Tests for Cat Allergies

Cats can make excellent pets, but they may be one reason you suffer from allergies. If you’re hypersensitive and experience typical allergy symptoms often, you may want to know how, why, and what causes them. On the other hand, if you’re a cat lover and want to adopt one soon, it may be helpful to take a test for cat allergy – after all, it’s often hard to tell what exactly is causing your symptoms!  While there’s always a chance that your cat is innocent and has nothing to do with your hypersensitive condition, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

The following guide will help you understand cat allergies and how to diagnose them. 

Are Your Allergies Really Due to Cats?

Generally, it’s hard to differentiate between typical allergies and cat allergies since they have nearly the same symptoms. Also, we’re usually unaware of the different kinds of particles around us, which may cause hypersensitivity. For instance, several people suffer from pollen allergies during pollen season but consider it to be either a flu or a dust allergy because both are very common. Similarly, many other things, such as medications, fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, grass, and mold spores, are also potentially uncomfortable to sensitive people. So, there’s always a chance that your pet cat might not be the reason for your allergy.

Cat Allergy Symptoms

Symptoms may include the following:

• Runny nose
• Watery eyes
• Chest congestion
• Difficulty breathing
• Sneezing rapidly
• Coughing
• Skin rash
• Itching

Causes of Cat Allergies

There’s a misconception about cat allergies whereby people often believe that cat fur is the main reason behind allergies, and getting the cat trimmed might just do the trick. However, the real cause behind hypersensitivity is a protein in their saliva called Fel D1, which they spread as they groom themselves. These particles can easily be inhaled by us when we’re in the vicinity of a cat. The human body considers it a dangerous foreign particle and releases antibodies to fight it off, causing allergic symptoms. 

Test for Cat Allergy

If you’re eager to get tested for cat allergies, then you’re in luck!  There are five different types of tests for cat allergies, with the goal of helping you diagnose the real cause. 

Skin Prick test

A simple test for cat allergy, the skin prick test works when a small amount of cat allergen is extracted and placed onto your skin through a small needle. The area of the skin is then pricked with that needle to ensure the allergen enters the skin. A small welt will appear on the test site if you are allergic to cats. This test is not just limited to cat allergens but also checks if you are allergic to mold, pollen, and 50 other substances. 

Blood Test

Another test for cat allergy is a blood test, specifically the IgE test. Sometimes, we don’t know what symptoms we are feeling or what disease we suffer from. An IgE test is when a blood sample is taken from you and tested against several allergens to determine which allergens you are hypersensitive to. The presence of antibodies against a certain allergen determines the allergy type, while a higher number of antibodies explains the severity of the problem. 

Patch Test

A patch test is a simple, yet effective test for cat allergy. In some cases, the patch test detects your skin’s response to allergens. Small amounts of cat allergens are extracted and applied to patches, which are placed on your skin for up to 48 hours. After removal, the physician checks for the skin’s condition. Any reaction in the form of redness or raised bumps indicates hypersensitivity to cat allergens. 

Inhalation Challenge Test

Compared to the other types of tests, the Inhalation Challenge Test is extremely rare, considering it is mainly limited to research purposes only. Sometimes, the nasal cavity and lungs are more sensitive to allergens, and the skin rarely displays any signs. To check your body’s reaction to allergens, you are subjected to inhaling allergens in a controlled environment. If you test positive for cat allergy, the expected result would be a flu-type sensation followed by sneezing. 

Nasal Smear Test

A nasal smear test is a test for cat allergy where a sample of your mucus is taken and examined under a microscope to check the presence of eosinophils. Eosinophils are white blood cells in your bloodstream that kill allergens. This test is relatively easy and effective in diagnosing allergies. 

Conclusion

Understanding and identifying the potential cause of allergies is crucial concerning our health and the well-being of our adorable pets. Sometimes, dust in a cat’s fur also triggers allergies if you are sensitive to it. Therefore, shaving the hair off our pets is almost never a good solution. Also, no matter how knowledgeable we are about allergies, it is often challenging to determine the exact cause due to the symptoms being the same in most cases of allergic reactions. This makes taking specific tests for individual allergens incredibly useful! Remember: It is always better to seek a physician’s guidance if allergic symptoms persist. Check out our other article if you’re interested in learning more about ways to test for cat allergies at home.

With all this being said, Pacagen’s Cat Allergen Neutralizing Spray is a superb solution for all cat allergies. It helps by safely neutralizing all Fel D1 particles, either airborne or present on surfaces.