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The house cat -- that cute, furry feline beloved the world over -- is also one of the world's most destructive predators, killing for kicks and hunting rare species into extinction. Cats thrive because people protect them -- but should they?
Researchers at Cambridge University in England have shown how the most common cause of allergic reactions to cats, the Fel d 1 protein that is found in cat dander, interacts with a common chemical in the human body to cause an allergic reaction. When the dander -- dead skin cells -- is combined with a common environmental toxin called lipopolysaccharides, or LPS, it stimulates an immune receptor called TLR 4, triggering allergic reactions
Researchers have discovered the trigger for feline allergies.
Allergic reactions are the result of the immune system overreacting to a perceived danger. Instead of identifying and responding to a harmful virus or bacteria, it misidentifies different allergens, including dander, as dangerous and mounts an immune response. "How cat dander causes such a severe allergic reaction in some people has long been a mystery," said Clare Bryant, the lead author of the study. "Not only did we find out that LPS exacerbates the immune responses reaction to cat dander, we identified the part of [the] immune system that recognizes it."
Using a drug that inhibits TLR 4, researchers were able to block an allergic reaction. "As drugs have already been developed to inhibit the receptor TLR4, we are hopeful that our research will lead to new and improved treatments for cat and possibly dog allergy sufferers," Bryant added. In the future, the findings could yield a drug that could block the allergic reaction completely. Cat allergy sufferers usually rely on antihistamines, which have side effects such as drowsiness.
Feline Allergy Cure in the Works
By Marco Evers
Photo Galleries: The Meowing Murderers among Us Photo Galleries: The Meowing Murderers among Us - SPIEGEL ONLINE - International
The house cat -- that cute, furry feline beloved the world over -- is also one of the world's most destructive predators, killing for kicks and hunting rare species into extinction. Cats thrive because people protect them -- but should they?
More @ Killer Cats Threaten the World's Endangered Species - SPIEGEL ONLINE
My Coon Cat is the terror of the field mice on my land without doubt.
But I note that the overall population of field mice seems pretty stable.
All predators kill for food, except the pampered domestic cat. Cats enjoy killing, torturing, taunting and mostly they don't even eat their prey.
For that reason I would NEVER have (and never did) a cat that has its claws and goes outside.
All the cats I ever had were declawed inside cats.
All predators kill for food, except the pampered domestic cat. Cats enjoy killing, torturing, taunting and mostly they don't even eat their prey.
For that reason I would NEVER have (and never did) a cat that has its claws and goes outside.
All the cats I ever had were declawed inside cats.
Just listened to an NPR podcast with a cat expert who said declawing is like amputation. It was on Fresh Air last week.
They are on a rampage in New Zealand killing irreplaceable native birds and other animals:
Cats To Go - Learn about the damage cats do in New Zealand
animals acting like animals, who would of thunk it?
All predators kill for food, except the pampered domestic cat. Cats enjoy killing, torturing, taunting and mostly they don't even eat their prey.
For that reason I would NEVER have (and never did) a cat that has its claws and goes outside.
All the cats I ever had were declawed inside cats.
Just listened to an NPR podcast with a cat expert who said declawing is like amputation. It was on Fresh Air last week.
Well, like most problems with domesticated animals, it's their skanky-assed, irresponsible, worthless human owners' fault. And as for feral cat populations, they came to be because of skanky-assed, irresponsible, worthless humans.
Sorry, I'm kind of grouchy today.
