Clinical characteristics of cat sensitized adults, cat ownership and cat owners' attitudes

Background: Cat allergen sensitization is a significant risk factor for allergic rhinitis and asthma. There are insufficient data on the preferences and attitudes of cat owners who have a cat allergy. Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics of adults sensitized to cats and their association with cat ownership, and to assess owners' attitudes and behaviors. Methods: The study evaluated adult patients, ages between 19 and 74 years, who were sensitized to cat allergen as confirmed by skin-prick tests. The demographic and clinical data of the patients were obtained retrospectively from the hospital medical records system. A telephone interview with patients was conducted to evaluate whether they owned a cat and their attitudes toward cat allergy. A total of 143 patients who could not be reached by telephone or who refused to participate in the study were excluded. Patients were categorized into never owned a cat, early cat ownership (having a cat or cats in the first 2 years of the patient's life), and past and current cat ownership according to the status of patients at the time of their skin-prick test. Current cat owners were questioned whether they relinquished their cats and the presence and the degree of symptoms of both patients who relinquished their cats and patients who continued to live with their cats. Results: A total of 245 patients (women/men, 151/94) with a mean age of 31.56 ± 11.33 were included in the study. Eighty-three patients (33.9%) were current cat owners. After the skin-prick test, 54 cat owners (66.1%) continued living with their cats. Two-thirds of these owners were symptomatic, with 95% experiencing nasal symptoms. Only five of the patients with symptoms (14.3%) reported worsening symptoms. Any significant impact on symptoms was not determined with regard to number of cats, cat breeds, and precautionary measures. Conclusion: Cat allergen is a potential risk for public health. The clinician must engage in shared decision-making as to what type of environmental changes that the patient is willing to make and what treatment options, if any, they are ready to accept, recognizing that most patients will prefer to keep their cats.