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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
JeremyVile · 20/05/2011 16:10

I'm allergic to cats, it's horrible.

I wouldn't inflict that on a child.

Calyx · 20/05/2011 16:10

If the child's nose is running then the mucous glands are working overtime. If there's any inflammation of the mucous membrane caused my the allergen then long term exposure will lead to chonic inflammation. Long term inflammation is not good for any membranes and could lead to permanent thickening/fibrosis which in nose/throat can lead to recurrent infections. longer term then you could be looking at a skewed immune system etc.

In my opinion it's not fair on the child. I became allergic to my cat all of a sudden as a child and my mum had to rehome it. I still remember how much better I felt in general (I did miss the cat though).

Ormirian · 20/05/2011 16:12

COuld it be hay fever? if it's recent.

Calyx · 20/05/2011 16:12

I agree with manicinsomnia 'kids have got to come before cats' sorry.

celebmum · 20/05/2011 16:13

I grew up being allergic to cats, runny nose/streaming eyes and itching etc when I left home at 21 I got a cat (DH wanted her really as he'd always had a cat) I got used to her after a few months and before long didn't notice my allergies being affected by any cat?

To be fair tho, at 21 I probably could cope with said allergies a little better than a 6month old? You know him best so only you can decide xxx

Original poster
Madreamer · 20/05/2011 16:14

DS doesn't have excema and seems resistant to even the lethal pollen that sets me off. It had affected his growth as he was previously ill every 2 weeks, but he has grown well since the air purifiers. I have to take one of 2 options - (1) Keep airpurifiers on 24/7, perhaps buy a robovaccum to hoover everyday + keep cats and DS separated, (2) Rehome cats (after doing allergy tests)...Don't like (2), it makes my heart sink :(. I wouldnt want to be neglectful to DS's needs, if despite (1) he suffers, I will have to do (2) anyway.

OP posts:
DooinMeCleanin · 20/05/2011 16:15

My mum got rid of my Budgies after I developed Asthma because the doctor rold her Feathers (I forgot I am also allergic to feathers as is my sister) exacberate Asthma. To this day I still have not forgiven her. I also have not forgiven her for rehoming our Ferrets after one almost killed me. T'was only the baby which almost killed me, we could have kept poor Polo Sad I still miss Polo.

Original poster
Madreamer · 20/05/2011 16:16

@Calyx, I'm worried of exactly the situation you describe. I don't want him to have long term issues.

OP posts:
Ormirian · 20/05/2011 16:16

I was allergic to cats. I was tested for allergies as a child (about 6) because they realised I was athsmatic. Cats, dog, horses, house dust mite - anything furry or dusty and I was allergic. We had a cat and a dog. ANimals stayed. Mum allergy-proofed my room. I now have no reaction to cats - we have 2. Or horses. Sometimes my parents's dog makes me a bit sniffly but not much.

I guess only you can tell how badly he is suffering and whether it is enough to justify the sacrifice.

Original poster
Madreamer · 20/05/2011 16:17

Oh, Doo! I feel for u! x

OP posts:
IslaValargeone · 20/05/2011 16:17

Oh, I read that as some of her cats lost growth spurts when she separated them, I thought it was a bit odd that cats still grew at 7 Confused but if your son has had his growth affected by his allergy, surely it's a no brainer? Although I realise it will be hard for you.

Original poster
Madreamer · 20/05/2011 16:18

@Ormirian - How does one allergy proof a room?

OP posts:
Original poster
Madreamer · 20/05/2011 16:19

@Isla Grin. Typos all over the place...Blush

OP posts:
HazeltheMcWitch · 20/05/2011 16:21

Doin - how did the ferret nearly kill you? Apols, am both hijacking AND being nosy! Was it thru allergy ?

OP - I think the next step might be to get proper allergy tests done. If he is allergic to something other than cats, tackle that. If it IS cats, try the Petal Cleanse, try extra hoovering, getting rid of carpets first. And if DS is still suffering - you've got a tough decision on your hands, unfortunately. Only you know how much he is affetcted.

Calyx · 20/05/2011 16:21

If you're keeping the purifiers on and hoovering etc, and the runny noses stopped, great! You would only have to rehome if your measures didn't work.

