Remember that it can take a good 6 months before the cat allergen levels are low enough that they will not longer be a problem. Keeping the cat out of the bedroom is not very effective since cat allergen is transferred from room to room by the owner’s clothing. Removing the cat from the house is the best way to improve cat allergies. How to minimize cat allergens in the home It can take up to 5 years for cat allergens in mattresses to decrease to levels found in homes without cats.Ĭat allergy is diagnosed with a skin or blood test. It may take up to 6 months after removal of a cat for the bulk of cat allergens to disappear from the home. Within 3 weeks, new mattresses in stores had the same level of cat allergens as those in houses where cats used to live. 16% of homes which never had cats contained levels of cat allergens high enough to cause asthma symptoms. In fact, several studies showed that: 56% of homes that never had cats contained levels of cat allergens high enough to sensitize people to cat allergy. Overall, male cats produce more allergens than female cats, but the difference is not significant enough to be noticed by most individuals allergic to cats.Ĭat allergens are transferred from place to place by floating in the air and by sticking on clothing and hair, making them detectable in locations where cats are not normally found, such as shopping malls, movie theaters, hotels, and doctor offices, and for this reason, it is nearly impossible to avoid cat allergen exposure. All cats produce allergens, although some cats produce more than others. As the cat grooms itself, it will spread the allergens over its fur by licking itself. Another important cat allergen is cat albumin (called Fel d 2) which is found in cat urine and skin dander. The major cat allergen is a tiny protein found in saliva and sweat called Fel d 1. The hair particles then become airborne and are subsequently inhaled into the nose and lungs, resulting in allergy symptoms. Cat allergy does not come from the hair itself, but from proteins which stick on the hair. In fact, cat allergy was found to account for almost a third of all asthma cases in a 2007 study performed by the National Institute of Health.Ī common misconception is that cat allergic individuals are allergic to cat hair and that long haired cats are more allergenic than short haired cats. Cat allergy is the most common animal allergy in the United States, and is a strong risk factor for asthma.
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