I'm allergic to cats, but some people's cats don't affect me as strongly as others. Why is this?
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ANSWERS: 3
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A couple of thoughts come to mind. Firstly, the cat allergy is almost certainly due to the cat dander - dried aerosolised saliva from the cat. Different cats could produce different amounts of dander which may be an explanation. Another option is that, just as all cats look different, they may have subtly different allergens in their saliva, and you simply don't react as strongly to one as another. I too have noticed the same effect in the past, where one cat can make me wheeze and my eyes water, but another doesn't affect me at all. Another thing to consider is that your own tolerance to the allergens in the saliva can vary, so that one day you are more sensitive than another, for example if there is also smoke in the air, you have a cold or other allergies that are being triggered at the same time.
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Franco333 I would imagine genetics come into play where allergens are concerned....both yours and the cats.
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That is an unknown. I have ywo friends with asthma so cats make them very sick. They wanted a cat so they went to the animal shelter with their inhalers and had one cat cat brought in to the meet and greet room. They played until one of them sneezed and they tried another cat. They finally found one a long hair which surprised me. They've had the cat about 5 years everybody is happy. They did the same thing with their previous cat. I have never heard why most cats will cause an allergic reaction in someone but some might not or wont.
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not sure why, im supposed to be allergic to cats too but they dont affect me either
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