Allergies

There are a lot of people who keep pets despite being allergic to them. If you are an animal lover and are allergic to cats or dogs, you must be looking for ways to handle the allergy. In this article we will focus on cat allergies and what can be done about them. There are five types of allergens that originate from cats. These are mostly found in the cat’s saliva or in the skin surface. Most cat allergies are not caused by the cat’s hair but rather by the dander and dead cells of the skin that the cat sheds. Human beings also have dander. You can choose from different solutions available for dealing with cat allergies.

If you are allergic to cats, then it is necessary to do the research needed to find out how to cure yourselves of it. After all, if you can’t live away from cats, either because you or a family member are very fond of them, then at least finding a solution for your cat allergy will make your quality of life much better.

Cat allergies can manifest itself in many forms. It is caused by the body’s histamine reaction to allergens from the cat. Histamine is a chemical that can affect the physiological functions and can cause the immune reactions to go on overdrive. Usually, it results in inflammation of the skin. The main allergen from a cat is FEL D1 a glycoprotein, just like most allergens. This protein is produced from the cat’s sebaceous glands and is let off as dander from the skin surface of the cat. It is also released from the cat’s saliva.

A more sever cat allergy can cause more pronounced symptoms. Cat allergy can cause breathing difficulties such as dyspnea or shortness of breath. It can cause other respiratory problems as well. Cat allergy symptoms are similar to those of other allergies especially seasonal allergies such as pollen allergy. Therefore it is important to isolate the cause of the allergy and be sure that it is caused by your cat rather than go on blaming the trees around you for causing you an airborne allergy.

It can also cause irritation to the eye. Symptoms would include watery discharge from eyes, redness, inflammation of eyelids and even severe itching. Nasal congestion, runny nose, and sneezing bouts can also be caused by cat allergy. Cat allergies can cause more severe symptoms like a chronic throat infection followed by persistent cough and even wheezing. Allergies can also affect your skin causing rashes and inflammation of hands and feet. If a cat scratches you, then you may also get redness and swelling in the affected area.

In recent times, hypoallergenic cats have been suggested as a remedy for cat allergies. These cats have much lesser chances of causing allergies in human beings. Certain breeds of cats are less prone to cause allergies, thus being naturally hypoallergenic. Most common breeds are Siberian and Russian Blue, although there may be other breeds that are hypoallergenic too. Some other breeds such as Sphync, Cornish Rex, LaPerm and Devon Rex are also hypoallergenic to a certain extent. The hypoallergenic properties are primarily due to lesser layers of fur in these cats. This causes them to shed less amount of dander thus reducing the amount of allergens. If you suffer from just a mild form of cat allergy, you can choose one of these breeds, but it may not be the right choice if you have a severe cat allergy. Some studies also question how hypoallergenic these cats actually are. Critics point out that most people are more allergic to cat saliva than cat dander and these breeds are no better in terms of allergens present in their saliva. Some companies claim to have done selective breeding to develop allergy free cats. However society at large especially the scientific community is very skeptical about such claims. That is because there have been no reviews or scientific studies done on these cats and therefore there is no proof for their claims.

The only sure shot way of escaping cat allergy is to give away your cat. However, if you are not ready to do that, then there are several ways in which you can continue to co-habitat with your cat and still find ways to handle your allergies. Firstly a lot of people find that the larger the time frame that the cat has been with them, the lesser their allergies. Somehow they get adjusted to the allergens of that particular cat over time. But they will still be allergic to other cats. This however is not a fool proof method, and would have different effects on different people. So, if you are allergic to cats don’t just rely on this method. Have a plan B, so that you can give your cat away to someone else, in case your allergies don’t get better with time.

Yet another way to deal with the problem is to reduce your exposure to the dander and saliva of cats. For this, you need to clean your carpets, pillows and rugs frequently so that the allergens don’t stay in them for a long time. You would also need to clean any furniture that your cat is fond of. Another thing to do, is to give your cat a nice brush to remove those dead cells from the surface of its skin. You can also get a powerful air purifier.

If none of these methods help you in getting cured from cat allergies, then you may need to take medicines or maybe a cat allergy vaccination. Before you go ahead with these options, discuss your problems with a qualified medical practitioner.

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