Allergies

Back story* my 12yr old cat developed allergies about 5 yrs ago when I moved into my mother's house. It always flares up about the end of fall/beginning of winter. He basically over groom himself and scratches a lot. Last winter my mother had to babysit and he did wonderful at her apartment. So this year I sent him over there when his allergies started to flare up and because he was losing weight. My mother sent me a picture of him and he has lost a lot of hair on his back and has red spots on his skin. What should I do to relieve him of the itching and irritation until I can get him to the vet

Hello!  I'm afraid that that visit to the vets should be very soon, as itching can spread quickly, is painful and can become infected.  Your vet may be able to recommend a pet taxi service or arrange a home visit or similar, in order to help to make this process easier for your mother.   You mention that your cat was losing weight - has this stopped now? - because it would have to have intense itching to cause weight loss, which may be a welfare concern.  However it might also be that the weight loss is due to other changes going on such as hyperthyroidism or diabetes, which would also be picked up on a vet check / bloods. If your cat is registered at a vets as has been seen recently enough, the vet may supply flea treatment without seeing him.  A high percentage of itchiness is caused by fleas, even in those cases where there isn't another pet in proximity, or a flea to be seen on the cat.  Mites is a much less common possibility.  Pharmacists also sell decent antiparasite treatment but always ask them for help, as some of the ones on the shelf in pharmacists shops are unhelpful in cats with allergies. Finally, it's worth checking whether your mother gives treats etc that you wouldn't normally, but of course allergies can also be caused by different materials, dusts and so on, so this would not be a foregone conclusion. I hope that this helps a little, even though I haven't been able to recommend a home-based treatment for itching.  Best of luck and please let us know what happens with this case!