Using Eggs to Reduce Allergen Levels in Cat Saliva

Recently I learned of a cat food made by Purina which is intended to reduce the amount of allergens that cats produce, allergens which cause humans to have allergic reactions to cats. The science behind it comes from eggs. This piqued my interest because I currently have 47 chickens which regularly produce eggs. So how does it work?

Ninety percent of humans who are allergic to cats are allergic to the Fel d 1 protein which is produced in cat saliva. The protein is spread through their fur while grooming and is released into the air and hard surfaces as the cat sheds. This protein can be “neutralized” when bound to a specific antibody (IgY immunoglobulins), an antibody that not all humans produce. Incredibly, this antibody is also produced by chickens that have been exposed to the Fel d 1 protein, either by exposure to felines, or via injection of the Fel d 1 protein. This antibody is present in the eggs laid by chickens, and when your feline companion eats those eggs, the amount of Fel d 1 protein produced by the cat is shown to be reduced by up to 47% in some studies. This is good news for cat lovers who suffer from unfortunate allergies to their feline friends.

The Humble Hills Homestead flock is regularly exposed to five of the Homestead’s feline residents, making it likely that feeding HHH’s eggs to your feline companion regularly will help reduce that cat’s production of that pesky Fel d 1 protein. That is good news for friends and family who suffer from cat allergies.

Sources

Matulka, R. A., Thompson, L., & Corley, D. (2020). Multi-level safety studies of Anti Fel d 1 Igy Ingredient in Cat Food. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2019.00477

Satyaraj, E., Li, Q., Sun, P., & Sherrill, S. (2019). Anti-fel D1 immunoglobulin y antibody-containing egg ingredient lowers allergen levels in cat saliva. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 21(10), 875–881. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098612×19861218