Cat Hair Is Not The Cause Of Allergies To Cats

Posted by Bobby Brown on November 21, 2023 - 7:47pm

Contrary to popular belief, cat hair is not the cause of allergic reactions.

Allergens produced primarily in the cat’s salivary and sebaceous (skin) glands are responsible for triggering a reaction in allergic individuals.

These allergens are transferred to the hair and skin when a cat grooms and spread into the environment on shed hair and dander. Although the cat’s hair can carry the allergens, the hair itself is not the originating cause of allergies to cats.

The facts

When most people have an allergic reaction to cats, they are usually responding to one allergen in particular, known as Fel d 1.

Fel d 1 is produced in the salivary, sebaceous (skin) and anal glands of cats.1,5,6
Fel d 1 is spread throughout a cat’s hair and skin during grooming, and then dispersed on dander (dried flakes of skin) and shed hair around the home

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