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AIBU?

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Original poster

To keep Dear cats and hope DS grows out of allergy?

168 replies

Madreamer · 20/05/2011 15:21

DS (1 yr) seems to be allergic to my cats. I've had them for 7 yrs now and since he got mobile @ 6months he seems to be always have a runny nose when we r at home. He didn't when we went on holiday and it gets better at childminders. I'm convinced it is the cats and actually separated them (but still have common area which both use). Some lost some growth spurts as a result of his allergy. I got some commercial grade air purifiers (useful for pet dander, virus and bacteria, etc) but the room gets very chilly with them -as i have to use 2 at a time to make it work. I turned them off for the first time in 3 months for 12 hours and DS's nose is running again. Has anyone experienced this? If so what did you do about it. I want to be fair to DS and cats, what is the best option?

OP posts:
Original poster
Madreamer · 20/05/2011 15:22

Some lost some = DS lost some Blush

OP posts:
lubeybooby · 20/05/2011 15:24

Get "petal cleanse" spray and pet shampoo. It removes the allergen from furniture and walls, clothes etc and from the cats themselves too. I have three cats and it works well, used with your purifers and I'm sure it will be ok

Stropzilla · 20/05/2011 15:28

Why don't you temporarily rehome them? Clean the house top to bottom to get rid of any residual hairs, and see how he goes? If the allergy comes back, find a new home for the cats.

FurKnickersAndNoCoat · 20/05/2011 15:34

I couldn't part with them if they were mine so i'm not much help, will just say both myself and my sister had terrible allergies to pretty much all animals when we were young and both grew out of it around age of 4 or 5 i think. Only you know how much your DS is suffering.

issey6cats · 20/05/2011 15:36

just to let you know that it is not the cat hair he is allergic to it is enzymes in cat saliva because cats lick themselves clean, so your choice is son having a runny nose or rehoming the cats, my daughter can tolerate the cats she lives with, but is allergic to one of my cats but being as she only visits our house its not a major problem for her

Iggly · 20/05/2011 15:40

Have you thought about whether it could be anything else? E.g dust mites?
Can you get a decent vacuum which is hepa grade like this one? Or hire one. PLus change his bedding and put anti allergy covers on his bed/cot and wet dust his room and keep them out.

I only say this because you said it only started when he was mobile so would be closer to carpets etc? On holiday were there less carpets? Same at CM? If so, I'd get rid of the carpet in his room too if it's bad!

Vallhala · 20/05/2011 15:40

I wouldn't dream of rehomnig my pets but I'm sure to get criticism for that and predict that this will get heated. Couldn't give a shit what anyone thinks of my stance, however.

I just want to know something... lubey... you bath your cats? Shock

Do you have Ragdolls? Or do you have scratched hands and arms on a regular basis? :o

Last cat I had to bath (because my dog tried to bury him!), a normally sweet and affectionate fellow, was not a happy egg when confronted with water and a bottle of pet shampoo!

Checkmate · 20/05/2011 15:44

The risk you're running is that some allergies get worse, not better, with prolonged exposure. MY DS used to be mildly allergic to rabbits, not enough to stop me letting him stroke the rabbits round at his cousins house on a regular basis. Then, he did it again, after a few years of this, came out in huge hives and couldn't breathe properly. We had to phone 999, and it took a 2 day stay in hospital to stabilise him.

At least seek medical advice.

issey6cats · 20/05/2011 15:45

vallhalla some cats dont mind being bathed i used to have a long haired cat who used to like going under cars and so every so often she had to be bathed to get the oil out of her fur she used to sit there dead placid and didnt mind being bathed, she used to go in the bath about a foot wide and come out looking like a drowned rat till she dried

Original poster
Madreamer · 20/05/2011 15:46

I know it is the cats as I hoover every week and mop with steam mop on weekends. I let one of the cats into the room and there was a dramatic shift if DS's runny nose (more not less :)). So pretty sure it is the cats.
FurKnickers - I'm glad to hear no long term damage was done to you or your sister as a result of living with the allergy.

I'm not keen to rehome the cats as I've had them since they were tiny tiny babies (are really my babies). I would consider if it means my DS will develop asthma or any other long term illness. Does anyone know?
I've bathed my cats when they were young (as they has a skin disease) and used to have ripped skin on my body - don't think I'm going to do it to full grown strong cats as i quite like staying alive

OP posts:
Blondeshavemorefun · 20/05/2011 15:48

im allergic to cats and have been since i turned 21 and now 37 - before that i was fine and worked with cats (as a nanny)

i was told skin/allergies can get worse/better every 7 years and i hoped at 28 that i wasnt allergic

are you sure it is your cats and not anything else

i would reconmend being tested for cats at doctors/hospital

and yes its not the fur its the saliva

Blondeshavemorefun · 20/05/2011 15:49

i read that as you hoover the cats Grin

'puts glasses on'

EvenLessNarkyPuffin · 20/05/2011 15:50

'I know it is the cats as I hoover every week and mop with steam mop on weekends'

You need to hoover every day and steam mop at least twice a week.

