Can Cats Get Hay Fever?

Cats can in fact suffer from hay fever just like humans. It’s not at all uncommon for our feline friends to get irritated by pollen in the air throughout the spring and summer months.

Since hay fever is an allergy to the pollen that is in abundance in the environment during these warmer months, there’s no surprises that cats can be allergic to it too. There are three types of pollen allergies that occur through this period, so you may even be able to pinpoint what your moggy is sensitive to.

Starting in March and going on through April is around the time that there’s a lot of tree pollen in the air. May all the way until the end of July is when grass pollen is prevalent. June to the end of August is when flowering weeds can cause an issue, so you can sometimes do some detective work and find out what exactly they have an allergy to.

While you may think you know the symptoms of hay fever well and could easily spot if your moggy was sneezing a lot, it’s a little different with cats. Cats and humans don’t have the same reaction to hay fever, so the symptoms you’re looking for are going to be a little different.

Symptoms of hay fever in your feline friend are going to be more linked to irritations than anything else like rubbing their face a lot just generally looking uncomfortable. Symptoms of hay fever in cats include:

A pollen allergy in cats is more likely to cause intense itching which when scratched too much can develop into nasty sores and lead to infections. If they’ve been outside their paws can also become sore and inflamed when they try to reduce the itching by over grooming themselves.

Your usually quiet moggy may also start snoring when they sleep which is caused by an allergic reaction in their throat that causes it to swell so breathing becomes a little harder. 

Since hay fever is a little different in cats, treating it is going to look a little different for you and your pet. Grooming is an essential part of reducing pollen around them. Bathing them once or twice a week with a gentle shampoo will remove any pollen from their coat so they’re not carrying it around with them too.

Keeping them indoors in the middle of the day when the pollen count is usually at its highest can also help reduce exposure. If they go outside, then limiting that to early morning or late-night roaming can reduce their symptoms.

When indoors, keeping windows and doors closed will help control how much pollen can enter your home. Regularly washing soft furnishings, they like to sleep on like blankets and their beds can remove pollen off those too.

Sometimes self-management is enough to reduce their allergy symptoms and keep them comfortable, but if they have a more severe case of hay fever, you may need to ask your vet for advice. Some cats can become debilitated by hay fever in the warmer months and might even need steroid or anti-allergy injections to keep it under control. If basic management isn’t doing the trick, your vet is the next stop.

Vets can sometimes recommend antihistamines to treat your moggy’s hay fever and enable them to enjoy the spring and summer months. Hay fever tablets can reduce the symptoms of the reactions enough to allow them to be less irritated or slowed down by it. Allowing them to get back to what they love they the most – playing with their owner.

Antihistamines are a better preventative, compared to treating symptoms. If your vet recommends them, it’s best to give them early in the morning before the pollen in the air increases and can start to bother your kitty.

Cats will never cause a person to develop hay fever. Hay fever is an allergy to pollen so if any irritations occur around your feline friend, it’s more likely that you have an allergy to their fur or dander than it is hay fever.

There is one situation in which cats can make hay fever worse though. Bearing in mind a person has to already be suffering from hay fever, but cats can sometimes make symptoms worse if you’re already having a flare up. Hay fever triggers the body to release histamine to try and naturally fight off the pollen. This causes your skin to become more sensitive than normal, so you might notice increased irritation. If this happens then cat dander and fur can potentially cause an irritation and break you out in a rash.

You may not even usually be sensitive to cat dander, but your body’s reaction causes you to become a lot more sensitive. So, cats can make like a little harder when you have hay fever, but they aren’t the ones causing it.

For everything you need this spring and summer to keep your moggy happy and healthy, check out our wide range of cat products in store and online.