Do you get itchy skin and watery eyes whenever you’ve been around cats? Well, that likely means you are allergic to the felines.
Pet allergies are really common, and you probably thought your chances of ever owning a furry friend were over – but there could be a solution.
Hack to prevent cat allergies
NHS doctor Dr Karan Raj has gone viral on TikTok after explaining that you might be able to beat your cat allergy using chicken eggs.
He responded to a video in which a guy claimed adding egg white powder to his cat’s food every day got rid of his cat allergy – and revealed it can actually work.
The doctor explained that cats produce a protein called Fel d 1, and that’s what causes people to experience allergic reactions.
Researchers discovered that when chickens were exposed to the Fel d 1 protein, either through vaccination or being raised around cats, they produced an antibody to the protein.
This cat allergy-stopping antibody can be passed down to the egg yolk. So, when cats are fed that egg yolk, they get a dose of the antibody.
This neutralizes the Fel d 1 protein in the cat saliva and hair without harming them, stopping you from experiencing an allergic reaction.
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Purina made the breakthrough
It was discovered by scientists at Nestlé-owned pet food brand Purina, who found that when cats were fed a diet with the egg product containing the Fel d 1 antibody, the levels of active Fel d 1 in their saliva were significantly reduced within three weeks.
This included a reduction in the cats’ saliva and hair. 97% of the cats had a decrease in active levels of the protein, and half of the felines had at least a 50% reduction in active Fel d 1 levels on their hair.
However, you can’t just feed your cat chicken eggs because not all chickens have the antibody. The birds must have been exposed to Fel d 1 protein for it to be passed down into their eggs, so it’s not naturally occurring.
As explained by Medline Plus, cat allergies can cause a skin rash, hives, itching, blisters or skin peeling when touched. You may also experience a stuffy nose, mucus, cough, wheezing and itchy, watery, red, or swollen eyes.
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Allergen-reducing cat food
There is only one allergen-reducing cat food currently on the market, Purina’s Pro Plan LiveClear, which reduces the volume of cat allergens reaching the environment.
It claims to reduce allergens on the cat’s hair from three weeks of feeding, while also helping support key vital functions and maintaining an ideal body weight.
“As the cat eats the kibble coated with the specific egg powder, it neutralizes Fel d 1 in the cat’s mouth,” said Ebenezer Satyaraj, director of molecular nutrition at Purina and lead study investigator.
“Rather than neutralizing 100% of the cat’s Fel d 1, or altering the cat’s production of the allergen, we’re simply lowering the levels to reduce the total allergen load in the hair and dander that is spread to the household.”
There are also a number of supplement powders containing the Fel d 1 antibody on sale which can be added to your cat’s food.