EvenLessNarkyPuffin · 20/05/2011 15:51

I don't mean for dust mites BTW, I mean to remove the cat hair.

Original poster
Madreamer · 20/05/2011 15:51

I will get him tested then. Every time I suggested this to my GP when my DS was ill they buried their head in sand refused to consider that it might be the reason. I may have to force them to do it.

OP posts:
Original poster
Madreamer · 20/05/2011 15:53

@ EvenLess, I don't have the time to do that as i work fulltime. :(. Should I consider buying the robotvaccum maybe?

OP posts:
chippy47 · 20/05/2011 15:53

The cats have got to go. Allergy symptoms include -itching eyes/skin, streaming nose and breathing difficulties amongst other things (and your DS is not growing as he normally should -did I read that correctly?).

Would you feed your DS foods that you knew resulted in the same outcomes -obviously not. So why expose him to something that does? Cruel and insensitive to his needs.

Valhalla -you should get some stick for your stance because you would be intentionally causing unnecessary suffering to your child. If you had an allergy (guessing you do not) you would know how the DS was feeling (appreciate there are different levels of allergicness -if that is a word -but as the OP has described her DS as losing growth because of the allergy I am guessing his is on the high side).

DooinMeCleanin · 20/05/2011 15:54

I'm allergic to cats. I have one because I am allergic to them Hmm. My mum brought home a long haired cat after I moved out. Visting her was hell for me, so I bought my own cat as it occured to me I was never that ill when I lived at home with her other cat. I cope just fine unless the cat sits on me too long. I become tolerent of them after a few months.

Do you think it could be because DS is crawling about at cat level?

We always had cats, even when I was a small baby. I have always been allergic to them apparently, but just became tolerent of them due to exposure.

Only you can decide how much your cats affect your son and whether it is fair for him to live with them, but re-homing would be the very last resort for me if I was in your position and my children would have to be very ill Blush

RottenRow · 20/05/2011 15:54

You might have to consider rehoming them if some of the advice above does not work. My friend's allergy to her mother's cat got so bad she used to have trouble breathing. Her mother chose the cat over her and she went to live with her nan. I'm not saying you would do this, just seconding that allergies cand get worse

GrownUpNow · 20/05/2011 15:58

I had a cat and rehomed as it turned out DD was allergic. She's still a snot fountain as she also has pollen allergies (active from March to October unfortunately) but for me the improvement in her breathing/coughing/snot production is marked. I would just worry as I believe that allergies can worsen over time and exposure and I read somewhere that those with allergies could go on to develop asthma. DD already has to have an inhaler because she gets a really nasty cough thanks to the post nasal drip. The decision for me was easy, I loved having a cat, but they were still just animals to me and my DDs health took priority over trying to find a compromise. I can understand that different owners have different relationships with their pets though, and why having an animal for years before children can make that decision harder.

EvenLessNarkyPuffin · 20/05/2011 16:03

I'm not sure how good the suction is on those things, or how good they are on pet hair. Could you keep the doors to some of the rooms shut so the cats have don't have access to them during the day and after you've gone to bed? Maybe aim to hoover twice a week? And do some outdoor cat grooming - with those glove mit soft bristled things- so that the cats have less to shed indoors?

Blondeshavemorefun · 20/05/2011 16:03

i would pay privately for the skin/allergy tests if gp wont do them

and rare to grow tolerant to cats

manicinsomniac · 20/05/2011 16:05

If I knew for certain it was cats that were causing it I would rehome the cats.

I like cats but think kids have got to come before animals

But I would get him tested and rule out other options before putting yourself through sacrificing your cats. Not a nice sitauation to be in, I'm sorry :(

DooinMeCleanin · 20/05/2011 16:06

Allergies, asthma and excema tend to go hand in hand. I suffer asthma too as does one of my sisters, the other sister has excema but no asthma. Me and my asthma sister both have allergies me to cats, dust, straw and grass her to paint fumes. Her asthma is a lot worse than mine, despite me being surrounded by dust and cats (my excuse for the dust is I am only allergic to it if it is in the air, if it settled it's fine, ergo I cannot possibly dust things, for fear of unsettling the dusta nd making myself ill Grin)

mousymouse · 20/05/2011 16:06

I would seriously consider rehoming them.
I am very allergic to cats (most pets in fact). The reactions are anything from a blinding rhinitis to asthma. It only started as a sniffle when I was little but gradually got worse.