We’re not talking about hiding Fluffy from the landlord–that’s another story. No, we’re marveling at folks such as Ellen and Harry Russeck of Broomall, Pa., whose life with six cats gives new meaning to the phrase “scratch and sniff.”
The Russecks have asthma, and every week they ingest, inhale and inject medications just to keep breathing the air fouled by their furry friends. They even lied for 12 years to the allergist who ordered them to get rid of the first cat that came into their lives.
We’re all aware that allergies can lead to asthma, and asthma is no laughing matter.
The death rate from pediatric asthma doubled between 1980 and 1993, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The threat is even greater for African-American children, who were 3.4 times more likely to be hospitalized for asthma in 1993 and four times more likely to die.
Cat ownership is increasing, along with cat allergies and cases of cat-allergic asthma. In 1997, there were an estimated 70 million pet cats in the United States and 55.9 million pet dogs, said the Pet Food Institute.
A study published in the Annals of Allergy Asthma and Immunology in 1997 showed that a cat allergy alone could be enough to require hospitalization for a child.
But that does not necessarily mean cats are killing children.
Fifty percent of asthma cases are allergy-driven, but cats are not the only cause. Don’t forget dust, mold, trees, grass, smoke, pollution, auto emissions and cockroaches– which were found especially problematic for children in poor neighborhoods.
“Lots of allergies and asthmas are increasing,” said David Lange, chief of allergic immunology at Philadelphia’s Allegheny University Hospitals/Hahnemann.
Exposure to cats just makes things worse for an allergy-driven asthmatic.
“Does cat exposure cause asthma? Probably not,” said Reynold Panettieri Jr., who heads the comprehensive asthma program for the University of Pennsylvania Health Systems. “But if you have the right genetic makeup and you are exposed to cats, asthma may be developed. And, certainly, cat exposure can exacerbate pre-existing asthma.”
Another problem is the high number of cats that have to be euthanized because of allergic owners.
It all adds up to explain why researchers are so intent on discovering how best to recognize and treat cat allergies. As every allergy specialist knows, a cat lover is not going to relinquish Rajah for a reptile without a fight.
An on-line survey in 1995 found that 83 percent of asthmatics knew they were allergic to cats but 77 percent of them still had cats.
“Asthmatic, allergic cat lovers are a special breed,” said Robert Schwartz, senior editor of Pediatric Asthma, Allergy & Immunology, who conducted the survey. “They exhibit a special behavior that defies educational intervention.”
Many allergists recommend that their patients avoid pets with feathers and fur. Try a turtle, they’ll say.
Surely these people can’t be working in the same field as scientists who have proved that pets help lower people’s blood pressure and heart rate, increase longevity, strengthen families, cheer the aged, aid the infirm and calm children.
Suggesting a snake, for example, instead of a cat is “absurd,” said James Serpell, a zoologist who teaches Humane Ethics and Animal Welfare at the University of Pennsylvania.
“Actually, I think the recommendation to get rid of the cat is absurd,” Serpell said. “I know so many people who manage to live with cats despite their allergies.”
Steven Smith, an allergist with a practice in Philadelphia, said he tried to be realistic in his recommendation to patients.
“I know if I say get rid of the animal, I may never see that patient again,” he said.
Alternatives are not easily found.
Initial trials of a cat allergy vaccine seemed promising in late 1996, but by the end of 1997, researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine had given up.
But another 1997 study found that washing a cat helps.
Published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the University of Virginia study showed that by washing cats weekly, airborne allergens could be reduced by as much as 91 percent. Ellen Russeck finds that semiannual baths are enough for her family.
If washing the cat sounds hard, try cleaning the house.
Dander is a light, sticky allergen, which means it can stay suspended in air for a long time and then stick to surfaces. Upholstered furniture, carpets, walls and baseboards all become reservoirs for dander.
Harry and Ellen Russeck are still heavily medicated.
She’s on Maxair (a bronchodilator that opens the airways of the lungs), Vanceril (an inhaled steroid that reduces inflammation in the lungs and clears out the mucus), Rhinocort (a nasal steroid spray that reduces inflammation and swelling of the nose and sinuses), Claritin (an antihistamine), and allergy injections to decrease her sensitivity.
Harry’s on Proventil (a stronger bronchodilator) and Aerobid (a stronger inhaled steroid), and he, too, takes weekly allergy injections.
Martin and other physicians caution allergy sufferers not to medicate themselves.
Of the more than 150 antihistamines on the market, the only ones available without a prescription cause drowsiness. What’s more, he said, an antihistamine can actually make asthma worse in some people by drying up the respiratory secretions, making it harder to get rid of mucus from the chest.
