Pet

Purina launches ground-breaking cat food to reduce cat allergies in people

vetreportJune 17, 2020

PURINA® has announced the launch of new diet PRO PLAN® LiveClear® – the culmination of over a decade of scientific research into dietary management of cat allergens. This diet is the first of its kind and is proven to reduce exposure of people to cat allergens. It is hoped that this development will benefit the cat-owner relationship and prevent over 1000 cats from being given up for re-homing in the UK each year.

Hailed as ‘the most innovative thing we’ve ever done at Purina’ at the product launch, PRO PLAN® LiveClear® contains an IgY egg protein that binds Fel d 1, a key allergen found in cat saliva. Fel d 1 is responsible for 95% of cat allergies and is transferred from the saliva to the fur during the grooming process. Contrary to popular belief, human cat allergies arise from sensitivity to this allergen, rather than to the hair or dander itself.

Dr Ebenezer Satyaraj, PhD, immunologist for Nestlé PURINA® Research was inspired to investigate cat allergens due to his own family’s experience of dealing with cat allergies. At the product launch, Dr Satyaraj emphasised the importance of finding a cat-friendly solution. At present, it is unclear what the function of Fel d 1 is within the body. This would make blocking its production risky, with unpredictable consequences to cat health and welfare. The solution of PRO PLAN® LiveClear® is to bind the Fel d 1 allergen in the cat’s mouth, thus reducing levels transferred to the environment without impacting the cat’s physiology.

In a published study, feeding PRO PLAN® LiveClear® was shown to reduce the allergens on cat hair and dander by an average of 47%, starting in the third week of daily feeding.⁷  A safety study also showed that the egg product ingredient coating PRO PLAN® LiveClear® kibble is completely safe for cats to eat.⁹ The action happens in the cat’s mouth, but once swallowed, the ingredient is digested like any other protein.

Allergy UK recognises the challenges people living with a sensitivity cat allergies face. Amena Warner, Head of Clinical Services at Allergy UK comments, “There are a number of ways in which cat owners try to manage their exposure to cat allergens and keep their symptoms at bay, including taking antihistamines, using inhalers for quick symptoms relief as sensitivity to cat allergens is often linked to allergy-related asthmas, regularly cleaning and hoovering, bathing and grooming the cat by non-allergic family members. And if these measures do not work, current medical advice is often to relinquish the pet to limit exposure to the allergens.’’

‘’Every cat is unique though, and so the level of Fel d 1 they produce varies, just as every person’s sensitivity level to these allergens is different. That is why there is no ‘one size fits all’ way to manage exposure to cat allergens. Every little bit helps so a combination of management tools often works best to help reduce cat allergens in your home – the combination is unique to your lifestyle. We welcome the development of PRO PLAN® LiveClear®, which when used as part of a cat allergen management regime, could be a meaningful extra tool for affected households.”

PURINA® PRO PLAN® LiveClear® on sale now from Pets at Home and the PURINA® online shop

References:

1. Bousquet, P.-J., Chinn, S., Janson, C., Kogevinas, M., Burney, P. & Jarvis, D. (2007). Geographical variation in the prevalence of positive skin tests to environmental aeroallergens in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey I. Allergy, 62, 301-309.
2. PURINA® study of 1,031 UK cat owners, March 2020
3. Bonnet, B., Messaoudi, K., Jacomet, F., Michaud, E. Fauquert, J. L., Caillaud, D., & Evrard, B. (2018). An update on molecular cat allergens: Fel d 1 and what else? Chapter 1: Fel d 1, the major cat allergen. Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology, 14, 14. Doi: 10.1186/s13223-018-0239-8  
4. Kelly, S. M., Karsh, J., Marcelo, J., Boeckh, D., Stepner, N., Litt, D., …Yang, W. H. (2018). Fel d 1 and Fel d4 levels in cat fur, saliva and urine. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 142, 1990-1992.e3. doi:  10.1016/j.jaci.2018.07.033 
5. Butt, A., Rashid, D., & Lockey, R. F. (2012). Do hypoallergenic dogs and cats exist? Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, 108, 74-76. Doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2011.12.005
6. Nicholas, C., Wegienka, G., Havstad, S., Ownby, D., & Johnson, C. C. (2008). Influence of cat characteristics on Fel d 1 levels in the home. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, 101, 47-50.  
7. Satyaraj, E., Gardner, C., Filipi, I., Cramer, K., & Sherrill, S. (2019). Reduction of active Fel d1 from cats using an antiFel d1 egg IgY antibody. Immunity, inflammation and disease, 7(2), 68–73. doi:10.1002/iid3.244
8. Satyaraj, E., Li, Q., Sun, P. & Sherrill, S. (2019). Anti-Fel d 1 immunoglobulin Y antibody-containing egg ingredient lowers allergen levels in cat saliva. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 21(10), 875-881. doi: 10.1177/1098612X19861218
9. Matulka, R. A., Thompson, L., & Corley, D. (2019). Multi-level safety studies of anti Fel d 1 IgY ingredient in cat food. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 6, 477. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00477