Allergic to horses? You might be allergic to cats too.

If you are allergic to cat dander, are you likely to be allergic to horse dander or the dander of other animals - or vice versa? Here are three answers from three different AI bots. Why not? If you can't beat 'em, join 'em is the motto. 

The point of this article is that if you are thinking of adopting a cat but are allergic to horses or other animals, you might check out if you are allergic to cats as well. There is a cross-over here.

I have found these AI bots reliable. You have to know their limitations. I expect those limitations to be greatly minimised over the forthcoming months and years.

Image: Canva.

Answers

Yes, there’s a possibility of cross-reactivity between cat and horse dander. People who are allergic to cats (or dogs) may also experience allergic symptoms when exposed to horses. The protein responsible for these allergies is called serum albumin, which is found in both horse skin cells (dander) and saliva. Symptoms can include itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, and even asthma. Fortunately, severe reactions are rare, but if you suspect a horse allergy, it’s essential to seek medical advice. 🐱🐴 - Bing's Copilot.

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There's a chance someone with a cat dander allergy could also be allergic to horse dander. This is because of something called cross-sensitivity [allergy uk].

Cat allergens are proteins (Fel D1) found in their saliva and skin flakes (dander). Horses have similar proteins in their dander and saliva that can trigger an allergic reaction in some people. These protein structures aren't identical, but close enough for someone's immune system to react if they're already sensitive to cats.

If you suspect you have allergies to cats or horses, it's important to see an allergist for proper testing and diagnosis. They can determine what you're allergic to and recommend the best course of treatment. - Google's Gemini.

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Yes, it is quite likely that someone allergic to cat dander would also be allergic to horse dander. Allergies to animal dander are often cross-reactive, meaning that if someone is allergic to one type of animal dander, they are more likely to also be allergic to the dander of other animals.

The proteins in the dander of different mammals can have similar molecular structures, which causes the immune system to recognize and react to them in a similar way. This is why people allergic to cats may also experience allergic reactions to other furry pets like dogs, horses, rabbits, and guinea pigs.

The degree of cross-reactivity can vary from person to person, but studies have shown significant overlap in allergies to different animal danders. So if you are allergic to cats, it would be wise to be evaluated for potential allergies to other animals as well, including horses. Consulting an allergist can help determine the full scope of your animal allergies. - Poe

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What is the allergen in horses?

The primary allergen in horses is equine serum albumin. This protein is found in horse skin cells (dander), saliva, and urine. When sensitive individuals come into contact with these substances, they may experience allergic reactions such as sneezing, itching, and respiratory symptoms. If you suspect a horse allergy, consult a healthcare professional for proper evaluation and management. 🐴🤧

What other animals might cause similar allergies?

Other animals that can cause similar allergies include:

1. Dogs: Like cats, dogs produce dander and saliva proteins that can trigger allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Breeds with hair (such as poodles) are often better tolerated than those with fur.

2. Rodents: Mice, rats, and guinea pigs can also produce allergens in their urine, saliva, and skin cells. People who handle these animals or live in close proximity may experience allergic symptoms.

3. Birds: Feathered friends like parrots, canaries, and pigeons can release feather dust and proteins that lead to allergies. Bird droppings can also be problematic.

4. Rabbits: Rabbit fur and dander can cause allergic reactions. Additionally, hay and straw used as bedding can be allergenic.

5. Hamsters and Gerbils: These small rodents can also trigger allergies due to their dander and urine proteins.

Remember that individual reactions vary, and some people may be more sensitive to certain animals than others. If you suspect an allergy, consult a healthcare professional for proper evaluation and management. 🐶🐭🦜🐰

What can you do minimise an allergic reaction to cat or other animal allergens?

There are two main approaches to minimizing allergic reactions to cat or other animal allergens: reducing your exposure to the allergens and managing your symptoms with medication.

Reduce allergen exposure:

• Keep your pet out of certain areas: This is especially important for the bedroom, where you spend a lot of time breathing in allergens.
• Clean frequently: Vacuum with a HEPA filter to remove dander from carpets and furniture. Wash bedding and pet linens weekly in hot water. Consider replacing carpets with hard floors if possible.
• Bathe your pet regularly: This can help remove allergens from their fur.
• Air purifiers: HEPA air purifiers can help remove allergens from the air.

Manage allergy symptoms:

• Over-the-counter medications: Antihistamines and nasal corticosteroids can help reduce allergy symptoms such as sneezing, itching, and runny nose.
• Allergy shots (immunotherapy): This is a long-term treatment that can help reduce your sensitivity to allergens over time.

Consulting a doctor:

It's important to consult with a doctor or allergist to get a proper diagnosis and discuss the best course of treatment for your allergies. They can recommend specific medications and allergen reduction strategies.

What about desensitising the immune system to these allergens?

Desensitizing the immune system to allergens is exactly what allergy shots, also known as immunotherapy, do! It's a long-term treatment option for allergies, including those to cats and other animals.

