Are you Allergic to Cats but not Dogs?

Owning both cats and dogs while you’re allergic to one and not the other can be quite a tricky situation. Animal allergies are weird and tricky. Here are a few things that will help you understand pet allergies better.

1. Which animal causes more allergic reactions? Cats or dogs?One-third of America is allergic to pets. Among this number, there are twice the number of people who are allergic to cats. But just saying that cats induce more allergic reactions because of this statistic is not practical and neither is it true.People with Asthma also respond negatively to pets when they’re also diagnosed with a pet allergy. Cat allergies don’t happen because of the length of your cat’s coat. They happen because of the amount of certain proteins that are found in their saliva, urine, and dander. Not all cats have an excess of the proteins that are known for causing allergic reactions. These cats are hypoallergenic and anyone can own them without the fear of an allergy-induced attack around the corner.
2. So why are some allergic to cats and not dogs?The most common reason behind why someone is allergic to cats is because of dander. Dander is the dead skins that are expelled from your cat’s body when she self-grooms. As dogs don’t do this, they don’t have that problem. To put it simply, your cat’s cleanliness might be what’s causing your allergies. Although dogs do produce dander, they are not abundantly expelled from the body as they don’t groom themselves as religiously and with as much fervor as cats do.While the proteins that cause cat allergies can be found in a cat’s fur as well as saliva, the proteins responsible for dog allergies can only be found in a dog’s saliva. The proteins responsible for causing allergic reactions from a cat have also been found to be suspended in the air for larger periods of time.
3. Can your allergies develop while you’re an adult?Sadly, yes. They can. Not everyone who is allergic to pets are born that way. These allergies can manifest themselves over time. The onset of late allergies may be because of environmental factors, aging, or an increased exposure to the elements. There are some cases where you could have grown up in a household full of pets, were never allergic, and start showing symptoms of allergy all of a sudden. This might be because you had moved away for a while and weren’t in a place where you could interact with pets. Your body might have gotten used to the pet-free environment you live in. so much so, that your immune system might not be able to take the sudden introduction of a pet into your life after so long.