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My cat has seasonal allergies, scratching & biting. How to help?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Female | spayed | 9 lbs

My 18 month old cat according to our vet has developed possibly seasonal allergies. She has scratched bare spots on her cheeks and face and bites at her paws. A cortisone injection helped and I live in Pittsburgh so winter weather may tell us more. What short and long term action do you suggest. Your article about omega 3 fatty acids was interesting. Thank you.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jenny, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on December 7th, 2017

Although not the typical affected areas, make sure flea are controlled as this can contribute to ther allergies. A food change may make a bit different as this can be a food allergy. You want to switch to a hypoallergenic diet; royal canin, Purina and science diet all have good diets for this. From there you may need a low dose of cortisone intermittently to help but cats can build a resistance to long term use and have side effects. There is another immunosuppressive drug known as atopica that is helping some cats now. There is another drug called Apoquel that is not labeled for cats but is showing good relief in several

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    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on August 1st, 2017

    If seasonal allergy has been already diagnosed, usually steroid treatment and antibiotics would work very well. There are steroid injection in long acting formulations that will last for 3-4 weeks. I would recommend to discuss this options with your local vet. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

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