TITLE: Cat shedding of Fel d 1 is not reduced by washings, Allerpet-C spray, or acepromazine.
AUTHORS: Klucka CV; Ownby DR; Green J; Zoratti E
AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, Michigan, USA
SOURCE: J Allergy Clin Immunol 1995 Jun; 95(6): 1164-71
CITATION IDS: PMID: 7797784 UI: 95318392
ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND: No published studies have compared the effectiveness of several treatments proposed to reduce cat allergenicity. Cat washing studies demonstrating efficacy involved very small sample sizes or infrequent washings. Allerpet-C (Allerpet, Inc., New York, N.Y.) is a widely advertised topical spray, and acepromazine, a tranquilizer advocated as efficacious in subsedating doses, have never been scientifically studied. OBJECTIVE: We compared the effects of cat washing, Allerpet-C spray, and acepromazine with that of no treatment on the shedding of the primary cat allergen, Felis domesticus 1 by cats. METHODS: In a blinded, comparative, controlled study, we measured the amounts of Fel d 1 shed during an 8-week treatment period with a sample of 24 female mongrel cats randomly assigned to four groups; one group received weekly distilled water washings, one received weekly Allerpet-C spray applications, one received daily oral acepromazine, and one had no treatment (control). Thirty-minute twice-weekly air samples were collected from each cat with a laminated plastic-acrylic chamber and air sampler. RESULTS: One-sample, two-sided t tests comparing baseline to final-week measurements revealed no significant change in Fel d 1 within each group (mean change +/- SD: washing; 487.6 +/- 1896.4 mU per 30 minutes, p=0.63; Allerpet-C spray, 429.2 +/- 871.6 mU per 30 minutes, p=0.46 acepromazine; 620.6 +/- 1031.2, p=0.52 per 30 minutes). Furthermore, analysis of covariance revealed no significant change in Fel d 1 levels between groups (p=0.72). CONCLUSIONS: Our data do not show significant reductions in Fel d 1 shedding as a result of any of these treatments. Therefore we cannot recommend them to patients allergic to cats.