Asthma.

Getty President Barack Obama's much-publicized search for a dog that wouldn't trigger daughter Malia's allergies put a spotlight on hypoallergenic dogs. But less attention has been paid to cats, even though cat allergies are twice as common as allergies to dogs, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. So is there such a thing as a hypoallergenic cat? Our friends at WebMD Healthy Pets have tackled that subject and the short answer is, scientists don't know. If you have allergies and want a cat, it may be possible to find one that won't bother you. But experts can't explain why. Here are some of the reasons. Anatomy of an Allergy People with cat allergies react to a ...

Anna Westhoff Each week, Ben Westhoff shares the ups and downs of owning Pippi, the dalmatian mix he and his wife Anna adopted as a puppy in late 2009. Earlier this year, I wrote about the benefits (and dangers) of pairing dogs and babies. This was shortly after we'd visited my sister-in-law Alicia's family, and Pippi played around with my young niece and nephew, only occasionally whacking them in the face with her tail. Their family has two Weimaraners, and Alicia noted that, for the most part, everyone gets along swimmingly. In the comments, most of you echoed her sentiments about your own pups and kids, although at least one person was put off by the post's picture, which shows their ...

Getty Have you been wondering if having animals in your house might make your kids more susceptible to asthma? Recent research suggests that the answer is yes -- but only with dogs and only in certain cases. Results of a new study indicate that in families with a higher risk of developing asthma, a canine presence may elevate that risk in children, reports Reuters. The study, led by researcher Dr. Chris Carlsten of Vancouver General Hospital in British Columbia, Canada, showed a three-fold increase in the risk of asthma for children who were exposed to high levels of dog allergen. Interestingly, neither cat nor dust-mite exposure seemed to increase a child's asthma risk. All of the ...

Thompson, the author's cat, shows off his AeroKat feline asthma inhaler. Photo: Kirsten Taylor Sometimes feline asthma can just sound like a bad hairball. But if your cat is making hacking noises without spewing blobs of hair, it might be something more serious. Feline asthma causes cats to wheeze and cough, making sounds that are often mistaken for the gagging, retching sounds that go along with hairballs. About one in a hundred adult cats suffer from feline asthma, according to the Winn Feline Foundation. Untreated, the disease can be deadly. Feline asthma goes by a variety names, such as chronic bronchitis and allergic bronchitis. "Really, [feline asthma] is a hypersensitivity to ...