4 hours ago
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When I got a kitten in February, I thought I had done everything right.
I’d considered getting a cat for years and carefully thought through the decision. I am allergic to them, but I had lived with a cat before and managed symptoms like sneezing and itchiness with antihistamines. I rationalized that I’d probably be OK, especially if I found a “hypoallergenic breed” (more on that later).
Before adopting Chives, I went to visit him as a precaution. In a room positively suffused with feline effluvia, I rubbed the chipmunk-sized Russian blue kitten all over my face and inhaled deeply.
Chives might have been weirded out, but I was fine. I didn’t even sneeze!
Shortly thereafter, my partner and I brought him home. That’s when my immune system launched the nukes. My initial tolerance seemed to have been a fluke. Suddenly, I was a mess, sneezing and wheezing like a harmonica. My body was on alert and making mucus about it. I could not breathe through my nose, and I could not sleep, gasping for oxygen in the night. Plus, I was rashy. Chives? More like hives.
What causes cat allergies?
Cat allergies are among the most common allergies people suffer from – twice as many people are allergic to cats than to dogs. That’s due to a potent, allergenic protein in the feline biome called Fel d 1. When cats lick themselves, they bathe their hair and dander (skin flecks) in Fel d 1.
“The dander is small, airborne and sticky,” allergist Dr Farah Khan, a spokesperson for the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, tells me. It “settles on surfaces even if you’re doing a great job to manage the home environment”.
But Chives was supposed to be hypoallergenic, so why was I still flaring up? “Hypoallergenic cat” is “not a clinical term, it’s a marketing term”, Khan says. The descriptor is not legally regulated; it’s more a subjective concept, backed by anecdotal accounts of milder allergic reactions to certain breeds, and some very limited science.
Some breeds, like Russian blues and sphynxes, have genetic particularities – like dense, low-shedding coats or no fur, respectively. These can plausibly, but not definitively, reduce the spread of their saliva-coated schmutz. But every cat emits Fel d 1 in some quantity. Even within the same breed, Khan notes, two cats “may still cause a different set of symptoms and symptom severity” for different people, because of their naturally different biomes.
And contrary to common belief, coat color and sex are unreliable predictors of how allergenic a cat will be. However, some evidence suggests intact male cats produce more Fel d 1 and that neutering them reduces the amount of the allergy-causing protein, Khan says.
What are the treatment options for cat allergies?
Shortly after adopting Chives, I took him to the vet. She took one look at my beleaguered mien and strongly suggested rehoming him – quickly. I was concerned, offended and confronted with a dilemma. Would I be a bad person for rehoming this sweet kitten? Should I live with a cat I was very allergic to?
Dr Lisa Radosta, a Florida-based board-certified veterinary behaviorist, has been in my position. “I’m allergic to dog dander,” she told me. “There’s zero probability that I’m not going to live with a dog. I just questioned, what do I have to do?”
No one should be shamed for deciding to rehome a pet they’re allergic to so they can stay healthy, she says. But I wanted to do whatever I could to make it work. Results will vary for each individual. “The goal always is to have a detailed conversation with your allergist to come up with a personalized treatment plan,” says Khan.
At first I tried what I already had on hand: generic cetirizine and the odd Benadryl at night. They did nothing; I spent several days in full allergic meltdown.
Antihistamines, it turns out, are not all created equal. The diphenhydramine-based ones most of us reach for first, like Benadryl, are what allergists call first-generation antihistamines. They’re considered, in Khan’s words, “lousy” – with “lots of side effects”, like drowsiness and dizziness.
The better option, what most allergists now start with, are second-generation antihistamines: loratadine, cetirizine, fexofenadine. (The brand names – Claritin, Zyrtec and Allegra – might be more familiar.) These work faster, last longer and don’t cause sedation. They’re generally considered safe for long-term use, under supervision from a clinician. (In rare cases, stopping cetirizine after long-term use can cause rebound itching, which requires medical intervention.)
Prescription second-generation antihistamines, such as the fabulously named Rupall (rupatadine), are especially good at combating the main symptom of allergies: rhinitis, an inflammation triggered when you inhale allergenic particles, giving you a stuffy nose.
In order to breathe better, I’d also been reaching for an oxymetazoline nasal decongestant spray most nights. This, Khan told me, was not smart. Using a decongestant spray for more than a few days can trigger rebound congestion that won’t go away.
“I hate that they’re available over the counter,” she says, “because a lot of people use them to manage environmental and seasonal allergies without realizing they are not for long-term use.”
The more sustainable nasal option is a corticosteroid spray such as Nasonex or Flonase, which specialists say do not create physical dependencies, unlike decongestants. My doctor prescribed me Rupatadine and Nasonex. The combination helped immensely and immediately; I’ll have to take them continually for the foreseeable future. He said it was safe to take these drugs long term, but did advise that they may become less effective over time for some people, and keeping symptoms at bay may require “cycling” between different drugs under medical guidance. Check with your medical provider about what might work best for you.
Allergy shots can help some people overcome their allergies entirely, but results vary by individual. There is a considerable time commitment: one shot per week for up to five years. I got the ball rolling on these too.
Can you become less allergic to cats with exposure?
As I suffered, friends and family asserted that one can become less allergic to a particular cat over time. Sadly, Khan dispels that idea as (mostly) aspirational.
The notion probably comes from the so-called “farm effect”: that if you are exposed to animals early in life, your immune system “learns to tolerate them instead of identifying them as potentially something to have allergic symptoms to”, she says.
It is possible that, when exposed to cat allergens consistently, your body could start producing anti-inflammatory antibodies, lessening the allergic response. But that depends on your genetics; it’s unpredictable, Khan says.
Does feeding or cleaning a cat differently make it less allergenic?
New cat food products like Purina Liveclear and Pacagen claim to reduce allergens by neutralizing Fel d 1 in your pet’s mouth.
Evan Zhao, a chemical engineer, founded Pacagen after his wife experienced severe allergies to the cat they brought home during the pandemic lockdown. Zhao says Pacagen, a food additive, was developed with the goal of masking the part of Fel d 1 that the immune system recognizes as a toxin.
Khan considers the research on allergen-reducing food products “patchy”, but doesn’t discourage patients who find them helpful. I’ve been adding Pacagen to Chives’ food – it’s hard to tell if it’s working, due to all the other measures I’m taking, but I like the idea of covering my bases.
Allergen-reducing sprays and wipes are available, with some intended to be applied directly to a cat’s coat. Radosta cautions pet owners to look for research on the manufacturer’s website, contact them for additional information about their product and, most importantly, to talk to your vet before using anything that could affect your cat’s health.
What’s the best way to remove allergens from the home?
The most impactful environmental intervention, according to Khan, is keeping the cat out of the bedroom. I worried that this would impede bonding, but Radosta encouraged me not to feel guilty. “Your cat has a lot of other time with you outside of sleeping,” she says.
Hepa air filters, unscented and pet-safe cleaning products, and frequent vacuuming can reduce, but not totally eliminate, dander. Washing your hands after contact with the cat is a ground rule. I found showering before bed helped rinse away allergens so I wasn’t marinating in them all night.
Now, approaching five months into life with Chives, my allergy symptoms have vastly improved. I’m breathing clearly – a huge relief. Am I still a bit itchy? Sometimes. Do I get hives where his claws have dug into my skin? Yes. I try not to rub my face in his fur, but I can’t resist planting the occasional smooch on his little ears.
