Owning A Cat When You Have Allergies


by Ron Ayalon - Date: 2010-08-26 - Word Count: 685 Share This!

There are many people who want to own a cat, but something stands in their way: allergies. Pet allergies are one of the most predominant allergies in humans. There are several known causes to allergies of cats. The two most common ones are those caused by the dander shed by pets by when they shed their fur. The second is a glycoprotein known as Fel d 1, which is secreted by the cat's sebaceous glands. Transmitted by their saliva, it gets into their fur as they groom themselves. If you or someone you live with is allergic to cats, you may think that you can never own one. However, this is far from the truth! There are several ways to manage your cat allergies and if you, like many other people, don't want to be tied down to a regime of drugs and sprays, you can still own your very own furry friend.

Before you start looking for your new furry friend, check with your doctor first and pinpoint exactly what causes your allergy. This will help you to figure out what kind of cat to get; if it's an allergy to fur for example, go for a cat with less fur or even none! If it's caused by saliva on the other hand, look at breeds like the Siberian with less of the allergen in their saliva. Keep in mind too that some people can become desensitized to their own allergy if they are willing to suffer some discomfort for a while; so don't let anything stand in the way of getting your new cat.

What may start out as a serious allergy, for example, eyes seemingly swollen shut, over time may turn into excess watering of the eyes or a runny nose.

One of the best ways to do it is to pick the right breed of cat to own. Several breeds of cat have far fewer allergy inducing dander and skin than other breeds. Cats that are safer for owners include Cornish Rexes, LaPerm, Sphynx, Oriental Shorthairs, and Devon Rex. These breeds are safer to own when you have allergies than other breeds because their fur has fewer layers. This means that there is less dander and less fur to fly around, so people with allergies are able to tolerate them better. A hairless breed can also be the solution to the problem, though it works best if you only have minor allergies anyway since the problem is in the skin and saliva, not the fur. The sphinx cat is one of the most popular breeds that people think will help allergies, though you have to make sure that your allergy is fur specific, not in the saliva or else your problem will get worse, not better!

Other breeds of cat such as the Siberian are less likely to cause allergies because their saliva doesn't have very high levels of Fel D1. Siberians don't have very high levels of this protein and thus they are believed safer to own if you have allergies.

Finally, there are hypoallergenic cats; cats that have been bred to show distinctive hypoallergenic traits, such as a lack of the allergy causing protein or different fur. However, the companies behind these cats have come under fire for everything from delivering an unsatisfactory cat to being accused of abuse and endangerment. If you are looking at these cats, be very careful about where you are purchasing the cat from and make sure that everything is secured for money back guarantees or on the legal end of things and be aware that ethics aside, this is still a very grey area of cat development and is not guaranteed to help you, though it may certainly work for some people.

Cat allergies are some of the most widespread allergies and one of the most heartbreaking allergies out there, especially if you or your family loves cats. However, if you do your homework, you may find that your options aren't nearly as limited as you thought they were. Want a cat? Don't let your allergies stop you; go forth and find your furry friend!

Related Tags: cat, pet, animal, allergies, allergy, veterinarian, kitten

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