Some people that are allergic to cats are cat people, who may or may not be interested in hairless cats that are nearly hypoallergenic. But sometimes cats that are low dander can be fine with feline-allergic people. Previous experience between allergic people and different breeds as well as personal experience between someone and a low dander breed can be an indicator of whether an allergic person can be around a cat breed. For Bengals, let’s look further into this with these topics:
- What causes feline related allergies?
- How do Bengals fare with allergic people?
- Other factors for allergies
What causes feline related allergies?
According to Health Line, one third of Americans who have allergies are allergic to cats and dogs. Twice as many people that are allergic to cats than dogs.
Allergies like this are caused by the immune system using its antibodies, that normally fight off harmful substances in the body, to attack the allergen. This causes symptoms like itching, runny nose, and congestion.
The allergens come from the cat’s dead skin, salivary glands, hair, and urine. Breathing these allergens or touching them will cause allergic reactions.
A lot of the allergen problem is spurred by the dander lost from a shedding cat. Thankfully, Bengals are notoriously minimal shedders. Some may shed more from stress, anxiety, a change in weather, or their nutritional intake. This causes are usually pretty quick and easy of fixes.
A Bengal’s coat is easy to care for simply by combing it weekly. This removes dead hair collected in the fur, minimizing or eliminating the allergic reaction.
How do Bengals fare with allergic people?
Because a Bengal sheds minimally anyway, feline allergic people can usually handle Bengals fairly well. If there is still trouble, combing the cat’s fur weekly can minimize the amount of dander going from the cat to the person.
Some Bengals don’t need any extra care to make it so they don’t effect an allergic person. This certain attribute varies from one Bengal to another. Spending some time around a specific Bengal can be enough to show an allergic person whether that specific cat will elicit a reaction.
Other times, a Bengal is producing dander but an allergic person can better tolerate the dander itself. This is likely just a quirk from the Asian Leopard Cat or the specific breed of domestic cat bred into the Bengal’s line.
Many people allergic to cats are also allergic to dogs. In this case, these people when shopping for a Bengal and a dog, will need to get a breed of dog that doesn’t cause an allergic reaction for that person as well. But don’t worry about the Bengal and the dog interacting. Bengals are notorious for getting along wonderfully with dogs.
For more cat breeds for people with feline allergies (and to see a really cool cat shirt), check out the video below:
Other factors for allergies
If searching for a cat for an allergic person, remember, it isn’t all about the dander. For some, the saliva of a cat will elicit a reaction as well. Many allergic people need to also be careful of a cat’s bite, a tendency shared by many Bengals.
These allergic reactions can cause redness, soreness, and swelling at the reaction site. Keeping a topical allergic medicine on hand in case a reaction occurs can be very helpful in the moment to start minimizing the allergic reaction right away. This can be very helpful even with this breed and the possibility of eliminating biting as being a problem with a feline allergic person’s pet Bengal.
This shouldn’t steer allergic people away from a Bengal. Yes, the breed are notable biters, but they are smart and easy to train. Training a Bengal to stop biting their owner, other people, and especially the hand that feeds them, is usually easy to do.
Allergic people also sometimes react to claw scratches. It causes much the same reaction as a cat bite and can be just as painful and irritating. This is another trait that can easily be trained out of the smart Bengal.
With minimal shedding, a dander that doesn’t sometimes doesn’t cause an allergic reaction, and the ability to train the smart cat not to bite or scratch, a Bengal can be a great feline choice for an allergic person looking to own a cat.
So, what do you think about Bengals causing allergies? Do you agree with what was said here? Comment below to let us know!
