Allergic to Cats? There Might Be A "Cure" In Sight
New research by pet food company, Purina, suggests that there could be an end to severe cat allergies in sight; or at least a way to reduce allergic reactions.
According to Purina, cat allergies are the most common animal-caused allergies in humans, causing issues for approximately 1 in 5 adults worldwide.
While cat allergies might just be a bit of discomfort for most people, for cats these allergies can have a much more dramatic impact than most people realize. Cat allergies can limit the bonding between cat owners and their furry family members. Allergies stop animal lovers from adopting cats, and in many cases force some cat owners to surrender their cats to shelters, often when a child is born or cat allergies suddenly develop.
Most people with cat allergies react to Fel d1, a protein found on cat skin, or Fel d4, a protein found in the cat's saliva. When your cat grooms itself, it is spreading the Fel d 4 and Fel d1 protein onto their fur and skin. When they shed, the fur (and allergen) are sprinkled throughout your home, thus coming into contact with the cat-allergic humans.
While Purina is not claiming to be fixing on a cure for cat allergies per se, their research is focused on a way to significantly reduce the levels of major cat allergen, Fel d1, in cats' saliva.
“Taking advantage of natural allergen-antibody interactions, Purina researchers discovered how to safely neutralize Fel d1 in hair and dander by incorporating a natural egg product containing anti-Fel d1 antibodies into a cat’s diet," shared Purina in a statement. The allergen-antibodies bind the Fel d1 protein to the cat's saliva and prevent it from attaching to the dander to be dispersed into the environment. "Ultimately this will reduce active Fel d1 levels in the environment. This approach maintains normal allergen production by the cat, without affecting the cat’s overall physiology."
This discovery could transform how people manage allergies to cats, ultimately bringing cats and people closer together.
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Naria,
I hope you are young, you sound young to not understand that people have varying levels
of cat allergy and are in no way trying to make you feel insecure over how much you love your cats.
They merely want to breathe. Or in severe cases, not die.
I disagree with a couple of above posters who imply “cat allergies” are psychosomatic or because you don’t really like cats, or if you just tried harder you could deal with it.
BS! BOTH my sons are allergic to cats. They grew up with cats and one son owned his own cat for years. They both loved cats and tried hard to “deal” with it. My older son had allergy shots for years.
Now, and for years, the only cats we have are Devon Rexes which have much less hair and therefore are supposed to be better for allergic people. My older son still can’t be around them (he is grown and on his own now) and my younger son can be around them, but then has to go wash up after touching them.
It is sad and hard to handle.
A few things that help: never let the cat sleep in the bedroom of the allergic person. Get a good HEPA type filter to clean the air. Teach your cat to get used to be bathed frequently, from a young age. That will cut down on the dander which is the allergenic factor. Don’t have carpets or curtains if possible. We have wood floors and blinds for windows, so they “hold” less dander and fur. Have a GOOD vacuum with a HEPA filter.
@Luke. No, eggs in general are not the key here. They have discovered the important antibody, via some type of “natural egg product”. It’s intentionally kept ambiguous to protect corporate trade-secrets. By ingesting their product, the kitty’s normal allergens will be potentially rendered inert or less likely to trigger an immune response from the normally affected person. Shortly after the cat stops eating the food (changes diet) the protection fades and the affected person will trigger on the cat’s dander as previously.
20yrs in Air Force Medical Service
If you really love your bebe, you’ll manage your allergies. I luckily am not allergic to my kittehs, but I AM HIGHLY allergic to my horse, a fungus that basically describes a horse farm, and hay. It increases my asthma response immensely. But I manage. I take my meds and do other things that help to lower the allergic response. NO WAY am I not going to be involved with horses. And just a note, I used to be allergic to kittehs, but the “exposure therapy” (because I have ten) fixed it. Just like allergy shots are supposed to help. Exposure therapy, it works.
this is silly, but are they saying feeding cats eggs or products containing eggs could reduce allergic reactions to cats? Just trying to understand, as a fellow sufferer 🙋🏼♂️
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