Good luck and try not to worry! You're doing everything I would be doing and my fingers are crossed that it keeps working!

mousymouse · 20/05/2011 16:21

Allergy prooving room is very very difficult with cats. The problem is that the allergen is in the saliva which then dries and flies around in the air in the tiniest particles. Plus do you want to keep ds only in one room?

DooinMeCleanin · 20/05/2011 16:21

Definately get him tested first. We had no idea I was allergic to cats until I was allergy tested. We'd always had them. My mum thought I was somehow allergic to my Gran's house as I was ill everytime I went there Grin

She had three cats, was one very fussy and never left me alone, we only had one cat.

PonceyMcPonce · 20/05/2011 16:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mathanxiety · 20/05/2011 16:22

Hoovering once a week is probably not enough. The problem could well be dust mites or something else. Might be worth pulling up your carpets and laying wood flooring.

Why not have your DS tested? It's worth knowing, as there are desensitising shots available that can work well. Allergies that are not dealt with can lead to asthma.

Ormirian · 20/05/2011 16:22

Got rid of carpets and got a roller blind instead of curtains. Removed all ornaments and books. Bought an allergen-free duvet to replace blankets etc (this back in the early 70s when 'continental quilts' were a new-fangled fad). Basically removed everything that could harbour dust and made it very easy to keep clean. I guess you could put on of the air purifiers in there too and keep mogs out.

DooinMeCleanin · 20/05/2011 16:27

No the ferret did not almost kill me through allergy. I'm not allergic to ferrets, just their bedding Grin. I was sitting on the floor with it after it had been hunting rats at my Uncles house. My dad ordered me not to allow it near my face as your face smells different to the rest of you and ferrets can be prone to biting your face. Being that I was ten I thought I knew best, decided he was talking bollocks (still do think it's bollocks tbh) and did not listen. The ferret bit my jaw line and missed my jugular my milimeters. The A and E doc told my Dad had it been slightly more to the right I'd have bled to death before they got me to Hospital.

EvenLessNarkyPuffin · 20/05/2011 16:27

I'd try doing a hardcore deep clean and then following a regime for a month. Make sure that the cats never go into the room where your DS sleeps. Try to make sure his pjs go on in his room right before bed. With the door shut and the air cleaned by one of your machines that's 9 hours + cat free. Try to cover any upholstery that the cats like to settle on with machine washable throws, and change them weekly. Make sure that they have their own cushion/beds so they don't feel too put out. You could also buy your DS a play mat - even a big piece off cut of lino would do- so that when he settles for a while to play on the floor he's not inhaling whatever sets him off.

If after a month your DS is better, it might be worth looking at replacing carpets with easier to clean hard flooring. Hopefully as he gets older and his nose gets higher from the floor it won't be such a big issue.

MillyR · 20/05/2011 16:27

I have spent time in hospital and was told I would probably die due to cat allergy. Maybe your child will stop being allergic to cats, but maybe they won't. As for people who have said they 'built up a tolerance' in their twenties after getting a cat, that is actually the age when many people naturally stop being allergic to many things, but it is not going to be the case for everyone. Many people continue to have allergies as adults, or develop them as adults.

I own dogs and I would definitely rehome them if one of my children was allergic to dogs.

Why put your child's health at risk?

It is very difficult to get rid of the allergens from cats. They are present at low levels in hospitals and offices from being carried in on people's clothes. Steam mopping and hoovering is not going to fully remove them from your house. I have read that it will take two years after you remove the cats from the house to entirely remove cat allergens from a home.

trixymalixy · 20/05/2011 16:28

We had to rehome our cats. It totally broke my heart.

DS is allergic to them, he was tested at the hospital. We tried petal cleans and air cleaners etc.

He developed severe asthma. We'll never know whether this would have happened anyway or if we'd got rid of them earlier it wouldn't have happened.

After seeing DS with multiple drips, hooked up to monitors and being woken through the night for hourly nebulisers I would say it really really is not worth it.

SockShitter · 20/05/2011 16:30

YANBU i would keep them and see how he goes.. If anything maybe let them be outdoor cats but I wouldn't rehome them if they were happy after 7 years