How Can Purina Pro Plan Liveclear Cat Food Help With Cat Allergies
Purina Pro Plan LiveClear is a new cat food designed to safely neutralise the Fel d 1 allergen in your cats saliva, reducing the amount of active Fel d 1 they release into your home. A key ingredient in the food, a specific protein sourced from eggs, binds to the Fel d 1 in your cats saliva as they eat. When they groom, neutralised Fel d 1 is spread onto their skin and fur. The food has been proven to reduce the active allergen on cat hair and dander from the third week of daily feeding*. It is completely safe for your cat as the key ingredient is simply digested by them like any other protein. The food also offers great-tasting nutrition. To find out more about Purina Pro Plan LiveClear, visit www.purina.co.uk/proplan/liveclear
Purina is offering Cats Protection supporters an exclusive 20% discount for their first purchase of Pro Plan LiveClear. Simply visit their website, create your account, select the right product for the life-stage of your cat and use the promotional code: CATSPRO2021 at checkout**
For more help and advice about cats and allergies, visit www.cats.org.uk/cats-and-allergies
What To Do About A Litter Allergy
- One of the first steps necessary to address a cat litter allergy is to change the litter entirely. Look for a litter that has none of the ingredients used in your cats current litter. To accomplish this, youll probably need to change litter types entirely for example, if youre using clay litter, switching to pine or corn litter can help.
- Before you use the new litter, thoroughly clean out your cats litter box. Give it a good scrubbing to ensure you remove all the dust from the previous litter. Youll also need to clean all the areas of your house where the litter dust could have been tracked. This means cleaning your floors, your carpets, your cats bed, cat tree, and any other areas where he likes to go after using the litter box.
- Change your cats litter over to the new litter and then prioritize frequent cleaning. Vacuuming and sweeping up often can help reduce the allergens in your home. Monitor your cat for signs of symptom improvement to see if the litter change helped.
Editors’ Recommendations
Reducing Exposure To Cats
While medical treatment can help control cat allergies, the best approach is simple: avoid cats and their dander. Here are some tips.
- Don’t touch, hug, or kiss cats. It should be obvious, but some people think a little cat contact is OK. It isn’t.
- Beware of visitors who own cats. Even if your house guests leave their cats at home, they can bring the dander with them on their clothing and luggage. This indirect exposure can cause serious cat allergy symptoms in some people.
- Plan. If you have to stay in a house with cats, ask that the cat be kept out of the room in which you will sleep for a few weeks before you arrive. Also, start taking allergy medication a few weeks beforehand. Once an allergic reaction gets started, it can be tough to control. But taking medicine can prevent it from happening in the first place.
But what if you already own a cat? Here’s the most sensible advice: if you or a family member has cat allergies, you shouldn’t have a cat in the home.
Of course, such harsh advice may not be easy to follow. What if your kids have already fallen in love with a kitten? What if you intended to never, ever part with your cat? If the cat has to stay, there are other things you can try.
While these techniques might help, they may not be enough. As hard as it might be, if keeping your cat is putting your health — or a family member’s health — at risk, you have to consider giving it up.
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Test For Allergies To Cats
Do you suspect you may have a cat allergy? Before you plan on what to do next, it is important to discuss your allergy with a GP or health professional. This is particularly important if you have other allergic conditions, such as asthma, rhinitis or eczema.
Your GP or health professional may refer you for testing to confirm whether or not you have an allergy to cats. This can be done by a blood test and/or skin prick testing. In some cases, referral to an allergy specialist may be needed.
Vacuum And Dust Regularly
Vacuuming and dusting arent time-consuming tasks, and they will help keep cat dander in your living space to a minimum. Make sure to use a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner; otherwise you run the risk of sending cat dander airborne and exacerbating the problem. Also, make sure to change the filter on your furnace regularly.
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Picking The Right Breed
To have the greatest success it’s important to choose the right breed of cat to own. Several breeds of cat have far fewer allergy inducing dander and skin than other breeds. Cats that are safer for owners include Cornish Rexes, LaPerm, Oriental Shorthairs, and Devon Rex. These breeds are safer to own than other breeds when you are allergic to dander, because their fur has fewer layers. This means that there is less dander and less fur to fly around, so people with dander allergies are able to tolerate them much better.
The Sphinx cat, which is nearly hairless is one of the most popular breeds for people with dander allergies, while the Siberian is less likely to cause allergies for people allergic to the glycoprotein found in the saliva and skin, because their saliva has very low levels of Fel D1. There are nohypoallergenic cats; cats that have been bred to show distinctive hypoallergenic traits, such as a lack of the allergy causing protein or different fur. Be wary of breeders or pet shops who make this claim.
Your Face Feels Swollen & Slightly Painful
Another sign of allergies that you might overlook is your face feeling kind of swollen, puffy, and sightly painful. This can happen when you’re very congested. Sometimes that congestion doesn’t come out as a sniffly nose; instead it just causes head congestion that leaves you feeling swollen, foggy, and kind of odd.
