Allergic to Cats? The Facts About Cat Dander

It is very common for people to be allergic to cat dander.  Even though I have never been diagnosed with any allergies, I commonly find myself having a minor reaction when I am around cats, especially kittens. Who can resist them?!

Don't worry, this is a domestic kitten. Photo and owner courtesy of Adam McDermott

After taking more thought about realizing that I will be working with big cats, it did not cross my mind about suffering all day with these allergies. This is going to be a long summer. L Surprisingly, I have been fine working with them. You would think that working with big cats all day would drive my allergies nuts! There is actually a reason why I am not reacting to big cats versus domestic cats. It all comes down to their dander, not dandruff.

First off, what is the difference between dander and dandruff? According to good-old and most reliable source that your professors highly suggest you use, Wikipedia states, “Dander is an informal term for a material shed from the body of various animals,…it is composed of skin cells,… is microscopic, can be transported through the air and enter the mucous membranes of the lungs.” As for dandruff, dandruff according to another reliable source, a Yahoo blogger states, “the big flakes you see caused by something wrong in the skin that is being irritated.”

But the question still remains, why do I not have a reaction to big cats and but still do with domestic? Let’s take a closer look at the microscopic level. About.com puts it words really well. “Domestic cats carry Fel D1…which is a glycoprotein found in the cat’s sebaceous glands under the skin…as well in saliva and urine to a lesser extent. When cats groom themselves, the Fel D1 present in their saliva lands on their skin and hairs, creates”… a more saturated concentration of Fel D1.”

So to answer our question, big do not have as much Fel D1 present in the sebaceous glands as do domestic cats. Therefore, I am not having a reaction. J