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Ruling out fleas – it is recommended to rule them out before seeking allergy advice from your vet. Inspect your cat’s fur for fleas and ensure you are up to date on monthly flea treatments.
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Bathing and brushing – Bathing your cat once or twice a week and brushing their coat on a daily basis will help eliminate pollen from their fur, minimizing irritation. Your vet should advise you on what shampoo to use.
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Daily antihistamines – These can help your cat’s long-term sensitivity to pollen and are most efficient when administered before your cat is exposed to the allergen.
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Cortisone, steroids or allergy injections – If your cat’s allergies are severe, these will help to manage symptoms from airborne pollen.
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Keeping a clean indoor environment – You should effectively decrease the quantity of pollen in the cat’s indoor habitat by vacuuming and dusting on a daily basis, as well as cleaning their bedding and toys.
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Sunburns especially happen to white cats with white ears and pink noses but can happen to all cats and could lead to skin cancer. If you have an indoor cat, they should not spend all day asleep in a window as they will absorb UV light – alternatively, you can buy UV blocking films for your windows. If you have an outdoor cat, limit their time outside when the sun shines the strongest – between 10am and 4pm.
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Get sunscreen products for pets. Plenty of sun protection products exist on the market, you just need to make sure they are non-toxic, as we all know how much cats like to groom themselves and might ingest it.
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If you spot any of the heatstroke symptoms mentioned above, remove your pet from the hot environment and regularly check their body temperature. If it is over 104 degrees, your cat is most likely suffering from the heatstroke, hence you will need to administer cooling methods.
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Offer them small sips of water – do not force it. Apply or spray cool water – not ice-cold, as this could worsen the problem, onto their fur and skin and make sure they sit next to a fan to maximise heat loss.
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Heatstroke is an emergency as it could result in death, once you’ve done these steps, take your pet to the nearest open veterinary facility immediately. No matter how severe, it is crucial to get advice from a vet to treat them accordingly.
