What are some signs my cat is having an allergic reaction to something?

There are three different types of allergies we see in cats: food allergies, seasonal allergies, and flea allergies, and all of those have different means of resolving the issue. Although it's so rare in cats, occasionally, we might see a cat that might even get a vaccine, for example, and react in a way where they might get intestinal upset, vomiting, and things of that nature. Another example is a bee sting. Cats can also be affected the same way people and dogs can from an insect bite or sting. So when we're talking about an allergic reaction, there's a wide scope of information.

An allergic reaction in cats will present as an intense itch, usually of the skin. They can get hives, so you'll see little hairs puff up. That's really, really rare for us to see that, but that can happen. They might get swelling around their eyes or their face and usually like intense vomiting or diarrhea, so GI reactions. So that would be an intense allergic reaction.

You'll notice some facial swelling such as their eye swelling, you might notice some sneezing, some coughing, you may notice them chewing and licking at their body, some hair loss, and even some scabbing.