Are you worried your cat is suffering from a food intolerance?
If you notice that your cat has dry or irritated skin, they’re licking or scratching a particular area, or their eyes are watering excessively, your feline friend may be suffering from a food intolerance.
Some cats can have sensitive stomachs with intolerances to certain types of food that you may be unwittingly feeding you furry friend on a daily basis.
For example, my brother-in-law’s cats were found to have an intolerance to grains but he didn’t realise until the vet informed him that his cats were suffering with skin irritation caused by grain in their diet.
If you’re worried that your cat could be struggling with an intolerance, there are an increasing range of cat intolerance tests available to purchase online.
These tests can give pet parents some crucial pointers about potential intolerances to foods or household products, allowing you to take the appropriate steps to remove the offending product or substance.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at the best cat intolerance kits available to order online at the moment.
Editor's note: The content on this website is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as veterinary, medical or professional advice. Our articles and the products featured in them are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems for you and/or your pet. It's always best to consult your vet regarding any health issues your pet may have.
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Best Cat Intolerance Tests
| Rating | Summary | Website | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EasyDNA Cat Intolerance Test |
|
• 44 food • 29 non-food • Results in 3-5 days | Buy Now | |
| 5Strands Pet Food Intolerance Test |
|
• 255 food items • Elimination guide • Different levels | Buy Now | |
| 5Strands Pet Environmental Intolerance |
|
• 100+ items • Bioresonance tech • Affordable | Buy Now |
What Is A Cat Intolerance Tests?
Cat is examined by a vet (Photo: Adobe Stock)
A cat intolerance test will look for a sensitivity to food items or environmental and artificial factors.
If you suspect your cat is suffering with an intolerance, an intolerance test could provide you with some valuable pointers.
Some intolerances can have a detrimental and destructive impact on the lives of cats if left undetected. Other cats won’t show any symptoms but could be suffering in silence.
My brother-in-law’s cats were suffering with dry, flaky skin that was red and inflamed. He thought it was the result of the cats playing too boisterously or licking each other too much.
However, his vet recommended a cat intolerance test and to his surprise, the cats (who were brothers) were suffering with an intolerance to grains in their diet.
As a result, my brother-in-law sourced grain-free cat food and their skin looks much healthier and the bald patches gradually disappeared.
Most cat intolerance tests will require pet owners to send a sample of their cat’s hair to the company’s laboratory for testing. Once pet owners have collected a sample of the appropriate size, you’ll have to place it in a sealable bag and send to the lab.
It’s a good idea to speak to your veterinarian to discuss your results before you decide to make any changes to their diet or your home.
What Causes Cat Intolerances?
Cats can have an adverse reaction to both food items and non-food items.
Your feline friend could have an intolerance to a protein source in their diet or your kitty could have a reaction to a household cleaning products.
Some cats could have an adverse reaction to other pets such as hamsters and rabbits.
It’s worth remembering that cats can also be intolerant to environmental factors outside, such as plants or trees in your garden.
Fetch by WebMD write on their website that cats can have allergic reactions to the following substances: trees, food, fleas, prescription drugs, perfumes, cleaning products, cigarette smoke, fabrics and rubber and plastic materials.
You’ll find that one of the most common ways cats are exposed to allergens is their diet.
By learning about your cat’s intolerance to a particular food type, you could choose to order from a cat food company who will tailor their recipes to meet your feline’s needs.
You can work with some of the best cat food delivery companies in the USA to ensure that your cat’s meals won’t contain any offending foods once you’ve got the results from your cat intolerance test.
Some traditional cat food brands don’t clearly list their ingredients, which is one of the reasons why cat food delivery companies can be useful.
Allergy Test Vs Intolerance Test
You may be wondering what’s the difference between a cat allergy test and a cat intolerance test.
Generally speaking, the reaction to allergies is more severe than intolerances and usually occurs immediately.
The Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association in the UK explain the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance where pets are concerned:
Food allergies and intolerances are two different conditions which often have similar symptoms. They are both examples of adverse food reactions, however food allergies involve the animal’s immune system while food tolerances do not.
However, it’s important to note that the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance is not always easy to define.
It’s a good idea to speak to your veterinarian to lean more about the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance.
What Intolerances Can You Test For?
Most cat intolerance tests will analyse a number of food and non-food items.
The test will indicate which foods and other allergens could cause an adverse reaction in your cat.
Some examples of food that can be analysed include cod, duck, halibut, milk, maize, potatoes, rice, wheat/wholegrains and much more.
Non-food items include bees, dust, hamsters, sheep’s wool and willow.
Best Cat Intolerance Tests
1) Easy DNA Cat Intolerance Test
Where To Order: www.easy-dna.com
Cat is examined by a vet (Photo: Adobe Stock)
Easy DNA are one of the most experienced companies within the DNA testing industry – they’ve been operating for the past 18 years.
We’ve previously reviewed their Dog Allergy test, and they also provide a variety of tests for humans.
Easy DNA’s website explains that their tests are performed by internationally-accredited laboratories and that they operate a network of offices and agents in over 25 countries worldwide and growing.
The company’s mission is to provide pet owners with peace of mind by harnessing the power of their latest state-of-the-art technology and equipment.
Easy DNA want to help cat owners take better care of their feline friend with their intolerance test for food, environmental and artificial allergens.
The Pros
• Food and Non-Food Items – Easy DNA’s cat intolerance test will analyse 44 food items and 29 non-food items.
• No kit required – You don’t have to wait for a testing kit to be sent to your home. You can take the sample following Easy DNA’s guidelines and send it to their lab in the post.
• Fast Turnaround – You will receive your cat’s results within 3-5 days of the laboratory receiving your feline’s sample.
• Experience – Easy DNA are one of the biggest names in the DNA testing market, so you can have confidence your cat’s sample is in reliable hands.
• Price and Discount – Easy DNA’s cat intolerance test is one of the cheapest on the market despite being such a well-known company.
The Cons
• Order from their website – You can only order Easy DNA’s cat intolerance test from their website. However, that also means you won’t have to fuss around with any third parties if you have an issues.
• Only 44 food items – While they combine food and non-food items in their test, they only test for 44 items in total.
Price
Easy DNA’s Cat Intolerance Test costs $89 on their website. However, they offer a multi-cat discount so you’ll receive $10 off each additional test you order. So a second Cat Intolerance Test costs $79.
Conclusion
Easy DNA are one of the top DNA testing companies in the market, so you’re in good hands if you order a Cat Intolerance Test.
They’ll test for 44 food items and 29 non-food items, so you won’t have to order separate tests for food and environmental intolerances.
Easy DNA will have your results within 3-5 days once their lab has received your sample, providing you with a swift answer.
They’ve got a multi-pet discount so you can get a $10 discount off every additional cat intolerance test.
2) 5Strands Pet Food Intolerance Test
Where To Buy: www.5strands.com
Kitten ventures out of a travel crate (Photo: Adobe Stock)
5Strands offer affordable testing across a range of different sectors, including pet intolerance tests.
They utilize hair samples to determine temporary imbalances for food and environment intolerances, nutritional items and metal/mineral items.
5Strands say on their website that their mission is to empower families with a voice about their own health care and that of their pets.
They add that they hope to fill the void of consumer-driven needs with affordable testing.
5Strands offer a range of pet holistic health tests but for the purposes of this article, we’re looking at the Pet Food Intolerance Test.
The Pros
• 255 food items – 5Strands will test for 255 pet food ingredients for intolerances.
• Three levels of intolerance – Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3
• Price – The test is one of the cheapest pet food intolerance tests, priced at $88.
• Elimination guide – 5Strands provide a 60-day elimination guide for best results
• Customer service – 5Strands offer support from their customer service team to help with questions you may have about your results.
