Cat allergic to its mom????

I know this is a really weird question, but here goes. 5 months ago we got a kitten. At the time the vet noted a mild heart murmur. However, he showed no symptoms, so he said to just keep an eye on him and, hopefully, he would outgrow the problem. A month ago, we got his mom. That is when the problems began.

Whenever he is near his mom, he looks stressed and begins panting and his heartbeat becomes very fast and he lies down. He wants to interact with his mom, but when he tries, he gets sick. We took him for a cardiac evaluation where they did xrays and an echocardiogram. Both looked fine, they still heard a mild murmur.

The best the vet could come up with is he might be allergic to something. Since the thing he always reacts to is his mom, he speculated that he is allergic to his mom. However, he wasn't sure that this was even possible.

This has stressed out the cat so much, he is now living with my son. I seriously am worried he may just drop dead one of these times. Anyone have any other ideas. It would be nice to be able to have my son bring his cat here, so he can spend more than just a day visiting.

Thanks for any advice or ideas.

Deb

BTW, both cats are otherwise healthy and have been neutered.

Maybe this baby has had a bad experience with his Mom or that he associates with her and it is a panic attack he is having...? :confused:

I thought the exact same thing Laura said when I read your post. It sounds more like a panic attack than an allergy.

There is a possibility that he had some kind of traumatic event that happened when he was with his mom and he associates her scent with it.

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Originally Posted by DianeSnizzy

There is a possibility that he had some kind of traumatic event that happened when he was with his mom and he associates her scent with it.

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Not that I know of. He really just seems like he wants to play with her. When he is successful in getting her to play (she usually isn't that interested), he seems to have even more problems. Perhaps, he is just high strung when it comes to other animals and this is how he reacts.

Then again, he even had problems in a pet carrier that she had used previously. Maybe, her scent is setting off some sort of anxiety attack or something. I wonder how I could tell if this was the case. If it is, any ideas on how to remedy the problem?

Thanks for your input, I really do appreciate it.

Deb

We are talking about two of the most difficult problems to find a source and answer for - allergies and psychological response. I had a cat who would collapse from an allergic reaction to something outside, but it would only happen about once every three years. He would drop on his side, eyes glazed, sides heaving but by the time I got him to the vet, 5 minutes away, he would look as though he'd never been ill in his life. He didn't have heart problems, epilespy or asthma. He'd been raised outside. We never figured out what he was allergic to, and he died at 15 of cancer.

Some of us here have also had cats that become paralyzed with fear all of a sudden to common household things - a laundry basket for mine, an ironing board for another PT cat. The fear made no sense since they'd never had an accident with the items, but it was very real.

Just as the kitten will hopefully outgrow his heart murmur, perhaps this will happen with the response to his mother. You could try putting him on a sedative and then introduce him to his mother, see if that makes a difference - than you could say psychological. Also, try an anti-histamine and see if that helps, which would indicate an allergy. Perhaps.

The kitten doesn't have to travel with your son, does he? Cats in general are closely bonded to "their place" and are much happier if left there when their guardian is away.

Thats a good idea, to have the Kitten stay home if seeing his Mom upsets him.
And most Mom Cats really dont want thier Kittens around once they reach a certain age anyways.

Here's another possibility... Was the mama cat bathed in any cat shampoo that the baby might be allergic to? Or using flea treatments (like the Frontline ones) that may be giving the baby a reaction? If the mama cat wasn't living with the baby, is there a possibility of her bringing some kind of allergen from her other home to yours?

There are so many possibilities, but I really think it's just a bit of anxiety.

Good luck to you, baby kitty, and mama cat!!

I could be very well that the mother has something on her fur.... A few years ago My son and I adopted a cat from Petsmart. This petsmart is an hour away.. On the way home, my son started to swell and itch around the eyes and bumps started appearing.. When we got home, I immediately rinsed my sons eyes and bathed the cat, which had long hair, with baby shampoo.
END of PROBLEM..

YOu can try Feliway, which contains the face pheromone that cats have...tha might help a lot.

Do you think the momcat would take to being bathed?

Poor kitty! Good luck with that!

I did send an email to the previous owner a while back asking if she had used anything on Maura's coat. I never did get an answer to that question. I think I'll try asking her again.

I have never heard of Feliway. I'll see if I can find some and give it a try.

I really would like to resolve this problem. My son is only 19 and I'd like him to be able to visit for more than a day when he wants to. He needs to find a way to be able to bring his cat over without the poor guy getting sick.

Thanks so much for all of your suggestions. If you think of anything else, please post.

Deb