Help For Parents And Children Dealing With A Child Cat Allergy

All of the regular symptoms of allergies can be present in a child with a cat allergy; it takes a process of elimination, treatment, and sometimes testing to determine the exact cause of a child's allergy. When a child has an itchy or runny nose, watery, itchy eyes, wheezing, redness, rash, or hives, it is time to start looking for the cause. When these symptoms seem to be related to time spent with the family cat, chances are good that the cause is the pet.

The Cause Of Cat Allergies

For a long time, people assumed, and many still often do, that child cat allergies result from an allergy to the cat's hair. In reality, the product is not usually the hair, but a protein released by the cat's body called Fel d 1. Fel d 1 is excreted by the cat's sebaceous glands and is present in the cat's dander (shed skin flakes). This allergenic protein is also found in cat saliva, blood, urine, and anal glands, so being licked by a cat or changing the litter box can cause a reaction in a child with a cat allergy. The secreted protein can be carried on cat hair, too.

The dander and substances cats secrete are stickier than those of other animals, so cat allergies can often be worse than other animal allergies; this is the simple result of prolonged exposure to cat allergens since cat dander travels easier on clothing and is harder to clean up. This is exacerbated by the fact that cats produce Fel d 1 in large quantities and shed it regularly through their ongoing habit of grooming.

Proliferation of cat allergen also makes diagnosing a child cat allergy difficult; since allergens can be anywhere in public where cat lovers are, and cat dander can remain in a home for months even after the cat has vacated the premises, diagnosing child cat allergy by elimination is no easy task. It is said that because cat dander travels easily on people, even homes with no cats—homes that have never had cats—can be contaminated with cat dander.

Life With A Child Cat Allergy

The best treatment option for a child cat allergy is prevention of attack via avoidance of the trigger; but that's not such an easy decision for many children and families.

Allergy medicines can be helpful at relieving child cat allergy symptoms, but in homes with multiple cats allergy medications cannot always keep up completely. Allergy shots are good options for a child with a cat allergy if the treating physician feels they are in the child's best interest.

In combination with medical therapies, taking steps to reduce cat allergens and minimize exposure are necessary if a family decides to try keeping the cat in the home of a child with a cat allergy. These measures can help:

• Spay or neuter the cat—Fel d 1 production is hormonally influenced
• Wash/bathe the cat 1-2 times each week
• Wipe the cat down with a wet cloth daily
• Vacuum daily using a HEPA filtered vacuum cleaner
• Treat any other allergies to reduce symptoms to a tolerable level
• Encase mattresses and upholstered furniture with dust covers
• Do not allow the cat into the child's room and do not let the cat sleep with the child!
• Use household air filters/purifiers
• Do not ask the child to change the litter box or otherwise be responsible for regular cat care
• Have the child thoroughly wash hands and face after playing with the cat
• Dust (with a cleaner or spray) regularly
• Steam clean upholstery, furniture, and carpets
• Remove carpeting
• Wash bedding weekly (in hot water)
• Replace filters on heating, cooling, and ventilation equipment regularly

It is also important to keep a watch on your child's breathing if they present with a child cat allergy, as a correlating link has been established correlating between the two. Cat allergies may increase the likelihood of developing asthma; when breathing difficulties are noted, they should be discussed with the child's doctor and keeping a pet cat should be reevaluated. With good control measures, though, many children are able to live with both a cat and a child cat allergy.