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Treatment

• Eliminate the offending substance(s)
• Bathe with hypoallergenic shampoos to remove the antigen from the skin
• Create mechanical barriers, if possible, to restrict your pet from the offending environment

Living and Management

The most important, yet difficult thing to do is to remove your cat from the environment that brought on the condition. If the dermatitis resulted form an irritant and not an allergy, recovery will be quick once the irritant is identified. If the dermatitis is the result of an allergy, it may have developed over months or years. If your pet is exposed again, symptoms will be apparent from three to five days following exposure. The symptoms may then persist for weeks. If the antigen can be identified and removed, a return to normal health generally takes place within a few weeks. If you are not able to identify the allergen, there is a possibility that you will have to treat the symptoms with medications for the rest of your cat's life.