Cat allergy symptoms

Lovely Celeste - photo by fofurasfelinas

Cat allergy symptoms range from mild rhinitis to an asthmatic response that might at its worst be life-threatening. Allergic disease is commonly caused by being sensitized to the domestic cat. According to some scientists the domestic cat is one of the most common causes of allergic disease in the world.

Cat allergens are not only on the cat. They can be found in unexpected places such as schools and on public transport. The allergens are airborne.

An allergen causes the allergic reaction. The allergen in this case is in cat dander (cat saliva and pelt). The saliva is on the cats fur after grooming. The most potent allergen that causes cat allergies has been known for 30 years. It is called Felis domesticus allergen 1 (Fel d 1). It is a glycoprotein.

Specifically the symptoms are as outlined on this table. Note: a gradual acclimatization to the cat allergen specific to the cat in question can take place so patience may be rewarded:-

cat allergy symptoms

Symptom	Explanation
Rhinitis	The inside of the nose becomes inflamed and swells causing symptoms similar to a cold such as sneezing, itchiness, blocked nose, runny nose. 20-30% of people experience this. 10% of people are sensitive to cat allergens. Pollen can cause Rhinitis. Allergic conjunctivitis can accompany Rhinitis. The symptoms are irritated eyes.
Dyspnea	This is difficulty in breathing, short and painful breathing. It is caused by a large number of medical disorders.
Chronic sore throat	------
Coughing	------
Wheezing	high pitched whistling sound when breathing caused by the air going through narrowed breathing tubes.
Itchy skin	This can start within 30 seconds of picking up the allergen and any part of the body can itch even though only the hands have touched the cat. It is not always a bad itch but irritating all the same.
Hay fever like symptoms	see above
Asthma	Asthma is a chronic condition involving the respiratory system in which the airways occasionally constrict, become inflamed, and are lined with excessive amounts of mucus, often in response to one or more triggers (verbatim Wikipedia reference - see license below)
Skin Rash	A rash is a change of the skin which affects its color, appearance, or texture. A rash may be localized in one part of the body, or affect all the skin. Rashes may cause the skin to change color, itch, become warm, bumpy, dry, cracked or blistered, swell and may be painful. The causes, and therefore treatments for rashes, vary widely. (verbatim Wikipedia reference - see license below)

Cat allergy symptoms to Feline Allergies (these are allergies suffered by cats)

Cat allergy symptoms - Verbatim Wikipedia® copies. These are allowed under the Wikipedia license. Click on this link to see the Wikipedia® License src: Wikipedia® published under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version, November 2002 Copyright (C) 2000,2001,2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA - - no other conditions to the license are added.

Cat allergy symptoms - Other sources:

• http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov
• medical dictionaries

Cat allergy symptoms - Photo: this is published under a creative commons license - Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License. I use lots of this photographers photographs as they are some of the very best. I have given links to her Flickr website elsewhere.

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