What to do if your child is allergic to cats.

Published 7 months ago

Sometimes circumstances in our lives develop in such a way that we have to decide to part with our beloved pets.

The reasons may vary, but no matter what the underlying cause, giving up a mustachioed purr is always difficult. In this article, specialists from the Murkosha shelter decided to deal with the most common reason for separation from our smaller brothers, namely, a child’s allergy to a cat.

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Are all cats allergenic?

In order to understand how high the risk is that you and your child will have an allergy to a kitten, let's first understand what an allergy is and what exactly can cause it. The Russian Ministry of Health defines allergy as a chronic disease caused by an inadequate, unwanted and unexpected reaction of the immune system to exposure to substances that usually do not cause illness and do not harm a person. Now let’s figure out what “substances” that can cause this disease are secreted by a cat.

Let us immediately make a reservation that the popular opinion that the source of allergies is cat fur is fundamentally wrong. Wool itself cannot cause an allergy, but the Felis Domesticus Allergen protein found on it can. It is he who is the source of all troubles. Small particles of this substance secreted by cats are found not only on the animal’s fur; the aggressive protein settles literally everywhere: in keratinized skin particles, in the cat’s saliva, in feces, on the claws, etc.

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Contrary to popular rumors, cats that do not secrete this protein do not exist.

According to published research from the American College of Allergy, all cats produce allergens and scientific studies have not shown that any felines are hypoallergenic. Thus, all cats are potentially allergenic. In any case, scientific research has not yet proven otherwise.

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How to understand that a cat is the source of an allergy in a child

The child has developed allergy symptoms. The most common among them are itching, redness, difficulty breathing, coughing, and tearing. Before jumping to hasty conclusions and rushing to get rid of your beloved pet, you need to figure out whether the kitten really caused the child’s allergy. After all, the symptoms of this disease are absolutely the same for all irritants, which include household chemicals, tobacco smoke, a number of products, and even the seasonal flowering of some plant species.

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It is especially important to understand this when the allergy occurs suddenly. That is, your child reacted absolutely calmly to the cat for some time, and one day the child’s body’s reaction suddenly became inadequate - the immune system failed.

The most correct decision in this situation would be to do an analysis for a specific allergen, in this case for the Fel D1 protein secreted by the cat.

Modern medicine will reliably determine the presence of a connection between an allergy and a pet, and also, in the case where the allergy-child-cat connection is not confirmed, will help to find the very negative substance that led to such consequences.

A specific analysis for an allergic reaction can be done in almost any laboratory, and it certainly should not be neglected for the sake of unfounded assumptions. Indeed, in case of a negative result, you will not only not part with your mustachioed pet, identify the correct cause of the baby’s allergic reaction, but also avoid psychological problems that often arise in children who, due to circumstances, are forced to part with their beloved little friends.

Is it possible to overcome a child's cat allergy?

Unfortunately, modern medicine has not yet found a universal cure for allergies. But don't despair ahead of time! To treat emerging symptoms, antihistamines are used, which help block unwanted reactions such as itching, skin rashes, swelling of the mucous membranes, etc. These drugs, coupled with other simple actions, make it possible for both the cat and the child to be quite comfortable in the same area.

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How can you not part with your cat?

The Murkosha shelter team is in a hurry to share a list of simple rules, following which you will not have to part with your pet:

Pay more attention to cleaning, especially wet cleaning.
Ventilate the room more often. By the way, this and the previous points are also relevant for allergy sufferers who react to dust.
Buy an air purifier.
Brush your cat more often - this way the fur will be spread around the apartment much less, and with it the specific allergen protein. This will significantly reduce the load on the child’s immune system. You can also invite a groomer and ask him to cut the cat's hair shorter.
Once a month, bathe your animal with a special shampoo that neutralizes allergenic proteins.
Limit your child's direct contact with the cat. It is best to block her access to the baby's bedroom. Together with other measures, this will reduce the child’s exposure to the allergen to almost zero.

You can't leave to part

You have probably heard this phrase more than once from “well-wishers”: “If a child is allergic to a cat, then get rid of it immediately!” The specialists of the Murkosha cat shelter urge not to make hasty conclusions and to look at the problem that has arisen from the angle of modern scientific research in this area.

The fact is that any allergy that arises by its nature is an immune failure, and our body reacts to each failure by mobilizing all its resources and strives to deal with the problem as soon as possible. That is, an allergy can not only be “defeated” (or, using the medical term, driven into deep remission), an allergy, with the right approach to its treatment, can also strengthen the baby’s body, helping the little person build a reliable barrier against other potential irritants.

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Thus, statistics say that in more than 95% of cases, with proper treatment, allergy symptoms disappear completely. That is, after 2-3 months of therapy, the child completely stops responding to the “cat stimulus.” In other words, treatment along with precautions (which we cited just above) will not only avoid parting with a pet that completely trusts you and at the same time guarantee the safety of the child, but will also strengthen the latter’s immunity.

On the contrary, modern research shows that children raised in “sterile” conditions, whose parents protected them from even minimal contact with potential allergens, have extremely weak immunity. As adults, they typically develop an allergic reaction from a variety of causes. And this is not to mention susceptibility to other diseases.

All this is a very powerful argument in favor of a correctly placed comma: you can’t break up, you can’t leave. After all, in the end, you will not only help the baby cope with this disease, but also preserve his peace of mind and love of life, which the little patient will most likely lose if you listen to the opinion of “well-wishers.”

In any situation you need to remain human

No matter what test life throws at us, in any situation, first of all, we need to remain human. Your child's allergy to a kitten is no exception. If the reality is that all the tried methods have not brought results and you still have to part with the animal, do everything possible to prevent the pet from ending up on the street. For example, in this case, you can agree with “Murkosha” to temporarily keep the cat in a shelter until specialists find a new home for it.

In conclusion, we would like to add: a child’s allergy to a cat is a nuisance for which there is no one to blame. But, like any other disease, allergies require an accurate diagnosis, so it is best to check the diagnosis of “allergy” with 2-3 specialists - after all, the child’s health also depends on it.

You should be especially alarmed if the doctor immediately, without special tests, declares an allergy and demands to get rid of the cat.

In this case, you definitely need to consult with another specialist, since the “solution” he offers is definitely not the only one and is not even always correct from a health point of view. Not to mention that there may be no allergies at all.

But even if an allergy occurs, in the vast majority of cases it is treatable. Don't give up on your pets, and one day your loved ones will say a double happy "thank you", even if one of them sounds like a quiet grateful "meow".

Poll Have you ever experienced an allergy to cats?