Cats & Asthma

I received an e-mail asking what should she do about her cats because she'll gonna be delivering soon. Her doctor suggest not to allow any "furry animals" in the house because her new born baby might develops asthma.

We always think that the cat's and dog's fur are one of the main reason our baby gets asthma. So to avoid babies get asthma, we need to get rid of our beloved pet. I know it's hard to rehome our pet what to say they had lived with us for years. All those happy moments, memories..

I always believe that when there's a will, there's a way.

First, we need to know what is asthma? Asthma is a disease causing difficulty in breathing. Babies with family with history of anatopy disease is the highest risk of developing asthma. Asthma may also caused by immune reaction to a variety of irritants (allergens such as dust, dust mites, pollen, dander, crocroaches and mold) and environmental pollutants (such as tobacco smoke). In fact, there's a strong connection between allergies and asthma. Sixty percent of asthmatics suffer from allergies, usually hay fever. And babies with allergies -- experienced in infancy as eczema or a food allergy -- are at a greater risk for asthma. Asthma attacks can also be brought on by upper respiratory infections and even cold air.

One of the allergens is cat dander. That is our doctor usually suggest to avoid contact between furry animals and babies. Cat dander is a protein made from glands in the skin. This allergen, called Fel d 1, is produced in large amounts, particularly by male non-neutered cats as the allergen is partially under hormonal control.has many characteristics that make it the perfect allergen: it is airborne, sticks to everything, is found in public places and homes without cats, and it can last for months to years.

Here are some ways to decrease cat allergen exposure to babies:

• Ensure the cat is neutered
• Bathing the cat at least once or twice a week
• Wiping the cat with a wet cloth or hand towel daily
• Do not allow cat's to go into the babies bedroom
• Keep cat is cage and outdoor if possible. You may wear apron while playing the cat or change your clothes after playing with cats so that your clothes will not be incontact with your baby
• Vacuum frequently
• Consider removal of carpeting from the bedroom and other common areas of the home
• You may need to buy air purifier
  
• Follow house dust mite avoidance precautions

Recently, researchers discovered that children who grow up with cats were more likely to have had made antibodies to cats early in life and were more likely to have wheeze, a respiratory symptom associated with asthma. However, by the age of five these children were then found to be less likely to have wheeze.

Hope these info might help anyone who's having a baby and a cat at the same time..


Source:
http://www.parents.com/baby/health/allergy/baby-asthma/
http://allergies.about.com/od/allergies101/a/catallergy.htm
http://blog.worldinfo.org/?p=3
http://allergies.about.com/od/noseandsinusallergies/a/artx1avoid.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/09/020911073232.htm