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If Youre Allergic To Your Cat Does That Mean You Have To Get Rid Of Him By No Means Making Some Changes To Your Lifestyle And Your Cats Can Help Fix The Problem
Sneezing, a runny nose, and watery itchy eyes. Your doctor says youre allergic to your cat. But dont panic this doesnt mean you have to find another home for your beloved feline friend. Read on for some lifestyle changes you can make, for yourself and your cat, to help you feel better. It takes commitment, but with patience and persistence, it can be done.
How To Treat A Cat Allergy
The best way to deal with any allergy, cat allergy included, is to avoid the allergen as much as possible.
But because for many people, a cat is more a part of the family than just a pet, getting rid of it is usually the last resort. If that is the case and you have a member of the family with a cat allergy, you can take some extra precautions to minimize the risk of an allergy attack. Precautions such as:
- Brushing your pet outside to rid it of dander and avoid dander in the house
- Wash your pet regularly
- Do not let the cat enter the bedroom of the allergic individual. You can also limit the places in the house the cat is allowed to go to
If avoiding the allergen is not feasible, then medical treatment is recommended.
This means taking antihistamines to block the effect of histamines , corticosteroids to treat the symptoms, and at times a decongestant. The good thing is that allergy medication is available over the counter so you dont necessarily have to go to your doctor for a prescription.
One medical treatment for cat allergies that is fast gaining popularity is immunotherapy. This simply means getting cat allergy shots to help minimize the allergic reaction to cats.
These allergy shots desensitize you to the allergens that are responsible for triggering the allergic reaction.;
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Cat Allergy Quiz Explained
You might be curious as to why these questions were asked let me explain.
#1 Children raised with pets are less likely to have allergyto them.
#2 If youre experiencing allergy symptoms and have a cat,it might be the culprit.
#3 Black cats are known to produce more allergy-causing dander .
#4 Most people experience cat allergy indoors, if you feelbetter outside it might be a clue.
#5 If you are allergic to other things, pollen for example,the chances of developing additional allergies are increased.
#6 Do you experience allergy symptoms when youre aroundcats? This is the most obvious reason you might have allergy.
#7 There tend to be genetic factors with allergy, eczema,and asthma.
#8 Allergies can pop up during pregnancy or after giving birth this surprised a lot of women
#9 If you have cats and have a dusty house, it could becausing allergy symptoms.; Dont forgetto clean .
Best Cat Breeds For People With Allergies
Randa is a writer & former assoc. digital content editor at the American Kennel Club. She’s also mom to 1 Corgi & 2 orange cats.
Hives, sneezing, swollen or itchy eyes anyone with an allergy to cats will easily recognize the symptoms of a reaction. And if youre allergic to cats, you probably know someone else who is too.;
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America , as many as three in 10 people with allergies in the U.S. are allergic to cats or dogs. In fact, cat allergies, the AAFA reports, are about twice as common as dog allergies.
Nevertheless, you might be looking for a friendly feline to join your family and are wondering if there are cats better-suited for allergy sufferers after all, theres always talk about the best hypoallergenic dogs. What about the best hypoallergenic cats?
Although no cats are truly non-allergenic, some breeds are said to produce fewer allergens compared to others. Read on through our list of the 10 best hypoallergenic cat breeds to learn more.
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Purina Institute Cat Allergen Diet Study
The Swiss scientists arent the only ones hoping to bring a cat de-allergenator to market.
Purina has taken a different approach to tackling the Fel d1 protein. They are working to neutralize the allergen through a cats diet.
The company recently published a study explaining how an egg product ingredient can be introduced to a cats diet to help neutralize the major cat allergen, Fel d1.
The concept is similar to the vaccine, with the goal being to decrease levels of active Fel d1 found in cat saliva.
While Purinas study did not yet incorporate humans allergic response rates, an encouraging 86% of cats saw at least a 30% reduction from the baseline Fel d1 levels.
Purina has not yet made any statements about when consumers should expect to see a cat food product that utilizes the special egg protein.
Keep Your Cats Favorite Sleeping Spots Off
Felines are creatures of habit and usually have a couple of favorite spots where they groom the most, right before taking a nice nap. When cats groom, they transfer allergens from their saliva to their skin, which dries and creates dander that can settle on fabric or become airborne.
Needless;to say, if youre allergic, your cats nap area of choice is not the best place for you to lounge. Throw a washable blanket over her favorite sleeping spots to easily clean away the allergens. Another strategy: Make the cats bedroom the same room you used to transition her when you brought her home, says;Kate Stryker, a Siberian cat breeder from Buffalo, New York.
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Can You Die From A Cat Allergy
Ten percent of the human population has pet allergies, and cat allergies are twice as common as dog allergies. If youre one of those allergic individuals, you may be wondering if a cat allergy can actually kill you.
