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Pet allergens are proteins in an animal's dander (shed skin), urine and saliva that cause an allergic reaction when in contact with the skin or breathed in, provoking the body into producing histamine.

The histamine produces swelling and irritation of the upper airways and causes symptoms typical of hayfever, asthma, hives or atopic eczema. The tendency toward allergic reactions is often hereditary.

Most often the allergies are to cats or dogs, but rats, mice, guinea pigs, hamsters, pet birds, cows or poultry can be involved. Allergy to horses can be particularly severe.

People who have had asthmatic bronchitis as children in a household with pets, especially a cat, are at a high risk of developing allergies towards cats as they get older.

It is often difficult to avoid the allergens that can come from other people's pets. School classes for example can be overloaded with pet allergens. Cat allergen is particularly difficult to get rid of. It can take months for cat allergen to be reduced in a property where there was once a cat even if it is no longer living there.

The products we recommend for pet allergy are listed here.