Cat allergy is among the most frequent types of pet allergy.
If people realize that they have watering eyes and that they sneeze in the presence of a cat, then most probably cat allergy is the cause of these reactions.
The majority of the people think that the fur of the cat is the element that leads to the allergic reaction.
Scientists have proven that this is not true.
The flakes of cat skin, which are also known as dander, are the main cause of the watery eyes and of the irritated skin.
In addition, the respiratory tract gets affected, too.
When the skin flakes are not the cause of cat allergy, then the only option left is the saliva of these pets.
However, this happens in very rare cases, since people do not usually make contact to the saliva of the cats.
The cats do not need to be present so the allergic reaction comes out.
People who have cat allergy can develop the symptoms by only being in an environment where cats have lived.
The most elusive example refers to moving into a new home.
If the previous own of the house has had cats, then the actual owner may manifest the symptoms for a period of time that ranges from a few weeks to a few months.
In this particular situation, the new owner must clean the house thoroughly, as the other allergens, such as dust, may determine the symptoms to get worse.
The allergic reaction is in fact determined by histamine.
This is a chemical substance that is set free by the immune system into the body, so the elements that are misidentified as dangerous -cat skin flakes, in this particular situation- are neutralized.
This chemical substance is released into the body only when making contact to cats or when entering an environment where cats have lived.
As soon as histamine is present in the body, people begin to experience itchy skin and nose, watery eyes and stuffed nose.
As it has been mentioned before, the respiratory tract is affected, too.
In conclusion, people who have cat allergy may experience shortness of breath, cough and lung congestion.
Allergy asthma may be present, too, although this happens rarely.
Looking for medical advices soon after cat allergy symptoms become obvious is imperative.
The doctor performs some skin tests in order to make the diagnosis correctly.
After this test, the doctor will be able to tell whether the allergic reaction is provoked by cats or not.
People can find out on their own if they are allergic to these pets, by moving somewhere else, for a short period of time.
If the symptoms tend to become less severe, then the pet is definitely the cause of the allergic reaction.