Cat allergies, like any other allergy, can be mild, moderate, or severe. There are a range of symptoms that affected people can experience. Some break out in hives, others get stuffy noses and sneeze, and others even have trouble breathing. But can a cat allergy be so severe that it could be considered lethal?
Here is everything you need to know about cat allergies and whether they can actually kill you.
Cat Allergy Tips For Parents
Growing up in London, England, we had a cat, as well as other animals including rabbits, chicken and one tortoise. Since then, we have carried on the tradition with two to three cats at any given time. You can imagine my surprise when my daughter moved away from home only to find out that she is highly allergic to cats!
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Laundry And Washing Till The Cows Moo
As cats love rubbing themselves on absolutely everything, chances are your clothes are riddled with hair and dander. Doing your laundry regularly can eliminate this for the most part, as the washing cycle kills all allergens hiding in your clothes.
A handy lint roller can also help remove any hair sticking to your clothes while washing your hands after interacting with puss can remove any irritants that might stick to them.
What To Do If You’re Allergic To Your Pet
If you could snap your fingers and make your allergies disappear, you’d probably do it in a second. But what if your pet is the cause of your watery eyes, sneezing, and runny nose? Suddenly that oh-so-simple decision becomes a much tougher call. For some, the psychological misery of giving up a pet may outweigh the everyday misery of allergy symptoms.
The problem starts with dander, one of the most stubborn and common allergens. Cats, dogs, and other furry or feathered pets produce dander, which consists of microscopic, dandruff-like flakes of skin and proteins from saliva and urine that can trigger allergies and aggravate asthma. If you’re allergic to dander, the easiest route to allergy relief is to find your pet a new home.
In fact, thats what most doctors will tell you to do. Yet this advice is rarely welcomed or followed, even when the pet is causing serious problems. Some families cant fathom giving away their petit’s almost like giving away one of their children, says Anne Miranowski, MD, an allergist at the Pediatric Lung Center in Fairfax, Va. I see some children where exposure to their three cats is clearly making them sick, and the family insists on keeping all three cats.
Physicians and health organizations recognize the attachment that people have to their pets. If a family is unwilling to remove a pet, experts recommend a host of alternative measures, such as limiting contact between the pet and the allergic person and using air cleaners.
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Am I Allergic To Cat Hair
To help you understand how these new treatments would work, let me quickly break down cat allergies.
If you are amongst the 1 in 5 people worldwide who suffer a range of allergic symptoms when youre near a cator even near someone who has a catyour allergies are actually NOT caused by the animals fur.
This is why a short-haired cat likely invokes the same allergic response as a long-haired Persian cat.
The culprit behind your sneezing and wheezing and puffy eyes is a protein in a cats saliva and sebaceous glands . That glycoprotein is called Fel d1.
When cats groom themselves, some hairs break loose and become airborne. The offending protein in the salivathat Fel d1 allergenis carried on the hairs, so they become distribution vehicles for the potent allergen thats causing your inflammatory response.
Can You Become Allergic To Your Cat If You Werent Before
Most allergies occur in childhood or as a teenager if youve previously lived with a cat in your family and didnt display allergy symptoms, it is likely that youll be fine as an adult. However, in rare cases, there is a chance that adults who lived with cats as children can develop allergy symptoms.
Sometimes, when someone has lived with an allergen for a prolonged period , they become tolerant to that particular pet. Then, when they are re-exposed to a different cat as an adult, they develop symptoms.
While this is rare, this can explain why some people feel that their allergy symptoms come on quickly with no notice. In addition, different cats produce different levels of allergen, meaning humans can be more or less sensitive to different cats. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to manage your cat allergy symptoms.
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Why Cleaning Is So Important When It Comes To Pet Allergies
Only having your pets in areas with hard floors and furniture though it may tug at your heartstrings at times will make it easier for you to clean, which Dr. Hong says you should do often. She also suggests using a damp cloth or using damp floor wipers to make sure those surfaces are as clean as possible. And for those areas where you have a carpet or rug, vacuum frequently.
Air filters can also be helpful to limit the spread and exposure to those proteins. Dr. Hong notes that she has several patients that abide the no pets in the bedroom policy and still place air filters there to help keep the air as clean and clear as possible.
But the extra cleaning should also extend to your pets, says Dr. Hong. If you can, bathe your pets regularly to help keep the protein-impacted dander to a minimum. That also goes for brushing your pets fur to keep excess fur to a minimum. Just remember to brush them outside so none of the fur or dander lingers in your house.;
And if your pet, particularly dogs, go outside a lot, its best to wipe them down when they come in. If you have pollen allergies, your pet can get covered in it when they go outside, says Dr. Hong. When they come inside, theyll be bringing all that pollen with them. So if you wipe them down before they come in, you can at least keep them from bringing too much into your home.