Could it be that the child who grows up with a cat in the house is less likely to develop allergies or asthma than the child who grows up in a pet-free household?
“In some studies, children raised in a house with a cat are less likely to become sensitized and less likely to develop asthma,” said Dr. Douglas Jones, an allergist at Rocky Mountain Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in Layton.
“Some studies show as many as 75 percent of children who develop allergies to a cat have never lived in a house with a cat.”
The idea is part of the “hygiene hypothesis,” which theorizes that early exposure to microbes and potential allergens lessens the chances of developing allergies later in life.
