FYI: Why Is My Cat So Sneezy?
Skittles Has The Sniffles, But Why? Feline allergies are caused by the same triggers as human allergies. Pets can even be allergic to people or, more likely, the chemicals on our skin. iStock Cats get seasonal allergies to pollen and grass, and some have year-round allergies to fleas and dust mites. Sandy Willis, a veterinary internist who advises the American Veterinary Medical Association, says that when cats interact with an allergen, their body sends immunoglobulin E antibodies to link with it, triggering the release of histamine and other chemicals that cause itchy eyes, runny noses, sneezing, hives and rashes. The same process happens in other pets (dogs, rats, hamsters) and humans. In rare cases, cats can even be allergic to people. People allergies are uncommon, since we bathe more often than most other species and don't shed as much hair and dead skin-which trigger our own allergies to pets. When cats...