Okay so, I found out a few years ago I was allergic to cats, I get a bad reaction to scratches and my eyes used to go really red and itchy if I got cat hair near them.

I love cats tho, so I try and avoid the things that can cause reactions. Well since I've had Lilly and daisy the cat hair and eyes has not been an issue at all, cat scratches I react too, so things have been put in place (scratching posts) to stop daisy climbing me to get on the kitchen worktops.

I have a family friend who is really allergic to cats, being in the same environment triggers his allergies but he LOVES coming round and seeing Lilly and Daisy, he doesn't have any reaction to them at all!!!

Obviously when I did my research it is quite commonly talked about that a few people who are allergic to cats, aren't to bengals and it seems that it's true.

However, lately Lilly has been head butting me more, and on certain areas (my right arm) her nose touching my skin is causing a reaction.





This is completely new to me! Any ideas what's causing this? Lol try googling 'allergic to cats nose' and you get the most random, unrelated stuff!

Ooh - Ouch! Looks itchy!

It's the protein Fel D1, which is in the saliva (and therefore snot) that the cat produces. The hair does not contain this, however the dander from the cats skin will do so.

You could use anti-histamines (in tablets / creams) to reduce the symptoms, but washing all the cat bedding at least weekly will help reduce the dander in the home environment.

Apart from getting a different breed of cat, there's not much else you can do - Bengal's are deemed less allergenic, than a moggie, but not hypo-allergenic. I believe this is due to the somewhat reduced dander in their coats, due to the softer fur.

Funny thing is I don't react to them licking me? And daisy tries to clean me like you wouldn't believe lol

Could you try using a barrier cream there?


Heather

Strange that you're just now having a reaction like this. Thankfully, no allergies to cats for me.

I wonder if there is a different protein in their mucus than their fur.

I was/am allergic to cats (and a lot of other stuff) and Bengals are definitely gentler on my system than any other cat I have met. I get a nasty reaction from scratches, however I wonder if it isn't their litter, which sends me into a sneezy frenzy. Do you get a reaction from the litter? I would think that when they sniff around in there the particles that bother my nose would get stuck to their noses too.

I can recommend allergy shots, if you can find a good allergist, which is a whole different issue. They have done wonders for my allergies.

Hi

I'm new to the Forum and saw this post - thought I would comment...

I am very allergic to cats - my eye balls cover over with a "gel like" substance (urghhh), VERY itchy, they close up. Also, sneeze and blocked nose and itchy inside of throat. However, I am not at all allergic to my Bengals!

The picture above of your arm looks like hives (urticaria) - Urticaria (also known as hives, welts or nettle rash) is a raised, itchy rash that appears on the skin. The rash can be limited to one part of the body or spread across large areas of the body.

Hope it has all settled down for you now.

Lisa
x

My husband had a cat when I first met him and I would do the same thing whenever he just touched me! I started on allergy meds(over the counter) and I didn't do it anymore! So on my way to his house I was popping benadryl but it worked!

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