Can you be allergic to cats and not dogs?

Question

I have had an allergy to cats ever since I can remember but have always been fine around dogs. My eyes swell and I itch all over my body. Despite my allergy, my boyfriend and I adopted a stray cat because we couldn't find a no-kill shelter with room for him. He is a paramedic and swears to me that I can't be allergic to just cats and not dogs. He told me the allergy does not come from hair but from dander and all animals have dander. I swear I am allergic to this cat because I constantly have to take allergy medicine or I am miserable. Can someone help me prove a point and give me some good hard medical facts that could back up my case?!

Answer 1

Hi there...the reason why you would be allergic to cats and not dog is because of the allergen protein in the saliva of each species is different. Cats produce a protein call Fel d1 allergen that most people react violently to whereas other can respond to over the counter anti-histamines.


http://www.allerpet.com/facts/fact1.htm
http://www.theallergyauthority.com/allergy/articles/pet-allergies.asp

Answer 2

I used to be allergic to cats. I could walk inside a house where a cat lived and within 15 minutes my eyes would swell and almost close, also they itched like crazy. I would take an over the counter medicine for it and that would put me
to sleep. And i owned a dog when all this happened and no problems at all with dogs. Good Luck

Answer 3

Uh... I'm allergic to cats and not dogs. My boyfriend and I actually took a cat in too cause he was a stray and we couldn't find a no kill shelter for him...we also have a dog... But cats have more dander, many people are allergic to cats and not dogs. I'm sure many people on here will say the same thing....or ask your doc...bring him along so he can hear the doctor say the same thing

Answer 4

I'm allergic to all cats...But only some kinds of dogs..My daughter has a mutt and a chocolate lab. Can't be around them but I can be around my 2 shih tzu's in the house..

Answer 5

Dog training are excellent and very helpful to build you a stronger relationship with your dog. Read more https://tinyurl.im/62ejX

After I started training my dog, he became very attached to me and loves to stay by side as long as he can. But just going to them won't help. You have to practice what they teach you outside of the class and you need to keep up with it at least every now and then after the class ends otherwise they'll just go back to previous habits. This course is a really good place to go for dog obedience classes. It get's your dog around other people and dogs to socialize while getting the training you need. As for electric collars, I would say to not get one. In my experience, they're only a negative effect on your dog. I mean of course you're going to need to correct your dog, but being positive and encouraging your dog works a lot faster and easier.

Every dog is different, so unless you have a german shepherd or a really smart dog, it might take a while to train her. You might get frustrated with her, but go easy. She's still a puppy and has a lot of energy. A backyard or somewhere to run will help her get rid of a lot of energy that might cause her to misbehave from boredom.

Answer 6

Cat Allergy: Patients allergic to cats are allergic to the cat's saliva. However, typical allergic symptoms are not as a result of coming in direct contact with the cat's saliva. Instead, when the cat grooms itself by licking its fur and skin, it deposits its saliva on the fur. The saliva dries, leaving behind the protein antigen that is the source of allergy to cats. These allergens (cat saliva antigens) are very lightweight and are easily aerosolized. Once airborne, the antigen can spread to clothes, furniture, carpeting, or any other household item.

Dog Allergy: Patients allergic to dogs are allergic to the dog's saliva. As with cats, dogs groom themselves by licking their fur and skin, depositing dog saliva antigens that also become airborne when dry, and spread to clothes, furniture, carpeting, etc. Allergy to dogs is not as problematic as allergy to cats, primarily because:

Dogs are usually kept outside.
Dogs are kept outside of bedrooms.
Dogs are washed regularly.

Answer 7

Of course! My uncle has a huge allergy to cats but owns 3 dogs. No problems.

Answer 8

I'm also a paramedic, and I am in no way qualified to answer questions about allergies. Your boyfriend should no better than to answer questions as a medic that are outside his scope of practice. All I can tell you is that I recently had an allergy test. I was tested for close to fifty different allergies, and there were seperate tests for cat and dog.

Answer 9

Yup. Its all about the dander. You could be allergic to cat dander and not dogs or vice versa

Answer 10

Yes, you can be allergic to cats and not be to dogs..
xxx