Allergies to cats

1405 Views 15 Replies 12 Participants Last post by veggielove, Oct 31, 2006

shaved_women

Discussion Starter · Oct 27, 2006

I recently found out this summer that I am allergic to cats. I thought I might be because my mom is. I get nasty bumps in many places of exposed skin after being in close contact with cats.

It's really terrible, because I <3 cats. I was visiting a friend in Ohio and I was taking a nap and her cat Sprout nuzzled up right against my head and woke me up. It was the cutest thing ever

I talked to a friend about the allergies, and she said there's some sort of breeding of cats without the thing people are allergic to. Does anyone know more about this?

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Thalia

· #2 · Oct 27, 2006

I am allergic to cats. It's my biggest allergy. However-- I have had shots, and I keep myself constantly exposed. After a couple weeks being exposed to a new cat, I acclimate.

Also, one can shampoo a cat with special shampoo which reduces the allergens.

If your friends cat could nuzzle you and it didn't bother you too much, then what's the problem? Why not live with a little irritation.

As for the special cats-- most people here will say the same thing as I will- why support breeding more animals? Why have a cat if you are not giving a cat in need of a home a home? I think it makes more sense to do what you can to relieve your allergies and give a home to a cat from a shelter than to pay a breeder for a special cat that wouldn't have been bred if people weren't going to pay for them.

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Thalia

· #12 · Oct 28, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by elibrown

Well you'd be hard pressed to find a hypoallergenic cat in need of adoption (I'm going to go ahead and assume you don't want to purchase from a breeder). However, if you were able to sleep at someone's house who owned a cat, are your allergies really that bad? Also you said you only recently "found out" you were allergic to cats...this also suggests to me perhaps your allergy might be something you can easily ignore.

That's what I was thinking. And like I said, constant exposure for me really helps. When I went away to college and then came back, I got all stuff, mildly wheezy and watery eyes and nose. But after a week or so it went away. For me it is cat by cat. When my now former boyfriend had me over, I would constantly be blowing my nose because I was not constantly exposed to his cat. When I recently got two new cats, it took about 10 days to adjust to each. Now I am fine.

I also used to get asthma attacks requiring trips to the ER from grass pollen in the spring. I started getting shots at about age 5 and although I still take allergy meds in the spring and fall, I do not have to worry about dying from my allergies!

Believe me, if you didn't even know you were allergic to something, it can't be that bad. I am rarely around horses, but then whenever I am near them, I instantly realize that I am probably allergic. (when I got tested for allergies, I got a list of about 50 things I am allergic to, just about every animal except dogs.)

Allergy people out there know what I'm talking about when I say it's just something that becomes a part of you. I will always have a tissue box within 15 feet at all times. It's something I even warn my potential SOs about- hey, my nose itches, a lot. I have tissues all over the place, a lot.

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