new research for cat allergies

This could be amazing news: scientists from Purina, the pet food company, have provided new hope for people with cat allergies. Are you allergic to cats? Is your partner, a family member, or someone close to you? One in five people are. In fact, allergies to cats is a major reason why people don’t have cats, or return an adopted cat to a shelter because they discover they, or a family member, have cat allergies. As any of you who follow The Scratching Post may know, I am allergic to cats. To my own, wonderful cats. My eyes are always red and itchy, and i’m always congested, But as much as I suffer from these symptoms, I tolerate them, because I love my cats. Still, I wish I could get some relief from my discomfort.

June of this year, 2019, Purina researchers announced,

Feeding cats a diet coated in a specially formulated egg powder product can neutralize the feline allergens that trigger [allergic] symptoms in people..

dvm360 (Doctor Veterinary Medicine) reported that researchers found a protein in cat’s saliva called Fed d1; they aren’t sure it’s purpose for cats, but they know it’s responsible for 95% of why people have allergic reactions. There is no allergy-free cat breed, including hairless cats, since all cats have Fed d1 in their saliva.

The Fel d1 protein (yellow) bound by IgY antibodies (blue). (Photo courtesy of the Purina Institute

This is how Fed d1 gets distributed

A grooming cat licks it’s fur, a lot, because cats are clean,and that’s a good thing. The not so good result of being such fastidious creatures, is that because Fed d1 is in the cat’s saliva and sebaceous glands, it gets on their fur. Then the cat sheds fur and dander (flakes of skin) into your house: carpets, curtains, bedsheets, the air. Other animals have dander, but cat dander is small and “sticky” and therefore harder to get rid of.

The result of all this dander for people who are sensitive to Fed d1, is the misery of an allergic response. That happens because Fed d1 binds with a molecule, lgE, found in human immune systems, and due to the binding of these molecules, the effect triggers allergic symptoms.

The decade-long research by Purina scientists, published in Immunity, Inflammation and Disease, found that the IgY molecule present in egg yolk (an antibody passed from hens to their chicks) can block specific parts of the Fel d1 molecule. That is significant because if parts of Fed.d1 molecules are prevented from binding with the molecule lgE (the one in human immune systems), it can eliminate, or at least reduced allergic reactions.

Purina tested the egg yolk formula on cats. According to the scientists, there was no health difference between the control cats and the cats eating the special diet, which they conclude makes it safe to add the egg product to cats diets. They also said that the egg product doesn’t destroy Fel d1.

Immunologist Dr. Ebenezer Satyaraj, director of molecular nutrition at Purina and lead investigator on allergy research, confidently said,

“Our discovery has the potential to transform how people manage cat allergens.”