Be forewarned this may evoke teary eyes.

We had 14 adoptions in the first month of the newest decade. This is great momentum to carry to start the year. We would like to thank each and everyone of our adopters. The fact that these caring and loving people are willing to share their lives and homes with the Itty Bitty Kitties in need, is just plain awesome. Thank You.

Looking forward we have 5 adoptions pending for February and we are only 2 days in!!!

Working on submitting grants and getting some of our great team volunteers up to speed on adoption procedures.

Breaking News: Itty Bitty Kitty is on twitter.

Follow Me, we will posting updates to our events (adoption days, clinics and pinics), as well as new events as they come up.

You can buy the book @Amazon.

Unfortunately, we don’t get anything for you buying the book. maybe the author will rethink that once they see that we share the Itty Bitty Kitty name.

We will provide all dry food and canned food for your foster cat. We will also pay for all medical expenses for your foster cat. The only thing we ask of you is to give lots of love and attention to the cat you foster. You can foster one or you can foster as many as you like.  Please help us help more of the homeless and abandoned cats and kittens before they end up at the local kill shelter. For more information please call 610-973-7400, option 4 or email ittybittykitty@bdog.org.

My owner recently took me for my annual exam to see our veterinarian.  My owner was told that I have allergies.  I thought this was rather funny since I don’t understand how I can have allergy issues.  Can you give me some insight on how this happens

Sincerely,
Confused in Emmaus

Dear Confused,

Yes, just like humans cats and dogs can get allergies too and treatment varies depending on the type of allergy.

Common causes of skin problems in cats include environmental allergies, food allergies and flea allergies. 

Let’s start with environmental allergies.  Like people cats may develop allergies to grass, mold, pollen, feathers, and house dust.  These allergies are more common in dogs but do occur in cats.  Symptoms include:  Itchy skin, which is indicated by excessive scratching, licking and chewing, Hair loss and patchy red spots on skin. 

Diagnosis of this must be done by your vet to determine what the cause is and what treatment should be prescribed. 

The biggest allergy issue with cats is food allergies.  You would be amazed at what a cat can be allergic to.  Cats do become allergic to specific foods such as dairy products, beef, corn, wheat, soy, eggs, chicken, and fish.  A cat may develop allergy issues to a food that he/she tolerated before. 

Food allergy symptoms include itchy skin and scratching, or excessive grooming to the point of fur loss; red, crusty skin, especially around the face (this symptom can also be caused by an allergic reaction to plastic food dishes) and gastrointestinal issues such as vomiting and diarrhea.

Treatment may involve  blood work to figure out what you are allergic to which is then followed by a hypoallergenic diet.  These diets contain nutritious ingredients such as duck, venison, or certain types of fish that are not commonly found in regular cat food.

Last but not least is flea allergies.  Many cats develop allergies to flea saliva.  Just a single bit of a flea can cause major issues in some cats.  It may be difficult to find actual fleas on cats with this issue since they usually are excessive groomers and remove them through grooming.  Treatment may include medication to ease the itching and a preventive flea control product.

Before your owner assumes anything, an exam by your vet is and was a good idea.  This can be used to rule out other bacterial or fungal infections or medical conditions.

Otis

We’ll be posting about upcoming adoption days, ways you can help, cute stories and clinic costs and dates.

We look forward to your feedback.