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Allergy Question

Copper'sMom
March 28th, 2005, 09:58 AM
Is it possible for someone to be allergic to short-haired cats and NOT long-haired cats?? I always thought it is the dandruff people are allergic to, not the hair! :confused:

Rita
March 28th, 2005, 10:27 AM
I believe it is the dander that people are allergic to, not the hair. It could depend on the type of cat or how much dander it loses. Regular brushings makes a big difference as well.
A friend of ours was extremely allergic to our firs long haired cat (RIP), but didn't react that much to our 3 Boyz (2 lh, 1 sh).

kayla
April 10th, 2005, 09:00 PM
Maybe long hair has more surface area to collect the dander, or maybe the dander stays in long hair more or something... just hypothesizing, I really don't know :p

dogmelissa
April 10th, 2005, 11:24 PM
I also read an article about pets & allergies that tested kids with asthma to see if interaction with a pet made them better or worse. As a sub-response, they found that bathing the cats once a month decreased the allergens by something like 70%. I will see if I can find the article....

It's not the right one, but maybe it'll help:
http://studenthealth.oregonstate.edu/topics/pet-washing.php

Also something of interest for those of your considering (or who already have) children:
http://www.mcg.edu/news/2002NewsRel/ownby.html

Enjoy!
Melissa