Cat owners with allergies?

[Deleted]

Anyone here with cat allergies but still own cats? I grew up with cats but developed an allergy some time in adulthood. We would live to have a cat now but I'm just not sure how to combat the allergy on a constant basis.

Thanks!

[josieposy]

I developed allergies as an adult. I had 7 cats in the house at the time (that included one mama and 4 kittens that were fosters). I had to stop fostering, but I refused to give up my other cats. I even kept one of the kittens. I was on meds for awhile, but my allergies are quite low now around my own cats. My true problems arise when I'm overexposed to several other animals. Since I had my own cats at the time, that may be why I've adjusted okay in the long run. It should be noted that we have very little carpet in the house and clean fairly often.

[kellbell191]

I have also developed an immunity to mine. They are not allowed in our bedroom, I vacuum every week and I take Zyrtec. I don't have a bad allergy but some cats do bug me and we've always had them. Kittens carry fewer allergens so I would look for an adult that doesn't bother your allergies as much.

[seriously]

My allergies have improved greatly when it comes to my own cats, but in addition I've was prescribed Nasonex and it's made all the difference in the world.

[momof2boys]

When my son was diagnosed with cat allergies we tried a variety of things. We bought air purifiers, vacuum with hepa filter, wiping the cat down every day with a damp cloth to help remove the dander. Replaced the carpets with hardwood wherever possible, kept the kitties out of his bedroom and the few rugs we still had I steam cleaned with allergen removal solution. We even got him allergy shots (not specifically for the cats but bc the doctor told us we should for all his allergies. After a year of that a different doctor told us we shouldn't, so we stopped the shots). That said, as long as I did these things EVERY.SINGLE.DAY he did okay. More then two days without carpet steaming and he'd get horrible again. My son had SEVERE allergies. He was a year old and would scratch so hard he'd bleed, he had so much mucus he would wake up vomitting every morning. He had severe excema...
It broke our heart, we boarded the kitties for two weeks to see if a kitty free house really made a difference. It did...all of the above problems cleared up, and when the kitties returned they all came back. We ended up finding homes for the two kitties with a relative. However, his allergies were extreme.
They do have a someone hypoallergenic cat, a siberian I believe its called. They are not hairless! I looked into getting one of those a year or so ago but since its not a guarantee I can't see buying one, getting attached, and then having to place another kitty if it doesnt' work out. So I shall wait until he goes off to college to get another cat
Every time we visit someone who has cats its a reminder of why we don't have one Within a half hour of being in a house with cats and he is sneezing, rubbing eyes etc. And he's 5 now, so clearly isn't outgrowing the allergy yet!

[mrssavy42112]

Yep, I’m allergic to my cats. I seem to have more of a skin reaction, rather than a sneezing/runny nose reaction. I just make sure to not handle him with my bare skin too much & keep him away from my face.

[maddysmum]

I am allergic to cats.

Didn't find out until we got cats, of course! And then, obviously, we weren't going to just ditch them (not a comment directed towards you, momof2boys - obviously that would have been awful).

I would've said my allergies lessened over time (our cats both lived about ten years) but in hindsight, I'm fairly sure I just got used to them. I still marvel occasionally when I haven't gone through half a box of tissue by noon.

All of the things recommended to us were hardwood floors, air purifiers (read some Amazon reviews - I know a few people for whom these made a HUGE difference), not letting the cats in the bedroom, vacuum CONSTANTLY, wash your hands regularly and get an adult cat that you can spend time with before bringing home because I definitely find some cats worse than others. Grab that cat and rub it all over you and then wait!

Loratadine was my go to allergy med. Also, although I could never really make myself do it enough, a neti pot is supposed to work wonders for allergies/sinuses.

[aliciar6]

DH is allergic to cats, i vacuum multiple times a week and dust, also have to bathe the cat a lot and use these whipes to pull the allergens off her fur.

she isn't allowed in the bedroom or office.

I made DH go to the allergist, he's allergic to just about everything...

i'm hoping in time he developes an immunity to her, when she was a kitten he didn't show any allergic reaction to her for about 4 months, then it got worse as she started getting older...she's a year now.

[Mashara]

Sept 9, 2012 19:54:14 GMT -5 kellbell191 said:

They are not allowed in our bedroom, I vacuum every week and I take Zyrtec.

Same here for my husband who takes Caliritin daily. No carpeting or rugs. Vacuum the hardwood floors every week. No cats allowed in the bedroom. HEPA air filter on each living level of the house. Sofa cover that I remove and wash as needed.