The vaccine jab for kitty that could cure your allergy to cats: Injection targets protein in pet's saliva, urine and sweat that is most common cause

Sheffield-based Benchmark says its injection can ‘neutralise’ cat itself

It works by attacking a protein carried in cats’ saliva, urine and sweat

More than 725m people, about a tenth of the global population, are thought to be allergic to cats but options for alleviating the symptoms are limited

Millions of cat allergy sufferers know the symptoms only too well – red, itchy eyes, uncontrollable sneezes, coughing fits, even a nasty rash.

But help could soon be at hand thanks to a British company working on a vaccine it says can render even the fluffiest feline totally harmless.

Sheffield-based Benchmark says its revolutionary injection can ‘neutralise’ the cat itself, rather than forcing humans to resort to costly treatments that often have limited effect.

A British company is working on a vaccine which it says can render even the fluffiest feline totally harmless to allergy sufferers

It works by attacking a protein carried in cats’ saliva, urine and sweat that is the most common cause of cat allergies.

More than 725m people, about a tenth of the global population, are thought to be allergic to cats but options for alleviating the symptoms are limited.

Sufferers can take anti-histamines or have regular injections designed to stimulate the body’s natural immune system.

Some websites recommend using air purifiers or even bathing your cat as often as possible, which can prove difficult if the animal doesn’t cooperate.

The new vaccine, dubbed HypoCat, works by attacking the Fel d 1 protein, the main allergen carried by cats and kittens.

Fel d 1, present in saliva, urine and sweat, is spread all over the cat’s fur when it licks itself clean.

The protein then attaches itself to cat dander, tiny particles of dry skin one tenth the size of a dust mite.

As cats prowl their territory, they leave dander on surfaces such as bedding and sofas, wreaking havoc on allergy sufferers whose symptoms are triggered by the protein.

But Benchmark claims that HypoCat can ‘neutralise’ the Fel d 1 protein altogether, without harming the cat.

It is spending up to £8million to commercialise research by Swiss firm HypoPet, based at the University of Zurich, in the hope of making HypoCat available through vets within three or four years.

Maureen Jenkins, clinical director of Allergy UK, said the vaccine could make a huge difference to allergy suffereds in the UK, which hosts an army of around 8.5million cats.

‘It’s a major problem in this country so this could be very significant,’ she said.

‘Some people avoid cats like the plague and when they are then exposed they could have a very serious reaction.’

‘It’s also something that can cause chronic ongoing systems and a lot of people don’t realise what the cause is.’

Benchmark said it believes that HypoCat could open up a new market for cat vaccinations worth as much as £250million.

Life sciences analysts at City of London firm Cenkos Securities said: ‘There is a large potential market for this vaccine.’