Tips for cat allergy sufferers

Many cats are surrendered to shelters because someone in the family (often a new addition such as a partner or a child) has allergies. Anywhere from 2% to 15% of the world’s population is allergic to cats, and up to 40% of Asthma sufferers are particularly affected.

Research has revealed that FEL D1, a small protein found only in cats, is produced in the sebaceous glands of their skin and saliva and is responsible for 60% to 90% of allergic responses to felines, including streaming eyes, sneezing and asthma.

But does having an allergy mean you have to give up your beloved pet? Not necessarily! For some people, having the best of both worlds is simply a matter of addressing symptoms, taking certain steps to reduce the amount of allergens they are exposed to, or choosing a particular breed that is less likely to provoke an allergic reaction.

First of all we suggest that the affected person is allergy tested to make sure that the reaction is definitely a cat allergy before you go through the trauma of giving up your pet. If you are definitely allergic to cats, you can try the following measures to reduce your exposure to the allergen and therefore either reduce or eliminate your reaction.

• Wash your hands immediately after handling your cat, and don’t touch your eyes
• Ensure your cat is spayed or neutered – the highest levels of FEL D1 are found in un-neutered males followed by un-spayed females. Neuters of both sexes have considerably lower levels, as do kittens. Early sterilization is highly recommended to prevent the rapid increase of the allergen as the cat approaches maturity.
• Bathe your cat at least once or twice a week with a hypoallergenic shampoo. Allerpet, a well-known brand of liquid that reduces cat allergen in the air, can be applied to your cats' coat and is available from your local veterinarian.
• Wiping the cat with a wet cloth or hand towel daily - or an Allerpet wipe - can be preferable to bathing them and will reduce the amount of dander.
• Remove your cat from the bedroom, close the bedroom door and air vents to the bedroom at least until your symptoms are under control – you may need to consider permanently banning Fluffy from the bedroom though, for your own comfort.
• Carpets trap the dander and other things that are likely to keep FEL D1 levels high, so ideally reduce the number of carpeted areas in your house, or restrict your cat to a part of the home with an uncarpeted floor.
• Vacuum frequently with a HEPA-equipped vacuum cleaner.
• Purchase a HEPA room air cleaner for use in the bedroom and/or other parts of the home (it is best to keep the HEPA filter off of the floor so as to not stir up more dust).
• Follow house dust mite avoidance precautions.
• Use a vapor steam cleaner to clean your home, which are now proven by research to be extremely helpful in killing off the cat proteins/dander, which are embedded in your carpets and upholstery. Steam cleaners provide a chemical-free way of cleaning and killing dust mites, bacteria, mold spores and cat allergen.
• Cat dander can persist for months to years in the home even if the cat is gone – therefore it is important to clean thoroughly.

If you’ve always wanted a cat but never took the plunge because of your allergies, there are some existing breeds that, while not strictly hypoallergenic, at least tend to cause less severe symptoms in some people. The best way to test your reaction is to spend some time with them. Visit a breed-specific shelter or a breeder (to keep your sample “pure” and to be sure you’re only responding to the breed in question). You’ll have to go a few times, and handle the cats while you’re there, but you’ll know pretty quickly if this is a breed you can tolerate. We know of many highly allergic people who own Bengals, Siberians or Rex breeds who experience no symptoms from their cats at all.

The following breeds tend to cause less of a reaction in some people:

• Norwegian Forest Cats
• Maine Coons
• Bengals
• Russian Blue
• Siberian
• Cornish Rex
• Devon Rex
• Sphynx

The Pets 911 adoption search tool lets you look for specific breeds, so if you are looking into getting a cat and you have determined a breed that lets you breathe easy, chances are you'll be able to adopt.