Here's how it works:

• Gradual exposure: You'll receive gradually increasing doses of the allergen (cat dander in this case) through injections or sublingual tablets (placed under the tongue).
• Retraining the immune system: Over time, with repeated exposure to small amounts, your body learns to tolerate the allergen and stops overreacting to it.
• Long-term benefits: Immunotherapy can provide long-term relief from allergy symptoms, lasting for several years after treatment is complete.

Here are some things to consider about immunotherapy for cat allergies:

• Effectiveness: It's not a quick fix and can take up to three to five years to see significant improvement.
• Commitment: It requires a long-term commitment to regular treatment schedules.
• Not for everyone: It might not be suitable for everyone with allergies, especially those with severe allergies or other health conditions.

Consulting an allergist:

If you're interested in exploring immunotherapy for your cat allergies, consult with a board-certified allergist. They can assess your individual situation, determine if you're a good candidate for immunotherapy, and develop a personalized treatment plan.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Purina LiveClear to reduce sinusitis in cat owners

This is a quick note on a product which has been around for a while now, Purina LiveClear, a dry cat food which coats the cat allergen which causes an allergic reaction in people. This is a protein called Fel D1. And in coating this protein it prevents it having the same effect and irritating people who are sensitive to it. 

And one of the effects of cat dander on people who are allergic to cats is that their sinuses become inflamed. This is sinusitis. There are other symptoms such as sneezing and watery eyes et cetera. It depends upon the severity of the reaction in the allergic person.

But the point I want to make here is this: there may be a lot of people who are not formally diagnosed as being allergic to cats but their sinuses might be inflamed by the Fel D1 allergen without the person realising it.

Sinusitis is a very common condition as it affects around 10%-30% of people in the United States and Europe with chronic sinusitis affecting about 12.5% of people according to Wikipedia.

Purina LiveClear review

But as I said, there are different grades of severity of sinusitis and some people might suffer from minor sinusitis and it may be caused by cat dander

And what I'm proposing here is that in order to check if a cat owner is suffering from mild sinusitis they should purchase some Purina LiveClear and test it. Test whether their sinusitis decreases in severity while they feed their cat with this product.

My research indicates that the product is reasonably successful in its objective. That's based on reviews you can read online.

My feeling is that there are perhaps many thousands of people living with cats who don't know that they are in a minor way allergic to them. That's because their symptoms are so low level that they don't recognise the problem but their sinuses may be affected and this test will at least tick that box to make sure that they are not suffering unnecessarily..

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Cats can be allergic to humans just as humans can be allergic to cats

Cats can be allergic to human dander. I think this is something which we should recognise. The problem is there is little knowledge about the actual allergen in human dander which causes an allergic reaction in a human. There is more on dogs being allergic to humans than for cats which is pretty typical because dogs are always much better represented in medical research than cats.

I'm looking at a study right now (link - don't bother clicking on it as there is nothing there 😉) about perennial indoor allergens among them house dust mites and moulds. Human dander is an important constituent of house dust and house dust is a major cause of allergic reactions in dogs and I would suggest also in cats from time to time. We don't know how often human dander in house dust causes an allergic reaction in cats.

This sort of allergic reaction would fall under the category of an environmental allergen. That's because the human dander is in the air inside the home and lying around on the floor and furnishings.

In addition to environmental allergens, there are food allergens and flea allergens. Flea allergy dermatitis can occur in cats.

The problem with cats being allergic to humans is that we don't know much about it! And when cats are allergic to humans, the human caregiver might not know about it either! That's because the symptoms or signs of the allergic reaction might be slight just as they often are for humans when they are allergic to cats.

Normally when a dog or cat is allergic to humans the reaction will be atopic dermatitis commonly known as eczema. Eczema in cats and dogs can be brought about by human dander. For the sake of clarity, human dander is dead skin cells and bits of hair which have flown off the human or humans and end up in the environment including on furnishings.

Apparently, of the one in five dogs (20%) suffering with symptoms of an allergy, half of them will be allergic to human dander.

Atopic dermatitis is not uncommon cats but little is known about how frequently it is caused by human dander.

Sometimes cats can be allergic to several allergens at the same time one of which might be human dander.

The treatment of allergies in cats is complicated. It's going to require specialist analysis by a qualified veterinarian and/or scientist. Sometimes a veterinarian will prescribe antihistamines but I don't want to get into treatments because I'm not a qualified veterinarian.

The purpose of this post is to highlight the possibility that your cat might be allergic to you!

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Neglect your cat or dog's allergies long enough and you can be convicted of a crime

This is a story about a dog but it could be about a cat. It is also a story about a not untypical pet health problem namely allergies through allergens in the air or in what they eat. So were talking about a typical cat or dog caregiving situation. 

And in this story which comes from Australia, a fly-in fly-out (FIFO) worker (usually mining) and his wife failed to deal with their dog's allergies to the extent where the dog lost a lot of hair and had raised lumps and thickened, cracked and flaking skin. The dog had also developed an ear infection which was possibly associated with the allergy.

