Allergy to cats: the main symptoms
Allergy to cats suffers a lot of people. Most fans of these pets, faced with this problem, are wondering whether it is possible to have a cat and not suffer from allergies at the same time? First, you need to understand why this reaction occurs and learn the ways of its treatment.
What are the causes of the allergy
Cats are twice as likely to cause allergies than dogs. Many mistakenly believe that with a problem such as an allergy to wool the symptoms will be exactly the same as with allergies to cats. However, in most cases, the causative agent of this disease is not the hair, but the animal itself, no matter whether it is long or short.
The causes of allergy to cats include:
- proteins that are contained in the saliva and urine of the animal act as irritants for a person suffering from allergies, as his immunity is usually reduced. For every allergen the body includes protection and in the event that the immunity is weakened, allergy to cats immediately manifests itself - the symptoms are presented as a side reaction of the organism's struggle with irritants;
- If you have a cat that walks in the street, more powerful pathogens such as pollen, mold, dust or fluff can get into the house with it.
Symptoms of
Each person reacts differently to cats, so there may be several or one of the following symptoms of allergy:
- runny nose, nasal congestion;
- constant sneezing;
- irritability and tearfulness of the eyes;
- attacks similar to asthma( wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath);
- redness of the skin in the place where there was contact with the cat.
Symptoms of the disease can manifest themselves differently: both immediately after contact with the animal, and a few hours after it. About 30% of people suffering from asthma, observe an exacerbation of symptoms after contact with the cat.
If you doubt whether there is an allergy in an infant to a cat, you can check it with caution. The constant contact of a child with an allergen can be useful, since it makes it possible in the future to exclude this disease from his life. It is important to know at the same time that if a baby is predisposed to this ailment and you notice any of its symptoms, it is recommended to protect any communication with the animal.
If you do not know how the allergy to cats shows up and are not sure if you have this problem, consult a doctor. Sometimes a cat may not be the culprit of an allergic reaction. In most cases, the expert will suggest simply for some time to remove the cat from your environment, for example, to give it to relatives or friends. In addition, it will be necessary to take skin tests and a blood test.
Complex treatment of
You already know that you have the disease for cats: what to do is probably the first question that you yourself will ask yourself. Basically, the treatment is carried out using standard methods that are applied both in a complex and separately, depending on the manifestations of the patient's allergy.
Traditional methods of treatment include:
- taking an antihistamine drug is a remedy for allergy to cats, which blocks chemicals that cause symptoms;
- use of decongestants. This medicine is taken only with complications in the form of edema or stagnation of mucus;
- taking drugs that have the effect of eliminating symptoms;
- application of a course of allergic injections.
A topical issue that worries allergy sufferers, which cats do not cause a reaction? However sad it may sound, there are no such cats in the world yet. There is an opinion that sphinxes can live peacefully with allergies, since they do not have wool, but this is not so - the reaction does not arise due to the cat's fur, but because of its saliva, dead skin cells and urine.
That's why cats that do not cause this disease, still remain a dream for pet lovers who have this health problem.