Having allergies can be a really frustrating problem if you’re an animal lover. You might be surprised to know that pet allergies affect up to 20% of the world’s population.

Cats have been reported to be the second most common cause of respiratory indoor allergies in people. Even so, many people with known pet allergies still want to be able to have a cat or dog in their lives. And those that do discover that they or another family members are allergic to pets, don’t want to give up their pets. So, is there a way that pets and their allergic owners can live happily together?

To help you understand about pet allergies and pet allergy symptoms, we have joined up with Vetstream, experts in the veterinary field. We’ve put together some useful information to help you understand the symptoms, the allergens that trigger allergic reactions, how to treat or manage a pet allergy, as well as the low down on hypoallergenic cats and dogs.

What Are the Pet Allergy Symptoms?

If you’ve got a pet allergy and have been having a cuddle with a cat or dog, you might have a reaction straight away, but sometimes it can take a few hours for signs to appear. You can even have a reaction while avoiding pets, as the allergens (the stuff that causes the allergy like hair or dandruff) can be present in the air, on the sofa, on the carpet, or even on your clothes.

If you have an allergy, you’ll soon recognise the common signs like sneezing, runny nose, red/watery or itchy eyes and coughing or wheezing. Some people also suffer from nasal congestion or a post-nasal drip (often known as allergic rhinitis) or red, itchy skin (where the skin has been exposed to the allergen). This allergic skin rash is also called hives. Pet allergies can also trigger asthma in severe cases.

What Triggers an Allergic Reaction?

An allergic reaction is triggered by an allergen. Some people have immune systems that are over- sensitive to certain things and then reacts by producing antibodies to the allergen which we all know as an allergic reaction. 

The main cat allergens that cause an allergy are known as Fel d 1. Fel d 1 is a protein found in saliva and sebaceous glands in the cats’ skin. Small amounts can also be found in cat tears, anal gland secretions and urine. Fel d 1 is shed via the cat’s dander (flakes of skin, debris, and dried saliva) into the surroundings they live in when they groom themselves.

Cat allergens can stay in the air, stick to clothes and furniture, or settle as dust. The same thing happens with dog allergens. Proteins in the dog’s saliva, urine and dander can trigger an allergic reaction. Being allergic to cats is much more common that being allergic to dogs! Consider taking an allergy test to get to the bottom of what's causing a reaction in you.

Are There Different Allergic Reactions to Cats and Dogs

Allergies to cats and dogs are triggered by the allergens found in your pet’s dander, saliva, and urine. While dog allergy symptoms are very similar to cat allergy symptoms, cat allergies are twice as common and are usually more severe than dog allergies, due to the Fel d 1 proteins. 

Everyone is different and you might only have the odd sneeze or have itchy eyes if you have a pet allergy. Others might have more severe reactions like not being able to breathe properly or in severe cases pets might even trigger an asthma attack.

If you think you have a pet allergy, there are lots of things you can do to help manage it, so don’t despair!

Treatments for Dog and Cat Allergies

A bit like other allergies, the best way of managing them includes reducing your exposure to the allergen, medications like antihistamines, and/or immunotherapy. These will all help you to cope with a pet allergy.

Here are some handy tips:

• Remove pet from home: not usually an option for most pet owners… we love our pets too much!
• Limiting access to certain rooms: make bedrooms pet-free zones.
• Grooming: brush your pet’s coat outside to remove any dander-covered hairs, especially if they have a long coat or if they shed lots.
• Bathing your pet: this isn’t really appropriate for a cat but bathing a dog once or twice a week will help reduce the amount of dander they shed around the house. You can also buy special wipes to remove the dander from your pet’s coat, this might be a better/easier option if you have a cat.
• Medication: antihistamines, nasal sprays and eye drops are all available to buy over the counter. If none of these work, your doctor will be able to help you with a prescription for an allergy medication that works for you.
• Immunotherapy: also known as allergy shots - over time this treatment retrains your immune system to tolerate the allergens that you’re allergic to.

