What Causes Food Allergies and Intolerance in Cats?
Food allergy causes in pets is not very well understood. Despite the lack of understanding of the actual disease process, there are many things that we do know including the symptoms, how to diagnose food allergies, and also how to treat them. Food allergies account for about 10% of all the allergies seen in cats and is the third most common cause after flea bite allergies and atopy (inhalant allergies). Food allergies account for 57% of the causes of itching and scratching in cats. Several studies have shown that some ingredients are more likely to cause food allergies than others, such as beef, lamb, seafood, corn, soy, dairy products and wheat gluten. The most common offending ingredients are also the most common ingredients in cat foods. This correlation is not a coincidence. While some proteins might be slightly more antigenic than others, many proteins are similar in form and the incidence of allergic reactions are probably associated with the amount of exposure. Royal Canin Sens
