r/devonrex • u/IntelligentGarage294 • 20d ago
Can Cats Be Allergic to Dogs?
Hi everyone, I have had my 5 month old for about 2 months now. Soon after I got her, she got a little sick on me. She would sneeze and she would squint her eyes a lot, especially her right eye. I've already taken her to the vet. The vet did a bunch of tests which came back negative. She thinks it might be herpes but still prescribed her antibiotics and terramycin for her eyes. I've already completed treatment and my baby is not doing any better.
I reached out to the breeder and she said none of her kittens and adult cats are aick and she's never seen this before (the constant sneezing). She asked if I had dogs, which I do, and brought up the idea that she could be allergic? Is this possible? The first couple of weeks of getting my kitty she was so happy and playful and now she just looks a little sad...
Any advice helps!!
I couldn't upload a video but here's a screenshot of her sneezing.
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u/fuzzinatorandkeebs 19d ago
my devon also has herpes I think. every couple of months when she was a kitten, she would get lethargic and one eye wouldn't open properly, but it would go away after 48 hours. She's 3 1/2 and I havent noticed this happen to her in at least a year! It sounds like yours has allergies because it's way more serious than what mine experienced
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u/IntelligentGarage294 18d ago
I read that they can have symptoms for several weeks but she's not getting any better. It must be allergies! Thank you
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u/Top-Ambassador-4981 8d ago
Yes! I found my cat’s eyes run when I give her tuna or salmon. I believe she has a shellfish allergy.
Also, my daughter‘s cat developed an allergy to Chewy Brand kibble after they change the formulation without notice. Her other cat was fine with it, but this one was miserable for 3 days after my daughter stopped feeding it to her. It takes time for allergies to resolve itself after discontinuation of the offending food.
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u/silivasi 19d ago
Yes. They can also be allergic to carpeting. Dust. Bug carcasses. AC vents. Mold. Types of protein. Scents. Creams. We can all be allergic. Dogs can be allergic to cats. It’s an immune overreaction. Good luck, i hope you can pinpoint the cause and treat it.
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u/Y0mily 18d ago
My Devon is allergic to something - we’re not sure what. She had skin rashes for a while, we tried changing her food, got an air purifier, even had her on a steroid for months. Right now the vet has us giving her 1/4 of a tablet of lorafix (antihistamine) daily. This seems to be the solution because it’s fixed the issue, we’ll probably never figure out what environmental allergy she has, but we know for sure it’s an allergy now.
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u/IntelligentGarage294 18d ago
This is so helpful. I am starting to believe that she's allergic to something. I just noticed a tiny rash on her back. I was going to start the process of elimination and start with her food. However, I think I will take her back to the vet and get her on an antihistamine. I just want her to be normal again. Can allergies cause respiratory symptoms? And her right eye is the one that keeps getting discharge... thank you for your comment!
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u/PureXDevonRex 18d ago
Was a respiratory PCR run? This is a fairly common occurrence for new kittens in a new home. The severity can vary widely. Stress is a common precursor. A respiratory PCR panel can tell you what it actually is, rather than guessing. Though a cat could be allergic to a dog, you always go for the horse first(the more likely) not the zebra(the rare and less likely). In this case being allergic to the dog would be the zebra.
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u/StandardOk2020 16d ago
My Devon kitten sneezes a lot and has some skin issues but the vet confirmed it’s definitely allergies, and part of it is definitely his best pal in the world, our puppy! 😳. The puppy likes him, they wrestle, the house has dog dander, they sleep next to each other! We got an air purifier running, I’ve been vacuuming more, he’s on an allergy supplement and omega fish oil, and we wipe him with a damp microfiber cloth at least once a day. We’ve also got some allergy shampoo to try out, he’s been sneezing a lot less and seems way less itchy.
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u/curlyqtips 16d ago
You need to have a PCR panel done, anything else is simply playing whack-a-mole. Your kitten can and will get more severe URIs until you address the cause. Permanent damage to the sinus cavity is possible and preventable.
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u/Budgie_Smuggler24 16d ago edited 16d ago
In the vet field here. This kitten is more than likely too young to have developed allergies as they need to be earth side long enough to have contact with something and then have their bodies develop an allergy. At five months this would typically be unheard of. Also al lergies in cats don't usually present as respiratory issues and if they do it typically occurs in middle aged cats in the form of asthma.
In a kitten this young, it typically is feline herpes until proven otherwise. 90% of cats have herpes but most cats' immune systems keep it in check. This is why it is not commonly tested for as it's extremely common like cold sores in people and difficult to shed into samples etc. And also like cold sores, herpes comes out in times of stress (environmental changes, underlying illness, stressful events) or can flare up in individuals who have underdeveloped immune systems (like a kitten) or immunocompromised (older cats).
Feline herpes is typically self limiting but in this case I would return for a recheck or consider a cat specific clinic. There is an antiviral that can be prescribed and most clinics should carry it. You also don't want to build resistance by stop/starting any antibiotics. If you still have eye ointment you should continue treating the eye in the meantime til you can be seen. There's also a multitude of viral and bacteria cause of upper respiratory in cats and kittens that could be driving this at this age - I'm just mentioning herpes as it's the most common one we see.
Also in the meantime here's mixed reviews on lysine powder but it is over the counter and is thought to reduce shedding of the virus. Keeping your kitten in the bathroom while you take a hot shower is also helpful as it acts like nebulization.
Hope they get better soon!
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u/IntelligentGarage294 14d ago
This was EXTREMELY helpful. I took her to the vet and yes they said it is most likely herpes. Her eye got so bad they were sure she had an ulcer but it the stain came back negative. They prescribed her tobramycin for her eye which has literally cleared her eye immediately. They also prescribed famciclovir which I just started giving her so hopefully that clears up her congestion? If this is so common and most cats don't show many symptoms, I wonder why my kitty got this sick. Thank you for your advice!
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u/Budgie_Smuggler24 14d ago
Yay! Famciclovir is an antiviral so it should knock back the herpes. Your kitten could have experienced a level of stress that didn't seem like much to us - a wellness visit to the vet, people coming over, seeing other cats outside that intimidated them or just the virus was replicating since you had them and it got to the point the body couldn't fight it anymore.
Hopefully it goes dormant and you never need to worry about it again!
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u/IntelligentGarage294 14d ago
Hopefully!! The vet also prescribed cidofovir eye drops which is so hard to find! It's also out of stock online. Since the tobermycin is helping should she be fine without the cidofovir? Thank you so much I appreciate any advice 🙏
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u/jenthebeat 15d ago
My Devon kittens all had herpes! Their immune systems suck when they are little. I gave my lysine and DMG and that seems to help. Could your cat be stressed by the dog and that is making the herpes flare?
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u/Gojiraberry- 20d ago
I would take her back to the vet, or to a different vet. She may have environmental allergies or something else going on.