Toxic kitty? Researchers ponder link between rare venom and cat allergies
What’s not to love about a kitten that makes you giggle at its playful capers, or a cat that cuddles its warm body into yours and purrs blissfully while you stroke its soft fur? While many of us relish the company of our feline friends, for others it’s a miserable experience: sneezing, red eyes, hay fever, itchy rash, breathing difficulties and even asthma are some of the allergic reactions cats can trigger in humans.
But is this a defence mechanism that they unwittingly evolved to fend off enemies? That’s what a recent study involving an incredibly cute but atypically venomous primate – the dreamy-eyed slow loris – speculates could be the case.
Published by The Guardian.
