Jump to topic
Is your favorite Siamese, adorable Maine Coon, or irreplaceable mixed-breed showing certain unhealthy signs? They may be suffering from an intolerance to something in their environment.
Food and environmental intolerances can lead to a range of symptoms that are quite similar to allergy symptoms. These include:
- a skin patch
- inflammatory bowel disease
- chronic itching
- weight loss
- sensitive stomach
- frequent bowel movements
Luckily, with an at-home cat intolerance test, pinpointing the cause of your cat’s issue is easier than ever. But with a variety of these tests now available on the market, deciding which one is right for you isn’t always easy. So I put my kitty to the test to do the hard work for you. I ran a number of these tests on my feline friend and narrowed down the four best cat intolerance tests currently available.
Why Take a Cat Intolerance Test?
We love our cats, and as cat lovers, our pet’s health is of the utmost concern. And when it comes to the health of our feline friends, there are a ton of factors that could be at play. A cat intolerance test can help to narrow down some of those factors.
One of these tests can help you to determine if your cat’s negative health symptoms are either caused by:
- diet or food intolerance
- environmental sensitivity
- something more serious
In addition to regular check-ups at the vet, a cat intolerance test can help you keep your pet as healthy as possible. It can also narrow down why it may keep vomiting on the couch.
The Top 4 Cat Intolerance Tests
I used all of the test kits listed below and made sure they delivered useful and actionable results. Here are some of the best cat intolerance tests in the market today - and they come with good customer reviews, too. Using any of these cat intolerance tests should leave you in good hands!
5Strands Pet Food Intolerance Test — $88
5Strands Pet Food Intolerance Test is an excellent option if you suspect food sensitivity because your cat is:
- always itchy
- showing skin problems
- displaying hair loss
- beginning to smell odd
Whether it’s coming from their cat food or the human food you sneak them under the table, this test will likely pinpoint the culprit if your cat has a food sensitivity.
The Pet Food Intolerance test by 5Strands covers the most common 255 ingredients found in pet food. These include grains, proteins, vegetables, seafood, additives, and preservatives. This intolerance testing kit uses bio-resonance technology to provide you with a comprehensive report that solely covers your kitty’s food sensitivity.
Key Features:
- Covers 255 common food items
- Requires a pulled hair sample
- Includes a food elimination trials guide
- Test results available by email in 7 to 10 days
5Strands Pet Environmental Intolerance Test — $78
If keeping healthy pets and maximizing your kitty’s wellness is one of your top priorities, it’s worth checking if they’re having any adverse reactions to environmental items. Fortunately, 5Strand’s reasonably priced Pet Environmental Intolerance Test will let you know if anything in or around your home is causing your kitty discomfort.
Symptoms of an environmental intolerance can include:
- skin issues
- rubbing against furniture
- red eyes
- discharges
This test kit covers 100 common environmental items that could be affecting your furry friend. Some of the environmental items tested include grasses, flowers, fabrics, cleaners, and trees. Once you pinpoint the problem, go to your vet. Get your pet some veterinary medicine to help alleviate its issues.
Key Features:
- Covers 100 environmental items
- Scans 10 to 15 strands of your pet’s hair
- Comes with an environmental allergen avoidance guideline
- Results emailed to you within 7 to 10 days
EasyDNA Cat Intolerance Test — $89
Whether your feline friend is having food reactions or is sensitive to environmental allergens, EasyDNA’s Cat Intolerance test has you covered. The comprehensive DNA testing kit covers the most common allergens that can lead to various intolerance symptoms. This includes the things that cause food sensitivity, environmental allergies, and even artificial causes of adverse reactions.
The detailed test results will let you know if your furry friend may be struggling from an adverse reaction to 44 different food ingredients, including those found in common cat food and 29 non-food items, such as barley, cotton, and wool.
Key Features:
- Covers 44 food items and 29 environmental/ artificial items
- Easy sample collection using self-collected fur
- Includes extensive intolerance treatment guide and elimination diet guide
- Results in 3 to 5 business days
Nutriscan Kit for Cats — $298
Hemopet offers the only saliva test to make this list with its Nutriscan Kit for Cats. The test kit just might tell you if a food reaction is the reason why your kitty has been displaying certain gastrointestinal signs or putting on some extra weight. While this test kit isn’t cheap, the Nutriscan saliva test is more accurate than other options.
Using the Nutriscan Kit for Cats, the sensitivity test can check your pet’s sensitivity to 112 different food items, including 24 types of purified food extracts. The Hemopet Nutriscan kit then goes further by checking for high antibody levels of both IgA (secretory immunity) and IgM (primary immune response) antibodies. These are a strong — and a more accurate — indicator of food sensitivity.
Key Features:
- Covers 112 food ingredients, including 24 purified food extracts
- Easy saliva collection by having your pet chew on a rope
- Nutriscan tests the antibody levels of both Anti IgA and Anti IgM in your cat’s saliva sample
- Results should be returned in 3 to 10 days
Which Cat Intolerance Test Should You Choose?
You need to consider what exactly you’re looking for in a food intolerance test of cats. If you suspect your cat is suffering from negative food reactions, choose from:
- EasyDNA Cat Intolerance Test
- 5Strands Pet Food Intolerance Test
- Nutriscan Kit for Cats
However, if checking for a potential environmental intolerance is your main concern, then consider either:
- EasyDNA’s Test
- 5Strands Pet Environmental Intolerance Test
For an all-around great test covering food and environmental intolerances, it’s hard to beat EasyDNA’s reasonably priced test that checks for both issues.
FAQ
What is the difference between an allergic reaction and an intolerance reaction?
A food allergy tends to affect the immune system. It is usually more severe than an intolerance reaction. Food reactions are generally harder to pinpoint than a food allergy. They can lead to a wide range of undesirable symptoms in your pet, so an allergy test is recommended.
What can you do about cat food or environmental intolerances?
The best way to deal with food intolerance is through initiating an elimination diet. This is where you remove the offending foods from your pet’s diet. For environmental intolerance, an avoidance strategy is ideal. Basically, you keep your kitty away from the item that they’re reacting to.
The Definitive Guide to Cat DNA testing: What you need to know.
