My cat was acting sick. Did allergy medicine help due to allergies?

Allergy pills do not work in cats, if he suffers from seasonal allergy he might benefit from a short term steroid treatment, you will need to take him to the vet for that as steroids are prescription only.

Unfortunately, by law it is illegal for the experts at Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to give the dose information for any drug, including OTC drugs, without seeing the animal in person first. That's because doing so requires a veterinary client patient relationship which cannot be achieved via an internet forum. In addition, the experts cannot say for certain if a specific drug is safe for your cat. I would give your vet a call to see if you can safely give Kitty an antihistamine, or take him into an ER vet.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It depends on which pill you are giving. I would recommend that you check with her veterinarian who knows her medical history well before giving any medications. I agree with you that this is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Cats can be allergic to flea, food, or the environment (like human hay fever). I would recommend starting by talking with your vet to see if they have any guess to which of these Wookiee is allergic too. Generally, I recommend getting on a prescription diet for allergies, and then experimenting with different allergy medications if the symptoms are still present after 2-3 months on the food. You could also try the medications first if you need quickly relief, but then you won't know if the meds are really needed or if a food change could help. There are many different medication options, but your vet can tell you what they think will work best for Wookiee. Good luck!

Yes, this can be very normal. Cats and dogs can get allergies just like humans. Sometimes the allergic reaction manifests as itchy skin, but they can also have itchy, watery eyes, and respiratory symptoms. Based on what you were describing with your cat, since it happens seasonally, I would be suspicious of allergies. One other thing to consider in your cat would be an upper respiratory virus. These viruses can remain in the system for long periods of time and cause ocular symptoms like you are describing and also sometimes cause respiratory symptoms. Sometimes cats need medication to get over these respiratory viruses but often times they self resolved within a couple of weeks. Since rinsing his eyes out routinely last year helped I would recommend starting with that again. You may also want to try and over-the-counter anti-histamine like Zyrtec as well. If you don’t see improvement within a reasonable period of time then you might want to take him back to the vet to have him checked out. Sometimes goopy eyes can be indicative of more complicated diseases like anterior uveitis or corneal ulcers. I hope this helps. Thanks reason Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Unfortunately no, there are not. Many human medications, especially OTC ones, can be toxic to cats and fatal if given. It's true that Buddha could be coughing because of a respiratory infection, but it could also be due to allergies or something more serious such as heart disease. I would have him seen by a vet. The vet can diagnose what is causing his cough, and can prescribe safe medications for him. I can also give you some things at home that may help him, and are safe to use in conjunction with medications from the vet. First, you can try starting him on an L-lysine supplement - this is an amino acid that has been shown to help the immune system fight off respiratory infections more effectively. Enisyl and Viralys are both good brands, and can be purchased over the counter without a prescription - just follow the dosing instructions on the label based on your cat's weight. If he's congested, you can also try using a humidifier or bringing him into the bathroom with the door closed while you take a hot shower - the steam and humidity help to break up congestion and temporarily relieve symptoms associated with respiratory infections. Good luck, I hope this helps!

You can try adding an omega-3 fatty acid supplement for pets to the diet. This can help improve skin health and act as a natural anti-inflammatory. Cats can take some over-the-counter antihistamines but online veterinarians are prohibited from discussing human medication usage in pets. I recommend to call your regular veterinarian who will be able to give you a recommendation. If this doesn’t help within two weeks, or if Roy gets worse, have him examined by his veterinarian. Please feel free to post any additional questions.