Toddler Allergic to New Cats

[SH27]

Hello,

We have just adopted two 6 month old cats from the RSPCA for our 12 year old son who had been on and on at us for ages. Naturally he adores them and so do we.

Unfortunately, our 20 month old son seems to have developed an allergy to them. He has a runny nose and coughs at night. It is not a constant cough, but it is worrying us. We are taking him to the doctors tomorrow, but I know he is going to say get rid of the cats. But what a nightmare, our 12 year old will be devastated.

Anybody out there have any other solutions, so that I can keep everyone happy?

Many thanks.

yes there is.

What is it?

I mean, is it one of those skin tests?

Usually skin prick test and blood test

where do you get test done?gp?

Thank you. I don't know why I'm asking. I know I'm allergic to cats. Would love to have a cat. Am interested in the petal cleanse thing.

cheesesarnie, not sure if gp's do allergy tests. We were referred to paed outpatient clinic to see consultant for ds. Although, that was primarily for food allergy tests.

we had a cat till ds2 was about 1.he developed asthma and ezcema.all of which seemed to disapear with his cows milk intolerance recently.we rehomed the cat(we still visit him)ds has been exposed to lots of cats(especially recently as have been looking after my sisters mummy cat plus 4 kittens).he had no reaction.dd and ds1 want a cat.do you think safe to asume hed be ok.alfie(our cat we had) was very fluffy so would short haired make difference?i heard its not the hair people are allergic too its something produced in the saliva as a cat grooms itself?

It's the dander, the stuff that comes off th hair, sort of like dust mites

avoid black cats as they are more allergenic. Good advice here www.allerpet.com/facts/fact1.htm

although that doesn't mean the product they sell is any good - haven't tried it so don't know.

I got a kitten for my daughter last year and for 6months i was really bad,same sort of thing as fizzbuzz.For no apparent reason all my symptoms just stopped.I still sometimes get swelling when the cat scratches me and it can be really itchy but apart from that im fine.
I grew up with cats,dogs and birds so didnt even think about being allergic to cats until we brought her home.just so glad im ok now,

My DH is allergic to cats which we found out after getting 2 lovely Maine Coons. We found that bathing them once a month and not letting them into the bedroom has stopped all sneezing, runny nose/eyes & coughing.

People are not allergic to 'cats', they are allergic to the saliva they use to lick themselves with. Ours squeal like little piggies when bathing time comes but because they now the regime they'll stand there, have shampoo (pet shampoo, nothing with too much scent as their noses are so fine) and then rinse very, very well. Et voila...shiny kitty

Why don't you get rid of the cats and replace them with another non-allergenic pet for your 12 yo?

I am very allergic to cats and horses -- I get severe asthma just from being in their presence, but have no problem with our dog.

My Dh was really allergic but took anti-histamines and we wnet on to have 5 cats!! Down to 3 now though - you can get a specific breed of cat which does not cause allergies due to the type of fur on its coat - cannot remember the species but you could google it.

I would get rid of the cats.

The only thing that's helped me when I visit my in-laws and their cat-infested house is an ioniser. However, it's not a perfect solution: The room it's in is tolerable, the rest of the house is hell.

I never realised that feeling miserable was a symptom of the allergy. I assumed it was caused by all the other symptoms, IYSWIM?

we have a gorgorous fat black cat, who is sitting here reading over my shoulder, when we got her 5 years ago I got so sneezy and so worried i would have to give her back to cats protection league, but it seems that for 2 or 3 weeks a year when she is getting a new coat I am very sneezy and then it calms down when the new coat comes on. But then again my brother is so allergic he cant stay in a cat house longer than 20 mins, hope you manage to sort something out, i know it is heartbreaking to get rid of one, despite what some people think. good luck

Hi we are in the same situation, ds recently started on pumps/steroids for asthma which has significantly improved since cats have been re housed in the (very warm/dry) garden shed.... am hoping that the cats will settle into an outside existence and not keep demanding to come in..... not going to well however as they just sit on the window ledge looking pitiful! Cant bear the thought of them going back into the re-homing centre!
Can you try getting someone to look after them for a few weeks and seeing if he improves?
It is hard on the kids, ds is upset that they can no longer come in, I tell him that it is because they make 'our' chests bad so that he does not feel guilty....

Are you sure your DS2 is allergic to the cat? I am allergic to cats and it affects me when I'm around the cat -- not just when I sleep. So I wonder if it's possible that a cat allergy is not what he has.

Oddly my DD used to go to a childminder who had a cat. She would pet the cat and play with her all day. Never a sign of an allergy. But now one of her friends has a cat and she is suddenly showing the symptoms I get. She is 5. I would have thought that if you were going to be allergic when you are 5 you would be allergic when you are 1, but apparently not.

Anyway, I'm afraid I'd let the cat go if you decide it is definitely a cat allergy. It is sad and your DS1 might not understand fully. But, surely you know deep down you have to put the needs of your DS2 before the cat. Do you think DS1 could be persuaded to swap the cat for a dog?

I had to give my two cats away as my DS was allergic to them .He would come out in hives if he touched their fur.

HI, we have a cat, ds1 is allergic and so am I, but the other children and dh are fine. we don't want to part with our new pet,so she rarely comes into the house and lives quite happily outside. we have a shed with a cat flap were she goes when its raining, her food is in there and theres a box and a warm blanket. if ds 1 touches her, he washes his hands immediatley afterwards and this seems to keep things under control.

We have two cats who we have had since they were kittens 11 years ago. My 3 year old recently had an allergic reactions to nuts. Our GP referred us to a Consultant Immunologist for testing. She was given a blood test. The results came back with a positive allergy to hazelnuts (which we had suspected) but also a slight allergy to dogs, a slightly greater one to cats and a very high allergy to house dust mites. We have been keeping the cats out of our toddler's bedroom (keeping the door shut constantly and putting toys elsewhere in the house) airing the house lots, hoovering daily and have also bought some shampoo to wash the cats with (haven't tried it yet). She only has a reaction to our cats if she gets her face somewhere where there is a lot of cat fur (which happens rarely now as we are so careful). I asked her consultant whether I should get rid of the cats. I said I would if he thought they were making her ill. He said no need to at the moment as her dust mite allergy is the more severe one, also we seem to be keeping things under control. He is an expert in allegies as he is a Consultant Immunologist. Therefore, there are many variables. Is it definitely a cat allergy? If so, how allergic is your child (there are different degrees of allergies ranging from mild to severe). I am sure that any of us, however much we loved our pets, would rehouse them if they were making our child constantly unwell but it is not as straighforward as immediately saying you should get rid of your cats if you suspect an allergy.