Q: My sister wants to get a cat, but her young daughter has asthma. Won’t that just make it harder for my niece to breathe?
Caren O’Reillya
Boulder, Colorado
Dear Ms. O’Reilly,
A: People often assume that a child diagnosed with asthma will have greater breathing difficulties with a cat in the house. But that doesn’t appear to be true. When researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, followed some 200 children ages 2 through 17 who had been diagnosed with asthma and lived with a cat (or dog), those whose condition was managed appropriately faired as well as kids whose asthma was kept under good control but did not have pets. As long as your niece’s asthma is well managed, you can feel pretty secure about your sister bringing a feline companion into her home.
