Being allergic to cats is a frustrating condition, especially if you’re a pet parent with cats or simply love hanging out with friendly felines. Even mild cat allergies can produce unpleasant side effects, including sneezing, teary eyes, and runny noses, all of which make being near cats a decidedly unpleasant experience. While steering clear of cats altogether is usually the prescribed solution, it’s not always convenient or acceptable for those who love their feline companions.
That’s where allergy immunotherapy for cat allergies comes in. It’s a one-of-a-kind treatment that can dramatically reduce or, in some cases, eliminate cat allergies. But what is it, and how does it work? Here’s what you need to know.
Understanding Cat Allergies
Cat allergies are among the most common animal allergies and are triggered, for the most part, by a protein called Fel d 1. This protein is present in cat saliva, skin cells, and urine. This protein can hitch a ride on lost fur and may even become airborne (common with dried saliva). They cling to carpets, furniture, clothes, and more, making them difficult to avoid, even when the cat isn’t around.
If you have a cat allergy, you might experience various symptoms, including:
- Sneezing and congestion
- Watery and itchy eyes
- Hives or rashes on the skin
- Wheezing or coughing
- Asthma attacks (usually affects those that are more sensitive to cats)
Controlling these symptoms can be downright tiring, especially when contact with spaces where cats have been is nearly inevitable. While you could enlist the help of conventional medications like antihistamines and nasal sprays, these treatments only focus on the symptoms, not the allergy itself. This is where allergy immunotherapy comes in.
What is Allergy Immunotherapy?
Allergy immunotherapy (AIT) is a fascinating treatment that focuses on altering your immune response to cat allergens. It essentially teaches your immune system not to react to the allergen, such as the Fel d 1 protein.
The process takes time, but through repeated exposure, AIT can help achieve an allergen-specific tolerance. The goal is to achieve desensitization or tolerance. With desensitization, you experience diminished symptoms upon exposure, whereas, with tolerance, you would achieve an immune tolerance to the allergen that remains even after you conclude your treatment.
Immunotherapy for Cat Allergies
Immunotherapy for a cat allergy is much like the treatment process for other allergies. It entails regular exposure to cat allergen extracts, typically delivered via allergy shots or allergy drops. The process looks like this:
- Build-up phase: In this phase, you’ll be given injections in small, incrementally increasing amounts. This phase can last several months, depending on the specifics of your allergy.
- Maintenance phase: Once you reach the optimal dose, you’ll scale back your doses, receiving less frequent injections, tablets, or drops. This phase usually continues for 3-5 years.
- Desensitization or tolerance: After 3-5 years of treatment, you may reach tolerance or desensitization. In some cases, you may be able to cease treatment altogether without losing the benefits. However, some people need to continue the maintenance phase indefinitely to preserve the effects.
The exact timeline will look a little bit different from one person to the next, given that allergies vary from person to person.
Is Cat Allergy Immunotherapy Actually Effective?
While cat allergy immunotherapy might be new to you, AIT as a whole has been around for well over a century. It’s nothing new. Since its introduction decades ago, researchers have explored its potential and uncovered remarkable results.
For example, a European study evaluated AIT-treated subjects versus a control group. It found that the treated group was consistently associated with more sizeable reductions in allergic rhinitis and asthma prescriptions than the control group. That same group also had a greater likelihood of stepping down asthma treatment.
A handful of research and clinical trials echo those results. These studies evaluated repeated subcutaneous injections (allergy shots), finding that the shots could, indeed, achieve an allergen-specific tolerance that stuck around for years after discontinuation.
These are just a few of the many pieces of research on this remarkable treatment. As a whole, though, allergy immunotherapy has been proven time and time again to be highly effective.
Complementary Strategies for Managing Cat Allergies
Immunotherapy takes time to work, and in the meantime, you can incorporate complementary strategies that help you keep your allergies in check. These methods include:
- Creating cat-free zones: Shut off access to a space in your home, such as a bedroom, to reduce the accumulation of allergens.
- HEPA filters: Invest in HEPA filters to help reduce airborne allergens in your home.
- Cleaning: Regularly vacuum upholstered furniture and carpets and use hot water to wash bed linens. This can help remove allergens from your home to help you stay more comfortable.
- Clean your cat: While cats clean themselves, their licking only spreads allergens all over their bodies. Bathing and grooming your feline friend can help reduce the level of Fel d 1 that he or she releases. Not all cats will cooperate with this, though, so if not, focus on the other measures.
A Life with Cats, Without the Sneezes
Allergy immunotherapy is a promising solution for cat allergy sufferers who want to live with or spend time around their feline friends. While it’s not an overnight fix and may not completely eliminate your allergies, it can go a long way in improving your quality of live and reducing your sensitivity to cat allergens.
With time and commitment, many people have seen dramatic improvements in their cat allergies, and the same could be true for you, too. If you’re experiencing cat allergies, talk to your allergist, immunologist, or primary care physician (PCP) about whether allergy immunotherapy is right for you. With the right approach, life with your pets sans sneeze is closer than you think.