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Can Cat Food Reduce the Allergens From Cats?

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Question
We currently have a cat. My daughter is allergic to it. I have heard that a specific cat food reduces the allergen in cats. Which food would be best to feed them? I regularly clean the home, but I want to make it safer for my daughter.
Answer

There is a cat chow that was developed to help reduce the amount of major cat allergen (Fel d 1) in the environment where a cat lives. This is most likely the thing you may have heard about.

Pro Plan LiveClear is a cat food made by Purina. It reduces the major allergen after a cat eats it for several weeks. Chickens are immunized with the major cat allergen (Fel d 1). This makes them produce specific antibodies. These antibodies are then collected from the egg yolks of these chickens. They are then used to supplement the cat chow. When the cat eats this food the amount of the major allergen in the cat’s saliva and hair is reduced by these antibodies. This lowers the amount of cat allergen in the environment. The effectiveness of this technology has been confirmed in small studies.

Other general measures to reduce the amount of cat allergen in the home include:

  • Making the bedroom a pet-free space
  • Using a HEPA filter (high-efficiency particulate air filter) in the home to filter out allergens in the air including cat dander
  • Vacuuming regularly (at least twice a week) with a CERTIFIED asthma & allergy friendly® vacuum cleaner

Learn about more measures to reduce your exposure to cat allergens.

Categories
Allergy, CERTIFIED asthma & allergy friendly®, Pet Allergy
Answered by

John M. James, MD, is a board-certified allergist. He is also President of Food Allergy Consulting and Education Services, LLC. He has worked as a medical specialist in the field of allergy, asthma, and immunology for over 30 years. Dr. James received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas and his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Tennessee. He is board certified by the American Board of Allergy and Immunology.

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Comments (10)

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Pacagen offers many products for cat allergies. If you go to their web page you will see they offer a spray, a wipe-down product, and they have something new that is directly added to the cat's food. It comes in a small sprinkle bottle (not cheap) and 1/8 of a teaspoon per day is sprinkled on cat food. This is their latest product and they claim it reduces the fel d 1 by 98%. It is safe for cats. My cat loves it. I would never put anything on my dog or cat without completely researching it and confirming safety with my Vet. Between the Purina Live Clear dry food and the Pro plan wet food with pacagen, there are no allergy issues.

PattyM734

@PattyM734 I had never heard of Pacagen.  What I read from Pacagen doesn't say to put it on your cat's food but in the areas the cat is in so I don't know the purpose of putting it on the food.  Please correct me if I'm wrong, which I hope I am for your cat's sake.

MM

I use Purina "Live Clear" dry cat food.  Supplemental wet food is sprinkled with a new product called "Pacagen" which reduces the fel d 1 even further; they claim by 98%.  Plus, my cat is brushed and wiped down every five days with Pacagen spray.  My son-in-law has very severe cat allergies. He has no issues with my cat when in my home. It works, but you must be diligent with these steps in addition to thorough cleaning. While I have asthma and allergies, I'm not allergic to the cat. However, I do all this to be certain there is nothing in my environment causing an issue.

PattyM734

Through a process of elimination we figured out that this is working on our cat.

This food is calorie dense so we switched her to Purina’s weight maintenance alternative thinking that that was also from the LiveClear line. She was on LiveClear for 3-4 months before that and was on the weight maintenance one, without us realizing, for 2 months. I went out of town for 8 days and did my usual vacuuming, deep clean, brush, wipe etc. when I got back home.  Generally never break out in hives but I did this time. Completely baffled as to why. Eventually realised that she had been off the LiveClear line for almost 2 months and that that had probably done the damage as nothing else in our routine had changed. ☺️

Routine:

- 1/4 cup of LiveClear daily

- 1/2 3oz can wet food

- Brushing / wiping every 2 days (with mask on)

- Roomba vacuum almost every day

- Deep vacuum and mopping every week

- Daily histamine

- Alternate days Flonase

- Monthly maintainers allergy shots

- Daily steaming and saltwater gargle (game-changer)

Note: I have Grade 5 allergies to cat dander. I sincerely hope this helps you. I cannot even think of losing my cat and hate that someone else might be experiencing the same stress.

N
Last edited by nkumar

I've been using this since it was first available.  It has helped my cat allergies.  Also, my allergist decades ago said I had to bathe my cat weekly to get the dander off her & that would help my allergies.  I did it for her and for both cats since.  It works for me.

MM

My allergies got better after feeding my older cat the Senior formula of the Purina Pro Plan LiveClear formula, however I noticed significant health changes in my cat after several months of using this formula. She started to have a dull coat and was loosing her hair, so I had to switch off of it.

I had to be extra vigilant in my home routine to keep my allergies and dermatitis from flaring up. I now take a damp cloth and go over the cat's coat weekly and get the under coat as much as possible. I also use a deshedding tool often on her coat while in a KN95 mask, invested in a HEPA vacuum, and wash my hands and face after grooming or petting my cat.

Nurse LH
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