We don't know what kind of allergen caused the allergy but they are difficult to deal with and this dog required veterinary treatment at an early stage and perhaps ongoing veterinary treatment. But she was found in the backyard which was covered in faeces because the wife didn't like clearing up faeces.

The neglect was reported to the RSPCA of Western Australia probably by a neighbour. The couple were taken to court where they pleaded guilty to failing to take reasonable steps to prevent an animal from suffering harm. They were convicted therefore of animal cruelty and fined AU$2500 each and banned from owning any pets except for the three cats that they already had in their care.

The dog concerned, Ella, was taken off them and has been rehabilitated and rehomed. She is described as a sweetheart and everybody loved her at the RSPCA. It is hard to think about her suffering as occurred simply through a careless approach to pet caregiving and their lack of funding to deal with veterinary treatment.

The owner agreed that she had suffered with allergies her whole life. He appears to have excused himself to a certain extent by saying that the veterinary bills would have been too expensive.

Comment: what do we learn from this little story? Firstly, you got to have the money to do a good job of cat or dog caregiving. You cannot do it without sufficient funding. And that issue needs to be dealt with before you adopt a pet. It requires some seriously hard questions and answers by the person who wants to adopt a pet.

Secondly, simple neglect which might not feel like anything severe by the cat or dog owner but which becomes severe over a long period of time can be described as criminal behaviour. It'll be a sliding scale from minor neglect which would not be criminal to long-term neglect which can be and often is criminal.

Pet owners should realise that. It's a slippery slope perhaps. But there's no need to embark on that slippery slope. If a cat or dog owner faces the problem and deals with it honestly in admitting that they don't have the will or the money to care for their dog or cat properly then they should rehome the animal as soon as possible. 

They should surrender the animal ideally to an adopter of their choosing through a private arrangement as long as I know for sure that the other person is going to be a good cat or dog caregiver or through a shelter which should be of good quality and where euthanasia is a genuine last resort.

The bottom line is that this couple could have rehomed their dog years ago which would have avoided the pain and suffering she experienced. It would have also avoided their conviction for criminal behaviour and lastly, it would have eased their conscience if they have one for causing this cruelty. It required an honest self-appraisal.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Picture of bumps and scabs on a cat's ear caused by an allergic reaction

This picture of the external part of the ear of a domestic cat, called the pinna (ear flap), might be instructive to somebody. It shows bumps and some bloody areas. You might be able to guess what happened. The cat has scratched his ears because they were itching. This sort of condition is often caused by an allergy to something. 

Allergies are caused by allergens and there are a wide range of allergens in very many areas of the life of a domestic cat including in the air and environment generally, in their food, and household items, in chemicals around the house which you don't necessarily know exist and so on. It can be difficult for a veterinarian to work out which allergen is causing an allergic reaction in a domestic cat. They have to run a lot of tests.

I have a particular interest in this sort of ear flap damage as my late mother's Siamese cat, Suki, suffered from the same problem. She did not deal with it properly and promptly which irks me to this day knowing that it caused her cat so much distress.

Picture of bumps and scabs on a cat's ear caused by an allergic reaction. Photo: the cat's owner who remained anonymous.

The symptoms are distressing for a domestic cat because of intense itching. The cat scratches which breaks the skin. This may lead to a secondary bacterial infection and more problems. It's a case of self-mutilation. It's why cat owners need to act promptly to deal with allergies like this. It is called otitis externa: the external part of the air is inflamed in the form of bumps. It is not the whole area but just small parts of it.

A veterinarian diagnosed this condition online through the photograph. As this cat developed the problem during the summer months when he was outside in Atlanta, USA the veterinarian decided that it was a seasonal allergy caused by allergens such as pollen and grasses. She was able to discount other allergens such as those in food and around the house because of its seasonal nature.

But it might have been caused by a flea bite as some cats are allergic to flea bites. Or it might be caused by food and so on. It is just that it was possible to pin this one down more accurately because of its seasonal nature.

A secondary possibility was that the cat had been bitten by flies because he also had bumps on his nose. Fly bites are going to be seasonal as well for obvious reasons.

The picture is quite instructive because I think allergies which manifest themselves on a domestic cat's ear flaps are quite common. They look rather benign and not particularly important but they are. They cause itchiness which is very distressing if that itchiness is present all the time 24/7. Think about it and how it might feel if you had a persistent and powerful itch on your ear all the time.

Please deal with these sorts of illnesses quickly and see a veterinarian because it can be very difficult to self-diagnose domestic cat illnesses and conditions accurately. This condition is dealt with through a topical steroid cream which your veterinarian can provide recommend. 

But of course, the best treatment is proactive, namely to prevent your cat coming into contact with the allergen or allergens which cause the condition. In this instance it would probably be wise for the owner to keep her cat inside during the summer months which would be very difficult because he's got used to being outside enjoying the sun.