I'm Allergic To My Cat!
By Gary Nugent, Fri Dec 9th

Having a cat came as something of a surprise to me.Growing up, I had many pets - cats, dogs and birds. My familywere animal lovers and pets abounded, so being in contact withanimals was a daily occurance. No one ever seemed to suffer froma cat or any kind of animal for that matter.

After my teens and my last pet had died, I wasn't in a positionto take on another pet for many years. Then, eleven years ago, afriend of a cousin was looking for a home for their lastremaining kitten. And so it was that Kira came into my life.This was a cat with attitude (and still is!) and we bondedpretty much immediately. While she was still a kitten, I'd puther in the kitchen overnight with a little cat bed to sleep inand the litter box close by.

As she grew older, I started letting her sleep in the bedroom.It's surprising how relaxing a cat's purring can be in wee smallhours.

A little over a year later, when down with the vet getting somesupplies, I heard that there was a kitten that needed a home orit would have to be put to sleep. And so, Fritz came home withme that day.

Unfortuately, Kira was less than impressed with this interloperand I had to keep the two separated for several days before anuneasy truce ensued.

They're an odd pair - Kira has attitude, Fritz is much morecompanionable; what you'd call a "gentle soul". She's still theQueen around the house and occasionally puts Fritz in his placewith a right-hook to the face when she feels the need to asserther authority.

As Fritz matured, he also was allowed into the bedroom. Both heand Kira would sleep there during the day and night, as wastheir want.

We all know that cats are the greatest creature-comfort-seekinganimals on the planet and a comfy place to catnap is one oftheir major concerns. But the place your cat chooses to snoozemay not be your first choice. While I didn't mind the catssleeping on the bed, I did take exception to Fritz's tendency tocharge in from the garden and sleep in a basket of warm, freshlydried laundry straight from the dryer.

The Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine recentlyconducted a poll of pet-owners on the sleeping habits of theirpets and found that 60% of them sleep in bed with one of thefamily. Where cats are concerned, there are two potentialproblems here: one is that, somehow, they manage to take up 90%of the bed and the other has to do with allergies.

I found I had a mild cat when I started producing weirdwheezing noises any time I was doing something strenuous.Coughing eased it for a few minutes but it would always return.I figured I’d developed a mild form of asthma, probably due tobad air quality and pollution, so I went to the doctor to haveit checked out. After listening to my lungs he asked me onequestion: "Do you have a cat?"

Well, yes, I did. Two in fact.

"You’re allergic to your cats", he intoned.

Then he asked if the cats slept in the bedroom. Of course theydid.

"There’s your real problem", he said. "What you’re allergic tois the dander produced by your cats. When a cat sleeps on yourbed, the dander

ends up in the sheets and the duvet and youbreathe it in deeply at night when you’re asleep. Not good.That’s what causes your wheeziness. Stop the cats sleeping inyour bedroom for two or three weeks and see if that eases yoursymptoms. If not, you’ll probably need to use an inhaler for therest of your life."

Ok, that last sentence kinda hit me between the eyes. Much as Ilove my two furballs, I didn’t want to suffer a long-lastinghealth problem that could possibly be avoided.

So why is dander such a problem? It's the layer of dead skinthat's rich in animal protein, which is continuously shed byanimals. Sebaceous (oil producing) glands in the skin alsoproduce these protein allergens. Male cats have, on average,greater amounts of sebaceous secretions and therefore are moreallergenic than female or neutered male cats. This is a resultof testosterone hormone effects on sebaceous glands.

So, with that information and the prospect of an enduring healthproblem, I banned my cats from the bedroom, threw out the duvet(on the advice of the doctor), bought a new one and changedeverything on the bed (including getting new pillows). I didn’tget too much sleep the first few nights with the cats meowingand scratching on the door to get in but they got used to theidea, finally. After three weeks in a cat free bedroom, mywheeziness had all but disappeared. The cats haven’t beenallowed back in since.

Should you find yourself with a similar cat problem,banning the cat from your bedroom is one possible course ofaction. Alternatively, you can get your cat his own cat bed andput that somewhere out of harm's way (yours and the cat's).

Since finding out I was mildly allergic to my cats, I've spokento other cat owners about it and quite a number also suffer somemild form of allergic reaction - sneezing, wheezing, wateringeyes, blocked sinuses and so on. Owners appear to become atleast somewhat immune to their own cats insofar as the symptomsare not as pronounced as they become when they're around otherpeople's cats.

But, having said that, none of us would ever part with ourfeline companions and would exhort others to adopt a cat as apet, as the benefits far outweigh any minor inconveniences.

Animal dander can significantly contribute torespiratory problems involving the sinuses, nasal passages, andeyes, as well as causing upper respiratory tract problems thatcan result in asthma (as in my case). These problems cansignificantly diminish your quality of life despite variousmedical treatments. For some people, it can be even moreserious, leading to recurrent acute asthmatic attacks that canbe life threatening, requiring emergency room visits andhospitalizations. The good news is that most people who areallergic to their pets can keep their symptoms under control ifthey know the facts.

About the author:Gary Nugent has been a life-long animal lover, especially ofcats and is the webmaster of http://www.just-pet-cats.com - asite that helps you make the best choices to keep your cathealthy, happy and long-lived. Information about cats ingeneral, health issues, behavior patterns and their history.And, not to forget about you...there are a few things on thesite to keep cat owners amused as well.