Let me know if you’re in the same boat as I am. I positively adore cats. But I’m insanely allergic to them. When I pet a catto, I keep sneezing until I look like the survivor of some unknown alien plague that had previously ravaged countless star systems. I start wheezing like I’m 175 years old. Remember the Eye of Sauron from The Lord of the Rings? That’s what my eyes look like after any feline so much as glances in my general direction. The pain, oh the existential pain. And all I want to do is snuggle a cat.
Here’s some wonderful 'mews' that will make your day. Scientists have invented a ‘vaccine’ for cats that can stop you from experiencing an allergic reaction to these fantastically cuddly and proud creatures. In short, cats are given this injection, so that they produce less of the allergen that makes us sneeze. If that isn’t a cause to celebrate, I don’t know what is. This is liable to bring tears of joy, not tears from allergy symptoms to everyone who loves felines but can’t be around them due to health concerns.
More info: The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology | Facebook | Twitter
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Image credits: William Brawley
The brilliant minds behind this allergy treatment are worthy of being praised as much as the Ancient Egyptians praised cats. The researchers at the University Hospital Zurich, in the land of chocolate, cows and cuckoo clocks (i.e. Switzerland), published their study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, detailing their HypoCat ‘vaccine’.
Martin Bachmann, one of the researchers who made the cat allergy cure possible, told Bored Panda more about the project. “We have been working on this project for more than five years. Cat allergy is a big problem and very hard on cat owners allergic to cats. So our approach could have important implications.”
According to Bachmann, the vaccine would become available “sometime in 2022.” “We can’t say an exact price at this point but it’s definitely going to be affordable for pet owners and in-line with other veterinary products,” the researcher gave allergic cat-lovers some good news.
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Image credits: Dmitrii Balabanov
When asked about the sample size for testing the ‘vaccine’, Bachmann replied: “We feel the numbers and conclusions are sufficient to drive our investment in further development. This is also reflected by the fact that JACI the Nr 1 allergy journal, published our study. In 2020, more safety and efficacy testing studies will be initiated.”
Bachmann revealed to Bored Panda that “both the CEO and Chairman have cats. For what it’s worth the latter is allergic and vaccinated his animals and swears it works — not sure if we can eliminate his bias though.” Furthermore, Bachmann hinted that the research team is “initiating” work on a ‘vaccine’ for dogs to produce fewer allergens.
The science behind the Cat allergy ‘vaccine’ is simple enough to understand. Our furry overlords produce the protein Fel d 1, which is one of five allergenic substances that cats produce, according to IFLScience. In the West, around 1 in 10 people lost the lottery and are allergic to this protein, including me. Fortunately, the Swiss tested their HypoCat ‘vaccine’ on 54 cats, which then produced antibodies that could disable Fel d 1. Hooray!
Image credits: Vyacheslav Buharov
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This is one of those situations where everybody wins. This is great news for everyone allergic. This is even better news for our loved ones who can’t stand our constant sniffling and sneezing. And it’s fantastic news for cats because fewer of them will be given away to animal shelters after people or their family members develop allergies to them.
Image credits: Julija Nėjė
Image credits: Julija Nėjė
However, we should all temper our expectations. Just a tad. This miracle cure is still a way off from making my life (and yours) better. The ‘vaccine’ could be available in the next 3 years, but that’s still a long while to wait. So for now, all of us with allergies will have to make do with looking at wholesome cat posts on Bored Panda.
Now, if only somebody could get on to inventing ‘vaccines’ for dogs, flowers, fruit trees, and dusty sofas, I could take off my anti-allergy hazmat suit and gasmask…
Image credits: Julija Nėjė
This is what internet users said about the cat ‘vaccine’
