# I think my cat has an allergy to litter



## Taxcat (Nov 30, 2007)

Can anyone suggest a clumping litter that is not so dusty and has a lower probability of causing allergy problems in cats?

I think that my cat Isabelle is allergic to the Scoop Away unscented litter I started using months ago. Even though it is unscented it still has a scent and appears to be releasing more dust than it used to in the past. I switched to this litter from arm and hammer because the A&H doesnt clump well. She is already on a hypoallergenic limited ingredient grain free diet.

She is exhibiting the classic itchy skin symptoms. The vet told me they think it is behavorial, but the pherimone collar is no longer working and the fur mowing has gotten worse. 

I would like to rule out the litter as the culprit.

My other issue with her is that she is impossible to pill. She does not like pill pockets and if you do get a pill in her she heaves until she throws it up almost instantly.

I just changed the litter boxes and she is biting and licking herself like crazy.


----------



## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

sorry, as far as i know, the natural biodegradable litters are not "clumping". we've been discussing the merits of wood stove pellets (otherwise known as feline pine, except bought from a hardware or other outdoor supply store they're 4.97 for 40 lbs.) on another thread in cat chat. feline pine does make a clumping one but i've heard it tracks, and of course it's more expensive.

world's best cat litter is made from corn, i believe, and it doesn't clump but the urine "cakes" so you might want to try that one. all of the biodegradable hypoallergenic litters are going to cost you more unless you decide to go the wood pellet route, and it's the cheapest of everything out there.

pine litter requires a little more upfront effort so if you decide you want to use it, just ask.  it's fantastic though: no perfumes or dyes, and it has a natural pine scent that absorbs urine odor. you have to get rid of the poop quickly though.


----------



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Swheat Scoop, World's Best, Precious Cat, Feline Pine and Blue Buffalo's new litter (which is really Purr & Simple re-packaged) might be possibilities for you.


----------



## Taxcat (Nov 30, 2007)

Thanks for all the suggestions


----------



## Beyond Trouble (Apr 20, 2012)

if you really want to rule out the litter allergy, try switching to yesterdays news. If litter isnt the problem, try doing food allergy testing. Cat's can develop that over the years. 
We have a boy who has licked off half his fur and would bite and groom almost every waking minute. At first he got a steroid shot and it lasted only for about a month.. then the second and third one lasted MAYBE a week or two at most. Oh yeah, we also had hired a pet behaviorist who came to the house because our vet and him thought our cat had behavior issues and OCD which caused the excessive grooming and had him on behavior meds for about a year and a half. We took him off of these (at a slow pace) when there was not enough progress for us to feel the need to stick with meds he does not need. 

The only progress we found was when we bought a limited ingredient expensive food (wysong anergen which is a dry kibble) and made sure to only feed him this food and nothing else - besides the wysong wet. it took a while to switch him to this because you can really only do it 10% at a time due to it being so different from commercial brands. His fur was so soft and his licking and biting finally started to slow. 

However, he has since had P.U surgery and now needs to be on Royal canin SO for the rest of his life - and he is most likely allergic to the ingrediants in it (fur wise). We may just be stuck with a bald cat because the blockages are life threatening and his excessive grooming is not. But.... Wysong Anergen really helped. If you write to the company on their FB page and explain the issue and inquire about a free sample they will send you a good amount! I got a big box of samples for free and was totally impressed with the customer service. It was important to get samples because of how picky cats can be and how expensive the food is. 

oh, and if you DO wind up buying it.. for SURE google discount coupon codes (such as free shipping for the site) it was a huge $ saver.


----------

