Is British Shorthair breed hypoallergenic? What intolerances do they have?
Is the British Shorthair breed hypoallergenic? What intolerances do they have?
Have you ever wondered if the British Shorthair breed is hypoallergenic? I know I’ve been in this situation. Many people don’t actually know what a hypoallergenic cat is.
That is why I’m going to answer that question and also give you some details about this term. Moreover, I will present to you the most popular intolerances of British Shorthair cats.
So, keep reading because if you happen to own a kitty from this breed, you will most likely need this information in the future.
Short answer
Before I give you the answer, I need to explain to you what hypoallergenic means. Many people are confused by this and tend to think it means that the cat is not going to cause any allergies to other people. That is not true at all. In fact, a hypoallergenic cat has a lower chance to induce an allergy but can still cause one.
If you are allergic to cats, no one can promise you that this kind of cats will not induce one ever.
As we’ve cleared that up, I can finally give you the long-awaited answer. No, British Shorthair cats are not hypoallergenic
Fortunately, if you do have allergy problems with cats, you can still choose this breed. You are probably asking yourself right now: how is that possible? Very simple. There are many people that own a cat despite having cat allergies.
How to deal with allergies
Depending on the symptoms of your allergy, you can actually build a tolerance for cats. If you came in contact with cats before and haven’t sneezed or had watery eyes, you are lucky. On the other hand, if you have asthma, you shouldn’t own a cat, as it can be very dangerous.
I will tell you from the beginning that building up a tolerance isn’t going to be quick. Baby steps will be your friends when trying to build a tolerance for cats.
One of the most important steps is to visit your allergist. He/She is the one that will test you and see exactly how bad is a cat going to affect your health. After that, he/she will give you the right medication that will help you tolerate a cat.
The next step is to make your house a clean place, without too many allergens flying and sitting around. Try vacuuming every piece of fabric-covered furniture on a regular basis or replace it if you have some saved up money. Leather will be your best friend for new furniture because airborne allergens won’t cling to it.
You should also dump every scented candle and even air fresheners. These aren’t only bad for your health but can also induce allergies. Actually, there are some natural air fresheners that only pull odor from air, use those instead.
Test your reactions to cats
Before introducing a cat into your home, you may want to test your reactions to cats. A really good way to do this is to spend some time with a friend’s cat, preferably at their place. My advice is to start by spending time with only one cat. Again, baby steps are very important. Take your medications as your allergist prescribed, then go for it.
If the cat seems to be calm, start petting it and see how your body reacts. If you feel like you can’t do it anymore, tell your friend to take away the kitty. After a week, try that again and try spending a little more time with it. Repeat this until you can spend about an hour with the same pet.
After some practice, you will be able to spend time with multiple cats by repeating the same steps.
The final step is to choose your cat. Bring it home and try getting used to it. Don’t play with it too much at first, and you will be good to go. Wash your hands every time you pet it and don’t touch your face if you didn’t wash.
Also, choose to have a room where your cat can’t enter. My recommendation is your bedroom. You don’t want to be waking up at night with allergy symptoms because the cat sat on your pillow. Finally, get an air filter and some anti-allergen sprays to help you reduce allergens in your house.
What intolerances does a British Shorthair cat have?
Like humans, cats also can have intolerances, many actually. The most popular among adult cats are food and lactose intolerance. Although not as common as those, cats can also be allergic to cleaning products, perfumes, cigarette smoke, fabrics, etc.
How do you know if your cat has developed some of those allergies? You can check if it ever sneezes too much, coughs, or has itchy skin, eyes, back, tail or ears. Some other symptoms could be vomiting, diarrhea, or even snoring.
If your cat has one or more of those, you should visit your veterinarian as soon as possible. He/She is going to be the only one to tell you exactly what to do. Don’t rely too much on the internet, as there aren’t too many specialists there, and information can be incorrect.
How to identify and combat a food intolerance
Food intolerance usually appears when you add a new type of food to your cat’s menu. However, your cat can develop it even if it eats the same food for years. Although they have pretty much the same symptoms and treatments, food intolerances and allergies aren’t the same things. The difference is that a food allergy involves the immune system.
Also, food intolerances have some specific triggers. Those can be beef, chicken, soy, gluten, and even additives from their food.
The first thing you should do if you think your British Shorthair cat has a food intolerance is to check its symptoms. The most common signs are digestive issues. Check your cat’s litter every time it uses it. If you can see diarrhea and your cats also have frequent bowel movements, it might have developed a food intolerance.
Another way to identify a food intolerance is the cat’s weight. You should check it regularly if you think your cat isn’t too healthy.
If you can observe a weight loss, it may be because your cat isn’t eating as it did before or processing the food correctly. That usually means it has some digestive issues that don’t allow it to eat and drink water properly.
If those symptoms persist, the best thing to do is to visit a vet. In just a couple of minutes, he/she can diagnose your kitty and find where the problem is coming from. You should tell him/her all the symptoms you’ve observed over time. This way he/she can give you the right medication that will heal the British Shorthair cat as fast as possible.
Pay very close attention when he/she tells you how and when to administer the medication. Also, the dosing of it is very important as well.
Conclusion
Overall, even though the British Shorthair breed isn’t hypoallergenic, you can still own one by following some steps in case you are allergic to cats. Also, just like humans, cats can have allergies and intolerances. There is no need to panic if that is your case, as this article explains exactly what to do. What intolerance does your British Shorthair cat have and how did you manage to get rid of it?