Hypoallergenic Cat Food
It is a smart choice to choose hypoallergenic cat food if your cat is hypersensitive to certain foods. It may sound strange, but cats can also have a food allergy just like humans. Although it occurs less often in cats than in other pets, it remains an annoying problem. If your cat scratches, washes and bites itself excessively, it may be that your cat is food intolerant. We would be happy to tell you more about it.
What is hypoallergenic cat food?
Hypoallergenic cat food is cat food that contains as few ingredients as possible that cats can be allergic to. The most common ingredients that cats can have an allergy to are proteins and grains.
Proteins in hypoallergenic cat food
A common ingredient that cats are allergic to is proteins. Animal proteins are mainly the culprit. Hypoallergenic cat food therefore often contains only 1 animal protein, a protein source that is found in virtually no other cat food, or the proteins have been made so small that an allergy to them is virtually nil.
Hypoallergenic cat food without grains
Another ingredient that cats are often allergic to is grains and wheat. Some gluten in this can cause a hypersensitivity in your cat.
How do I know if my cat needs hypoallergenic cat food?
There are symptoms that commonly occur when a cat is allergic to certain foods. Although this may be different for every cat, we list the most common symptoms:
- The skin or coat looks worse. For example, the coat may look drier or redder. Your cat can also get dander.
- Your cat is itchy a lot. He or she washes much more than usual and is constantly scratching.
- Your cat's weight decreases drastically. Your cat may vomit a lot or suffer from diarrhea.
- Your cat is coughing, has a stuffy nose and is sneezing. He or she may also be short of breath or short of breath.
What varieties of hypoallergenic cat food are there?
If you want to switch to hypoallergenic cat food, you can choose from wet food or regular food, such as kibble. Wet food is often recommended for the picky cat. Almost all cats like wet food. Wet food is also recommended if your cat drinks little.