Many people are allergic to cats, but until recently, scientists had no idea the purpose of such allergies. Now they may have a clue from the toxin of the world’s only venomous primate, the slow loris.
The latest theory is that the DNA sequence of the protein in slow loris venom is virtually identical to the allergenic protein on cats. Cats may have developed this protein to keep predators (and allergic people) away.
Whether this theory is correct or not remains to be seen, but you have to ask if cats don’t want people to be near them, how do they expect to have someone open a can of cat food for them?
To learn more about the possible purpose of allergenic proteins in cats, click here.