rua Can I pet a tiger if I'm allergic to cats? Tiger: Are you polite?

What is it like to encounter a tiger just when you go out?

According to incomplete statistics, since 2021, residents in Hunchun area have encountered wild tigers more than 30 times, which are comparable to their own pets.

Of course, when it comes to being the closest to tigers, no one can compare to the fighting nation. Bears, tigers, lions, crocodiles... may all appear in Russian shopping malls.

Cat walking in mall

However, in 2019, Russia issued a new decree, which states that these large and dangerous pets will no longer be allowed to be kept from 2020. Pets that have been kept before can continue to be kept until they die (finally, the cute big animals will be spared).

Although it is not very humane to keep a wild animal, many friends still unconsciously bring it into the mind after watching the video, and feel that it is also very enjoyable to have a big pet~

So I started to think, since big cats and small cats are all cats, if I am allergic to cat hair, will I be allergic to tigers?

In "The Beginning", Lu, who is allergic to cat hair but loves to keep cats, the cat apostle, the asthma conqueror, the one chosen by the light, and Di

Cat allergy is not cat hair allergy

In recent years, the statement that "cat hair causes allergies" has been clarified. The real "culprit" that causes allergic reactions is actually the Fel d 1 protein contained in cat saliva.

Fel d 1 protein is a protein found in cats, mainly in their salivary glands and sebaceous glands. Cats will stick this protein to their fur when they lick their fur frantically. When people with allergies pet cats, they will be exposed to these allergens.

Image source: Wikipedia

It is not clear what effect Fel d 1 protein has on cats themselves, but more than 90% of people who are allergic to cats are caused by Fel d 1 protein.

This protein can cause an inflammatory response in the human body when it comes into contact with the cat's saliva, leading to the secretion of IgG and IgE (IgG is the abbreviation of immunoglobulin G, and IgE is the abbreviation of serum immunoglobulin E) antibodies. Immunoglobulins interact with Fc receptors on the surface of mast cells and basophils, causing the release and degranulation of inflammatory mediators.

Figure caption: Degranulation process 1. Antigen 2. LgE antibody 3. Fc receptor 4. Histamine 5. Granules 6. Mast cells 7. Newly formed mediator

(Speaking Mandarin) When people come into contact with this kind of thing, their bodies will produce too much of a special antibody, which can react with allergens in the environment, stimulating the body to produce and release certain excessive chemicals, causing itching of the skin.

Because cats' bodies produce this substance and people love to pet cats crazily, this substance causes allergies that everyone hates.

Hairless cats are not good either

Everyone is more familiar with the most famous allergen, histamine, which can cause symptoms such as itchy skin, sneezing, runny nose, and in severe cases may even lead to asthma.

Friends who are allergic to pollen, dust mites, etc. may also be allergic if they pet cats, because cats will stick these substances on their bodies during activities, providing a place for these allergens to attach.

Are you allergic to big cats?

Can't pet cats and tigers? This method is more reliable than petting hairless cats! Scientists have actually done this (brain-opening) experiment.

In 1990, researchers collected hair from eight members of the cat family: leopard, cougar, serval, tiger, lion, jaguar, snow leopard and caracal. Eleven patients who were allergic to cats also participated in the experiment. The researchers extracted the collected hair for RAST and histamine tests.

Image source: Wikipedia

Experiments have shown that other cats also have substances equivalent to Fel d 1 protein, which can cause the secretion of IgG and IgE antibodies and lead to allergic reactions. However, compared with domestic cats, the probability of other cats being sensitized is much smaller.

Scientifically speaking, it is OK for people who are allergic to cats to pet a tiger! Although there is a risk of allergies, it is much safer than petting a cat!

However, you can't pet a tiger. Do you need to worry about allergies when you pet a tiger?

How to suck a cat correctly

Is it true that people who are allergic to cats cannot pet cats?

Theoretically feasible: Let the cat be the "father-in-law"

Cats produce an average of 2-7 micrograms of Fel d 1 protein per day. Studies have found that unneutered male cats release significantly more Fel d 1 than neutered male cats, and female cats release less Fel d 1 overall than male cats and neutered male cats.

