cold winters fleas can be rare, and in these countries flea allergy dermatitis is seldom a problem.
Food allergy
Food allergy is a reaction from the immune system against proteins in the diet. Cats that are predisposed to allergy, can become allergic against all type of proteins, but the more frequently a pet has been eating a certain type of protein, the higher the risk of getting allergic to this type of protein. Symptoms of food allergy are skin problems and digestive problems.
Food intolerance/Negative food reaction
Negative reactions to food are often called food allergy, because the symptoms can be very similar. From a technical point of view negative food reactions are not the same as food allergy. A reaction is defined as “allergy” when the body's immune system is involved in the reaction. This is not the case in a negative food reaction. A negative food reaction can be caused by e.g. lack of enzymes in the gastrointestinal system.
Negative food reactions can be caused by changes in the cat's diet, but negative food reactions can also develop over longer periods of time. Nobody knows exactly how many cats suffer from negative food reactions. Negative food reactions occur in all breeds, and there is no relation to sex or age.
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