Cat Allergy Symptoms: The Real Trigger and How They Manifest

Allergies can be triggered by a lot of things. Some foods are among the most usual allergens, like corn, peanuts and wheat. Aside from foods, there are also some things that are considered allergens because as they enter our body, our immune system considers them as foreign entities and produce antibodies to counter them. These things include pollens, molds, and pets like cats.

There is a common belief that it is the fur of cats that cause persons to exhibit symptoms of cat allergies. This is actually not true, although cat furs also contribute greatly in aggravating the symptoms of cat allergy. Danders are the real reason behind allergic reactions. Just like other types of allergens, cat allergens contain proteins, which is moved to the furs as cats lick them and as they urinate. As a result, when allergic people inhale cat fur, it is its protein content that our immune system tries to counter.

The symptoms of cat allergies can be observed after a few minutes an allergic person had been exposed to cat allergens. There are cases when the allergic reaction is not apparent within minutes as it still builds up for several hours. In these cases, the symptoms are likely to exhibit 12 hours after the end of exposure to the cat allergen.

The symptoms of cat allergies are generally the same as with other animal allergies, and even with some food allergies. To add up, it is likely that people who suffer from cat allergies are also allergic to non-food allergens such as mold and pollens. When an allergic person had been exposed to cat allergens, the usual symptoms are runny nose, itchy eyes, itchy skin with hives or rashes, and asthma symptoms.

These symptoms are more often observed in children, as they are usually unaware that they have cat allergies. As a result, when they are exposed to cat allergens, they are highly likely to colds and manifestations of asthma. Additionally, symptoms of cat allergies may continually be observed in people for as long as they are still exposed to the cat allergens. It can be noted that if the pet is separated from allergic people for several days to weeks, most of the symptoms of cat allergies will go away not until they are exposed to the allergens again.