AJs Best Friends Purebred Cat and Small Dog Rescue

One common reason pets end up in shelters is due to an owner's allergy. An estimated 15% of the population is allergic to our furry friends. But there are things you can do to reduce or eliminate your allergic symptoms.

Some cats are more allergenic than others. For years, allergists scoffed when patients swore they could tolerate exposure to certain cats, while others would send them into a bout of sneezing or wheezing. It turns out these patients were right all along.

Researchers studying ways to reduce cat allergenicity found some cats consistently shed lower levels of allergen. Unfortunately, there's no practical way to identify these "hypoallergenic" cats in advance. But an even more important allergy predictor is hormones. It turns out male cats shed substantially greater amounts of allergen than females. A neutered male, on the other hand, sheds significantly less.

Cat allergen, the allergy causing material from cats, is not cat hair, but rather a protein present in the dander and saliva of cats. These allergens become airborne as microscopic particles, which when inhaled into the nose or lungs can produce allergic symptoms.

Cats present a unique situation. Being the conscientious groomers that they are, their fur is often covered with saliva, and this can produce allergic symptoms in people as well. Other potential sources of allergic stimuli are feathers, scales, molds, pollens, tobacco smoke, perfumes, carpet fibers, and housedust mites. Many people are allergic to more than one item.

The reason why people can acquire a new pet and not experience any of these symptoms until much later is due to the time required to produce these antibodies. It can take anywhere from three weeks to three years for the body to build up enough of the exact same antibody so that an allergen can cross-link two identical antigens. This cross-linkage is the signal to mast cells to spill their contents, resulting in typical allergy symptoms.

Unfortunately, if you are looking to buy a kitten or puppy, this doesn't help you very much. All puppies and kittens have soft, supple skins. At this early age, an allergic person can probably handle any one of them and not have much, if any, of a reaction. It is as the skin ages and becomes less supple and the sebaceous glands begin to produce more oils (sebum) that allergy problems begin to appear.

Treat your other allergies. Few individuals are allergic only to cats. By controlling your allergies to pollens, molds and house dust, your tolerance for cats may improve significantly. People are not allergic to their pet per se, but to products of their pet. These include dander, hair or skin proteins, fur, saliva, blood, and even urine from rodents. By using a special pet shampoo, designed to reduce the airborne allergens your pet produces on a regular basis, and by taking a few preventive measures to remove or decrease other allergens in the home, an allergy sufferer should be able to reduce many of the sensitivities to his pet.

Keep the cat out of your bedroom (where you spend 1/3 of your life), for starters. People also can have varying degrees of sensitivities to different allergens. When someone is allergic to animal dander and saliva, he's probably also allergic to other substances found in and around the house. Dust, mold, mildew, pollens, flowers, trees, paint, perfume, soaps, cosmetics, and other substances can trigger allergic reactions. Whether a person has symptoms or not depends on how many of these allergens are in his environment at a particular time.

Allergies are cumulative. In other words, they build up. Every allergic person has a tolerance level above which an acute reaction takes place. This is often referred to as the "rain barrel" effect. Someone who is allergic to animals, for instance, may have no noticeable symptoms when his total exposure is below his allergy threshold (or the amount of a substance needed to produce a reaction). But collect enough other allergens in the same environment to exceed his allergy threshold limit, his "rain barrel" will overflow and symptoms will pop up. Some people for instance, only experience pet allergy problems during hayfever season. One of the most important goals in controlling allergies to pets is to minimize exposure to other allergens, such as those mentioned above, that trigger attacks.

A good physician can help you with this problem and refer you to a specialist if necessary. Find out from a physician what your particular allergen is, and if it turns out to be pet- related, try to reduce the allergens in the environment. In order to determine what exactly a person is allergic to, see an allergy specialist. These allergists will perform prick, scratch, or intradermal skin tests that examine reactivity to as many as 70-80 possible allergens.

If you are allergic to six things, and can get rid of three of them, you may drop below your allergic threshold, and become symptom-free. Your physician may also be able to prescribe medications to lessen the symptoms associated with allergies. Using air cleaners or filters is not a bad idea, either.

While all this may seem discouraging, the good news is that some people can develop a lack of reactivity to the allergen following continued exposure, or through allergen immunotherapy (desensitization).

Once the person knows what he or she is allergic to, a specific plan of action can prevent the need to get rid of a pet, if the pet is indeed the cause of the reaction.

It may not be the cat at all, but the litter you are using, dust particles cling to the cat. If you are using a new brand of litter for him you haven't previously tried, try switching brands and washing the cat. Many people are allergic to the different kinds of perfumes and deodorizers some brands use.