Have we found the source of cat allergies? Is it that cats are father-in-law?

To prove this, the researchers conducted a series of experiments, the first of which was to compare the levels of Fel d 1 protein produced in sterilized and intact male cats. The results showed that the Fel d 1 content of male cats decreased significantly after sterilization, but after artificial injection of testosterone, the Fel d 1 content increased significantly.

This result led them to propose a hypothesis that the production of Fel d 1 is closely related to male hormones and that its content in female cats is lower than that in male cats.

The researchers then conducted a set of comparative experiments. They found 5 male cats aged 1.5-2 years old and 5 female cats of the same age, and placed them in cages with the same temperature and humidity, and provided them with the same food and water.

Then, the cats were anesthetized, and hair was collected and the skin was cleaned (three times) from three areas: the base of the tail, the armpits, and the center of the abdomen. The collected hair was centrifuged in a borate buffer and Fel d 1 was extracted.

Finally, the skin cleansing solution and hair extract containing Fel d 1 were tested using monoclonal antibodies and ELISA. The same procedure was repeated 5 months later, and the comparison is as follows.

In the initial comparative experiment, the left side of the table shows the Fel d 1 content of male cats, and the right side shows the Fel d 1 content of female cats

Comparative experiment after 5 months

The results showed that although there was a big difference in the content of Fel d 1 between male and female cats, overall the Fel d 1 level in male cats was much higher than that in female cats.

But the facts have proved that even if people with allergies keep female cats or neutered male cats, they will still have allergic reactions to varying degrees. It seems that it is impossible to rely solely on neutering cats to "desensitize" them.

What actually works: “Fight violence with violence”

Just like the treatment of pollen allergy, desensitization therapy is the most effective method, which involves injecting allergens into the human body in batches, allowing the body to slowly accept them.

In early 2021, several researchers from the Luxembourg Institute of Health discovered that high doses of a specific adjuvant molecule, CpG oligonucleotides, can effectively regulate the immune system's allergic response to Fel d 1 protein.

The researchers analyzed the molecular mechanisms behind this tolerance and proposed an allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT).

AIT simply means injecting a drug containing allergens subcutaneously, and then gradually increasing the dosage to allow allergic patients to develop tolerance to cat allergens and achieve the effect of desensitization. However, this method has a long treatment course, and many patients do not have the courage to stick to the end.

Immediately feasible: touch a fake

Whether it's a cat or a tiger, the feeling of touching a fake one is almost the same...

Yukai Engineering of Japan has launched a cat robot called Qoobo, which looks like a soft plush cushion with a tail. When it is stroked or hit, it will wag its tail in response.

But according to users, this toy is very weird and cannot replace the real cat petting...

Come feel this fake cat butt

Therefore, if you are allergic but still want to own a real cat, you can reduce allergic reactions by regularly cleaning cat hair in the house, combing the cat's hair frequently, leaving yourself a space where cats cannot enter (such as a bedroom), and washing your hands frequently after touching the cat.

Don’t think about petting big cats!

Refills

References:

1. Jalil-Colome J, de Andrade AD, Birnbaum J, Casanova D, Mège JL, Lanteaume A, Charpin D, Vervloet D (July 1996). "Sex difference in Fel d 1 allergen production". The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 98 (1): 165–8. doi:10.1016/s0091-6749(96)70238-5. PMID 8765830.

2. Hans Grönlund, The major cat allergen, Fel d 1, in diagnosis and therapy, Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2010;151(4):265-74. doi: 10.1159/000250435. Epub 2009 Oct 22.

3. H de Groot,Evidence for a Fel d I-like molecule in the "big cats" (Felidae species),J Allergy Clin Immunol.1990 Jul;86(1):107-16. doi: 10.1016/s0091-6749(05)80130-7.

4. I love petting cats but I am allergic to them, what should I do? , Beijing Century Altar Hospital, 2020

5. Immunotherapy may treat cat allergic reactions, China Biotechnology Network, 2021

6. José Jalil-Colome, MDa,Sex difference in Fel d 1 allergen production,VOLUME 98, ISSUE 1, P165-168, JULY 01, 1996

End

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