I’m allergic to my kitten — what doctors advised

When I brought a Russian blue kitten named Chives home in February I thought I had prepared for my cat allergy. I’d lived with a cat before and managed sneezing and itchiness with antihistamines, and a visit to the breeder left me symptom-free. Once Chives moved in, however, my tolerance vanished: I developed severe sneezing, wheezing, night-time breathlessness, copious mucus and a rash.

Allergies to cats are driven by a protein called Fel d 1 that coats saliva and dander. "The dander is small, airborne and sticky," says Dr Farah Khan. The label "hypoallergenic" is a marketing term rather than a clinical one; some breeds shed less or have no fur, which may plausibly reduce spread, but every cat emits Fel d 1 and individual cats—even of the same breed—can affect people differently.

Coat colour and sex are unreliable predictors, though intact males may produce more Fel d 1 and neutering can reduce it.

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