The REAL Reason Some Of You “Hate” Cats

I grew up with a cat-hating father, and I never really understood why the man loathed felines so much…were they too independent and non-compliant for my strict Dad? Was he just not into cute and cuddly animals?  It turns out my Dad was, and still is, violently allergic to cat dander, and he translated that allergy into a deep dislike for all things cat. Well, for those of you out there who suffer from cat allergies, and you’d still like to find a way to love them, there’s some promising news: Researchers at University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland are working on a vaccine that could block a major cat allergen in felines, making them less likely to set off allergy triggers in humans. The results are published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, and scientists are saying the “HypoCat” injection has been “tolerated well” in their test subjects. According to PopSugar, nearly 10 percent of the Western World is allergic to cats (how PopSugar knows that, I’m not sure…), so this vaccine could be a big deal.  When it’s available to give to my father, I’ll test it out by having him cuddle with Nigel (pictured).

John Young