Your Cat Can Save Your Life

I never thought I would write the heading:

Your Cat Can Save Your Life!

But I just had a patient that told me her recent experience.

My patient had been suffering from chronic sinus pressure, headaches, and fatigue for several months. I was concerned at first that she was allergic to her cat, and that her cat allergy was responsible for her symptoms. As an allergy detective, my first instinct is to blame the cat, of course. However, the patient’s cat allergy test was negative, but she did have a positive test to dust and mold spores.

Hmmm…

Oddly enough, the necessary clue to solving my patient’s case came from her cat (although I need to give the veterinarian some credit too).

How did Fluffy help?

Turns out the patient’s cat had been “sick” for several months, too. The cat was constantly sneezing and spraying mucus all over the house. When my patient took her to the veterinarian, the doctor said:

“Your cat has allergies.”

Then he added that the source, the allergen, must be something in my patient’s home. She did notice the smell of mold in her basement, where her cat usually slept. She hired a company to test for mold, and sure enough, the mold spores count in her basement was sky-high.

Fortunately, my patient was just renting her home, and she was able to get out of her lease. She (and Fluffy) is now moving to a healthier environment. I’m sure they will both be feeling better as well.

We forget that our pets (and animals in general) are quite in tune with nature and environmental changes–especially dangerous ones.

The next time a patient who has a cat or dog allergy is struggling with the decision to part ways with their beloved furry one, perhaps it’s best to try allergy drops to reverse the allergy.

Because remember: your pets can truly be your savior.

Dr. Dean Mitchell
Mitchell Medical Group, NYC & Long Island