Can you be allergic to cats but not to dogs?

Yes, you can be allergic to cats and not to dogs but it is likely that you’ll be allergic to both but perhaps in varying degrees. You can also be allergic to dogs and not cats. People are more commonly allergic to cats.

Twice as many people are allergic to cats than to dogs

Chart: PoC.

There are five variables, (1) the allergen for cats is a protein in their saliva called Fel d1 (2) the allergen for dogs is a protein in their saliva called Can f1 (3) individual cats can produce a different strength of allergic reaction in people (4) individual dogs can create a different level of allergic reaction in people and (5) the susceptibility of a person to being allergic to cats and dogs is also an obvious factor.

All these factors working together means that people can be allergic to both cats and dogs, or one and not the other, and in varying degrees.

Personally, I am not allergic to cats but a stray male cat made me itch when he came into the room. This is an example of an individual cat apparently producing more allergen than another causing my immune system to react. He was unneutered and people are more likely to be allergic to unneutered male cats. I am not allergic to dogs, as far as I know. I also found that I got used to the stray who caused my allergic reaction so it subsided over time.

There is a lot of variation. It might be worth mentioning that there are no true hypoallergenic cats or dogs. They all have the allergens in their saliva but it seems to be in varying amounts.

You may have heard about Purina’s new cat food which coats the allergen which in turn nullifies its potency. That’s the only way I know of reducing the allergen at source other than an injection I wrote about. Other than that there are steps that you can take to minimise the worst effects.

MORE ON ALLERGY TO CATS:

Immunotherapy drops

Desensitizing babies to the cat allergen?

This is a discussion no more. I am thinking aloud but I'd suggest that more should be done to remove ...
Read More
Cat snuggles with baby. Beautiful and beneficial

Cat snuggles up to baby: beautiful and mutually beneficial (supported by science)

There is a TikTok video on the Internet of a beautiful cat snuggling up to his baby companion. The cat ...
Read More
Sheldon

Can you desensitize your immune system to the domestic cat allergen?

Another way of asking this question is: can a person who is allergic to domestic cats reduce his or her ...
Read More
Carmen and Emilio

Alec Baldwin’s regrettably false reason for not adopting a rescue cat for his daughter

Alec Baldwin, the well-known actor, and his wife Hilaria Baldwin, have in my considered opinion given a false reason for ...
Read More
Injection to cure allergy to cats

Allergy to cats VERSUS mild common cold symptoms

Depending on the severity, there might be a subtle difference between the symptoms due to an allergy to your cat ...
Read More
Yvie Jones covered in hives caused by a cat allergy

Yvie Jones says that a cat allergy gave her hives. Is she sure?

NEWS AND VIEWS (COMMENT): Yvie Jones says that she was cat sitting, looking after a kitten whose name is Audrey ...
Read More
Allergy to cats

How do I know if I have cat allergies?

I don't want to compete with veterinary websites but at present Google is not finding information which directly answers the ...
Read More
Christiane Panis is so allergic to cats that she usually wears a mask when she combs her cat’s fur.

Vaccinating cats to stop them causing an allergic reaction in people (2022)

This is a Swiss invention; a vaccine given to cats which neutralises the allergens inside cats. It prevents the allergens ...
Read More

Note: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified.

Michael Broad

Hi, I'm a 74-year-old retired solicitor (attorney in the US). Before qualifying I worked in many jobs including professional photography. I love nature, cats and all animals. I am concerned about their welfare. If you want to read more click here.

You may also like...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *