When beloved house pets trigger allergy
Leyla (about 5 years) and Luna (about 5 years), two gray tabby kittens, were taken in by an animal-loving family in 2019. The two came from Croatia, lived the first time with a foster family in Germany, and were taken from there away with a family with a young daughter.
The little girl was unfortunately diagnosed with cat dander allergy, which manifested itself through neurodermatitis. When the kittens had a change of coat, the allergy broke out in full force, and, if nothing had been done, a cat allergy can end in lifelong asthma. Of course, the parents of the child did not want to wait for that, and with a heavy heart they looked for a new forever home for Leyla and Luna.
Are cat dander the trigger for allergies?
Like other allergies, cat allergy is an overreaction of the human immune system to certain protein components. This means that the cat carries certain proteins in itself and releases them into the environment, which can lead to allergic reactions in humans.
In cats, the allergens are found in sebaceous glands of the skin and in saliva. Through PThe allergens are found in the sebaceous glands of the skin and in the saliva. People come into contact with them by brushing the fur with the tongue or through skin flakes that come off with the change of coat.
How does the cat allergy manifest itself?
Depending on how close the contact with the cat is, or how many allergens a cat emits, disease symptoms in humans may be stronger or weaker.
The eyes may itch, burn or become very flushed. The nose itches, one is strongly huffy or there is a scratchy throat. The skin reaction is accompanied by swelling, itching and redness., and the reaction of the respiratory tract is coughing up to to allergicm asthma.
Cat allergy is an immediate allergy, which means that the allergy immediately accompanies the touch of the animal. In the short term, cortisone preparations or antihistamines help - in the long term, you have to part with your pet. This was the case with the family whose child unfortunately showed skin and respiratory problems.
Luna - the cuddly one
Luna is a real cuddle cat and can never get enough cuddles. She also demands a lot of attention from her keepers, gets along very well with the other cats in Maria Schmolln and "meows" over and over again a story from her cat life. in front of. Luna always has a lot to tell.
Leyla - the reserved one
On the contrary to Luna, Leyla needs more rest, she loves to withdraw and is not very generous when it comes to trusting humans. Stroking by human hands is not one of her favorite activities.
Leyla gets along very well with her conspecifics - with humans Leyla is still rather in the testing phase. She needs time until she will purr: "Now I trust you, human".
Luna and Leyla are still in quarantine, and are surely looking forward to the moment when they can play and romp around in the garden together with all the other cats in Maria Schmolln.
There are two ways to escape the misery of the world: music and cats.
~ Albert Schweitzer