Can cats with respiratory diseases be raised?

The answer is not a black and white "can" or "can't". The key is to judge based on the type of respiratory disease you suffer from and whether you are sensitive to cat-related allergens.

I have a friend who has been suffering from chronic pharyngitis for almost ten years. He is not allergic to cat hair or dander. He has had a short-haired British Shorthair for more than four years. He combs the cat's loose hair frequently and runs an air purifier with a HEPA filter at home 24 hours a day. Over this time, his pharyngitis has never been aggravated by having a cat. Every time he gets sick, he either gets cold during the change of seasons or goes out without wearing a mask on hazy days.

But if it is an allergy-related respiratory disease, the situation is completely different. When I was following up on patients in the respiratory department, I met a 16-year-old child with allergic asthma. He secretly saved up his New Year's money and bought a Ragdoll cat to take home. He was hospitalized due to an acute asthma attack within 10 days of raising the cat. After checking the allergens, he found that the specific IgE value of cat dander was ridiculously high. In the end, he reluctantly gave the cat to a distant relative.

Nowadays, the advice of clinicians is indeed divided into two groups: conservative doctors will directly recommend that all patients with allergic respiratory diseases - including allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma, allergic cough and other people whose airways are in a hyperresponsive state, try not to come into contact with cats. After all, cat dander and allergenic proteins in saliva can stick to the gaps in furniture and clothes for several months. Even if the cat is sent away later, the remaining allergens may induce symptoms, and the risk is too high. However, there are also doctors who are more interested in considering the patient's quality of life and feel that if they have undergone allergen testing and are very sensitive to cat-related allergens, or they have respiratory diseases such as common bacterial pneumonia, chronic pharyngitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that have nothing to do with allergies, there is no need to talk about cat discoloration at all.

Many people think that cat hair is the culprit in inducing respiratory discomfort. In fact, it is at most a "transportation vehicle." What really easily triggers allergic reactions are the dander hidden at the roots of the hair and the salivary proteins left on the hair when the cat licks its hair. Just like catkins floating in the spring, what makes people sneeze is not the catkins themselves, but the pollen and dust mites stuck to the catkins.

If you really can’t let go of the idea of ​​raising a cat, don’t just take the cat home because you are too hot-headed. First, go to the house of a friend who raises a cat and stay two or three more times. Each time you stay for two or three hours, if you don’t have any symptoms of coughing, nasal congestion, chest tightness, or itchy skin, then go for a complete allergen screening. It’s not too late to make a decision after fully understanding the risks. After all, no matter whether it is your own health or the life of the kitten, you should not gamble casually.