My cat is having an allergic reaction to shower gel?
Two days ago, my cat jumped into the shower (we have a slow drain) and got a bit wet. My brother had just used the shower and Axe Shower Gel. About an hour later, I found him cowering in a corner downstairs. I picked him up, and he was very lethargic; it seemed as though he could barely keep his head up. I smelled the shower gel on his fur and called the Axe hotline, who told me to call my vet. I did, but when I arrived, my cat was walking around and begging for attention like nothing was wrong. The vet couldn’t find anything wrong with him and sent him home, with instructions to rinse him off so the smell would go away (and so the cat didn’t ingest the shower gel when grooming). I did this, and found that he exhibited the same “cowering” reaction when he was wet. I figured this was the root of the problem and let it be, making sure to shut him off from the bathroom. Today, I found purple-ish spots on the inside of one of his ears that appear to be some sort of allergic reaction. Assuming that these two events are connected, what should I do?
My cat is a 16-month-old male Abyssinian. There are two other cats in the house, one older tabby and a kitten Abyssinian. They have been in the house for at least a month, so I do not think they have anything to do with it. I haven’t changed his diet or let him outside (he is an inside cat). He hasn’t been itching his ears that I have seen, but he has been acting unusually skiddish, especially when I try to approach him (he’s usually quite friendly).