Keep the House Clean

• Keep windows open as much as possible to avoid a build-up of allergens – ventilation is the name of the game.
• Replace carpets with hard flooring - allergens can’t accumulate on hard surfaces as much as they can in carpets.
• Wash hard surfaces and floors frequently.
• Wash bedding, curtains and any other soft furnishings like cushion covers and throws.
• Vacuum floors and furniture a couple of times a week - a vacuum cleaner with a special high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter will do a great job when it comes to pet hair and dander.
• Other options you could consider are using a HEPA air filter in the house and a laminar airflow over beds at night to reduce allergen levels in your home.
• Always clean your cat’s litter box after they’ve used it.

It’s really important to always wash your hands after touching your pet and don’t rub your eyes.

There have been some exciting new developments to reduce cat allergies. One of these is a new veterinary diet that neutralises the Fel d 1 in cats. This means that even though the cat still produces the allergen, people with cat allergies won’t have a reaction to it.

A cat vaccine has also been developed that reduces the amount of to Fel d 1 secreted by the cat. Studies have shown that the vaccine’s works well, but more testing is needed before it can be made commercially available.

I Have Allergies but Want a Pet, What Can I Do?

The good news is that it’s still possible have a pet even if you have an allergy. It will mostly involve keeping your home extremely clean to keep dander to a minimum. Grooming your pet outside regularly and if you have a dog bathing them more often might help.

If you haven’t got a pet yet but would like one, it might be worth investigating which breeds are a better choice for allergy sufferers. There are plenty of cat and dog breeds that are considered less allergenic than others.

It's also worth asking your doctor if they can confirm if you’re actually allergic to dogs or cats (and not something else). They can do this using a simple skin prick test. If it’s positive, then be able to prescribe medication such as antihistamines or allergy shots immunotherapy treatment to help keep your allergies under control.

Are There Any Hypoallergenic Pets?

People often think that pet allergies are caused by cat or dog hair, that short-haired breeds don’t shed much, or hairless breeds don’t cause allergies. Unfortunately, none of these are true. There’s no such thing as a hypoallergenic, anti-allergy or an allergen-free pet. All dogs and cats produce the allergens in their saliva, dander and urine that trigger pet allergies.

Dog Breeds for Allergy Sufferers

Some breeds tend to be less allergenic than others, like those with short hair, no hair, those that have single coats and those that don’t shed much. This may be true, but it doesn’t mean that you won’t have an allergic reaction to those breeds.

Here is a list of breeds that are considered less allergenic:

1. Bedlington Terrier
2. Bichon Frise
3. Bouvier Des Flandres
4. Dandie Dinmont Terrier
5. Italian Greyhound
6. Lagotto Romagnolo
7. Lakeland Terrier
8. Miniature Schnauzer
9. Poodle
10. Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

If you want a larger dog, then the Labradoodle, Portuguese Water Dog, or Giant Schnauzer are also contenders.

Cat Breeds for Allergy Sufferers

The best choice of cat breed will be one that might produce less Fel d 1 than other breeds. These breeds will hopefully cause less allergy symptoms. Regardless of breed, the best reduction in Fel d 1 is by not having an entire male, as their levels of Fel d 1 are much higher than neutered males or females.

Here’s a list of cat breeds that are considered less allergenic:

1. Balinese
2. Bengal
3. Burmese
4. Cornish Rex
5. Devon Rex
6. Javanese
7. Oriental Shorthair
8. Russian Blue
9. Siberian
10. Sphynx

This list is just a few of the most common breeds you’re likely to come across. There are many other more obscure cat breeds that also produce less Fel d 1, but there are too many to list here!

There are lots of ways to reduce your exposure to pet allergens so you can control any cat or dog allergies. By putting this advice into action, most people with an allergy will be able to keep their pet while managing their symptoms and live happily together!

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Content provided from Vetstream's Vetlexicon Canis and Felis - www.vetlexicon.com/treat/canis and www.vetlexicon.com/treat/felis

Vetlexicon is the world’s largest peer-reviewed online clinical reference source. All our content is written and peer-reviewed by over 1,000 of the world’s leading veterinarians, ensuring relevance, accuracy and quality.