• Discount – New customers can get 10% off their 5Strands test by entering HelloBark at the checkout. To order now, click here.
The Cons
• Doesn’t test for environmental intolerances
• 5-7 day turnaround – A little longer than some other pet intolerance tests.
Price
5Strands Food Intolerance Test costs $88 on their website. New customers can get 10% discount on your first order by entering ‘hellobark’ at the checkout. To buy, click here.
Conclusion
5Strands offer a detailed pet intolerance test that analyzes 255 common food items.
If you’re particularly interested in potential food intolerances your dog may have, 5Strands’s Food Intolerance Test is extremely detailed.
These include grains, proteins, vegetables, fruits, fats, seafood, additives and preservatives.
5Strands provide an elimination guide once you have your test results.
You can get 10% off your order by entering ‘hellobark’ at the checkout. Click here to order now.
3) 5Strands Pet Environmental Intolerance Test
Cat is examined by a vet (Photo: Adobe Stock)
Where To Buy: www.5strands.com
We’ve already introduced 5Strands as a company above.
While they offer a food intolerance test, 5Strands have developed a separate Pet Environmental Test for pet owners too.
Their website explains that they use “bioresonance” technology and a hair sample collection method.
5Strands explain that your cat will often express discomforts to environmental factors by constant scratching, hot spots, excessive hair loss, paw biting and more.
It’s important to note that 5Strands write in the product’s description that it doesn’t provide testing for IgE or IgG mediate responses (immune system responses).
The Pros
• 100 items – 5Strands write online that they’ll test for over 100 items, including fabrics, cleaning materials, grasses, mold and more.
• Different levels – Intolerances split into level 1, level 2 and level 3.
• Avoidance guideline – Helps cat owners with an avoidance guideline for 60 to 90 days.
• Price – 5Strands offer an affordable option for parents with this test priced at $78. New customers can get 10% off their order by entering ‘hellobark’ at checkout when you click here to order.
The Cons
• Only tests for environmental – It won’t test for food items.
• You can only order this particular test from their website
• 5-7 day turnaround – Your testing results will be with you in 7-10 days.
Price
The 5Strands Pet Environmental Intolerance Test costs $78 in their website. You can get 10% off your 5Strands order when you use the coupon code ‘HelloBark’ at checkout. To order this test, click here.
Conclusion
5Strands Pet Environmental Intolerance Test will analyse your cat’s hair samples.
They test against over 100 items, ranging from cleaning chemicals, grasses, bushes and plants, living things, fabrics, fungus, mold and trees.
If you’re worried that your cat could be having an adverse reaction to an environmental factor in your home, 5Strands have a detailed test that examines more items than some other tests on the market.
Don’t forget you can get 10% off your 5Strands test by using ‘hellobark’ coupon code at the checkout.
Anything Else To Consider?
Although your cat might not be displaying any symptoms of an intolerance, it’s important to know that your feline friend may not show obvious symptoms.
Some intolerances can be easy to detect if they’ve got a skin rash or digestive problems that result in diarrhoea.
However, environmental intolerances could be trickier to detect, which is why cat intolerance tests can be a useful too for pet parents.
No one likes to think about their cats – or pets – suffering in silence.
Wrapping Things Up – Our Final Thoughts
Cat chills on the bed (Photo: Adobe Stock)
We’ve reached the end of our feature on some of the best cat intolerance tests.
EasyDNA provide a versatile Cat Intolerance Test that will analyse both food and environmental items.
However, EasyDNA’s test isn’t quite as detailed as 5Strands individual Pet Food Intolerance and Pet Environmental Intolerance tests.
If you suspect your cat may be suffering with an intolerance but you’re unsure whether it’s food or environmental, you may find the EasyDNA test useful to cover both possibilities.
However, if you’re pretty sure your cat is suffering with a food or environmental intolerance, you can purchase a test based upon your hunch.
