Cat owning children may be protected against asthma

The study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, suggests that children who live in a home with a cat are more likely to have developed antibodies that will protect them against allergy. At the age of three, children living with a cat were more likely to have a wheeze - associated with asthma. But, by the age of five, those same children were less likely to have a wheeze.

The study is part of a larger study of pregnant women, started in 1998, which examines the effect of exposure of pregnant women and babies to indoor and outdoor pollutants and irritants.

So far it is too soon to actually recommend cat ownership to prevent asthma, but it does suggest that the usual advice given to parents of allergic children, namely to get rid of animals, is not advisable.