Question: We don’t want our children to grow up allergic to cats. While they’re young, should we limit access to our several family cats?
Answer: Quite the opposite. For years, physicians have recognized that allergies are rare in children who grew up on farms. Recent studies have shown that pets inside the home protect children from allergies, and the protection increases with the number of pets.
One study followed nearly 1,300 children from age 6 months through 8-9 years. Researchers noted the number of cats and dogs in the home and tracked the children’s allergy symptoms. Nearly half the children without pets developed allergies. Significantly fewer children who lived with pets from infancy experienced allergies. Children who lived with five or more pets were generally free of allergies. Intriguingly, these children were protected from both animal and pollen allergies, suggesting that the children’s immune systems learned to tolerate allergens from the animals and the pollens they carried on their fur.
Ask the Vet is written by veterinarian Lee Pickett, VMD. Read more at saturdayeveningpost.com/ask-the-vet.
This article is featured in the March/April 2025 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Subscribe to the magazine for more art, inspiring stories, fiction, humor, and features from our archives.
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