There is an inordinate amount of information on the Internet about how people can be allergic to their cat. As I understand it, about 10%, or perhaps more, of the human population are allergic to cats. I wonder whether a person’s allergy to the domestic cat is an accident of nature or whether it was designed by nature.
Anyway, do we ever consider the possibility that the opposite may occur? There is no reason why it should not. The problem is this. We do not know enough about cat allergies to really understand whether there is something on us that may cause an allergic reaction in a cat.
Our skin is home to a community of microorganisms. There is a range of bacteria on our skin. This is called skin flora. Apparently, there are around 1000 species of bacteria on human skin. The total number of actual bacteria is estimated to be 1 trillion. This bacteria is not normally harmful to us but benefits us. We do not know whether this bacteria has any impact upon our cat. It seems unlikely. However, it is washed off frequently, usually daily and we do know that chemicals in the products that we use and which remain on our skin can cause an allergic reaction in our cat.
Cosmetics and topical medicaments contain preservatives which can cause an allergic reaction in the people using them. Cats tend to be more sensitive to these chemicals than dogs, it seems. As many as 10% of the users of these products may suffer an allergic reaction. Is it beyond the bounds of possibility that a cat may also suffer an allergic reaction in the same way to some of these preservatives? A cat’s skin is not exposed but cats, as we know, are vulnerable because of their fastidious grooming.
A well known chemical that is most often used by women is perfume and which may cause an feline allergic reaction. Another chemical can also make a cat ill. This is a product called Evamist spray. This product delivers a low dose of oestrogen through a woman’s skin which then finds its way to the bloodstream. It reduces hot flushes during menopause. It has been reported to be harmful to children and companion animals.
The soaps that we use and the detergents with which we clean clothes may contain chemicals which can cause an allergic reaction in our cat.
Whereas the cat allergen, to which we can be allergic, is in the cat’s saliva which the cat deposits on his or her fur when she grooms, in the case of people it is usually cleaning products which we deposit on our skin when we wash ourselves. It is these products which may cause an allergic reaction in a cat.
Regrettably, there is very little hard information about allergic reactions in cats as a result of the chemicals that we use on ourselves and in the home.
In previous articles, I have referred to lead in clothing accessories that we might wear and a plethora of chemicals within carpets as potential health hazards.
As can be seen, it could be argued that the cat is bombarded with a wide range of chemicals of all sorts from the garden and house cleaning products to the products that we use on ourselves, which may contribute to these rather mysterious cat allergies which veterinarians sometimes have difficulty in diagnosing. Perhaps, 10% of cats suffer from an allergy caused by something on a human.
Picture: Boston Public Library
Thanks Jo, I’ll look it up now.I wonder if Jozef’s is a form of rhinitis? It doesn’t bother him at all, he is never ill or unhappy, I think it bothers us more worrying about him.
Our vets have no answers for us 🙁 I wish we had a holistic vet here
I’ll tell ya’.
A lot of males, no matter what species, are sex driven creatures.
Even neutered or in extreme old age, they still try, silly gooses.
Opps I forgot- Ruth- it is a product that is for humans- but my vet has been using it rather extensively- not only for her own family, but for cats as well.
Ruth,
The name of the remedy is Natrium Homaccord. The remedy is to help hoarseness, dry airways and Rhinitis. It can be found on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Heel-Natrium-Homaccord-50-ml/dp/B000VYXAUM
I bet they ship overseas.
It costs about $25.00 US
No we have never smoked and we are very careful about everything we use in the house, it’s very worrying that Jozef started this sneezing and coughing over a year ago now, but then last Summer it got worse and the different vet we saw didn’t just brush us off as neurotic because no vet could find anything wrong with him. Remember he’d even had xrays and tests!
The steroids do help but he still sneezes.
However we recently discovered a damp patch on the wall he liked to sit against on a green cat bed, wondering now if that started it off? We immediately moved his bed of course and will have to treat that wall, although a lot of our house is damp with all the rain here and now we wonder if it ever had a damp course put in. The paint to stop damp is very strong smelling, we had to do the staircase with it last year.
We are always very very careful and Walter isn’t at all affected like Jo is.
This floor is cement so we do need a carpet down, we had this one new 6 months before Jo started sneezing.
It all worries us very much! It isn’t our own house and we are unable to move, it’s such an ideal place to live too for cats who love their freedom, we just don’t know what to do.
Ruth, you can tell that cat allergies are hard to diagnose because veterinarians often perhaps nearly always prescribe steroids when the ideal way to proceed would be to isolate the cause of the allergy which is almost impossible to do.
I am sorry to hear that Jozeph has sneezing bouts which appears to be caused by an allergy. It seems to be a sort of hayfever. People take antihistamine medication for hay fever. The book I have refers to this as a nasal allergy which is characterised by periodic bouts of sneezing that last a short time and which tend to recur day to day.
It is caused by environmental irritants and allergens. Dust and pollen are common causes the book says and that carpet cleaner, deodorant, sprays, laundry soap could be the cause of nasal irritation. This may not be a true nasal allergy but simply an irritant. Antihistamines can be prescribed for this condition.
Another cause is cigarette smoke but as far as I’m aware neither are you smoke. I always think carpets contain lots of stuff that can cause problems and although we love carpets I sometimes wonder whether people who have cats should have carpets. I’ve got a carpet myself but it is not a fitted carpet. I have a wooden floor.