to expose DS to cats?

[rainbowcow]

DS would love a cat. I took him to a rehoming centre but within half an hour he was sneezing. It was by a field so it could have been hayfever but I have a suspicion he was allergic to one or more of the cats.

He was heart broken when we left without a cat. I have booked him in for allergy testing but they are not 100 per cent accurate. Should I get him to spend time with ragdolls and Siberians and see if he has adverse reaction or could this get worse over time? How accurate do you think allergy tests are? IE have any of you been tested negative but still have bad reaction?

Any of your experiences with cat allergies would be much appreciated. Also are those with cat allergies also affected by other animals too? Will of course go to docs but wanted to hear anecdotal evidence too.

Do not worry. I will not get cat lightly if DS is allergic as that would be really dumb and unkind

Dd showed up neg on the skin test for wheat on her arms. She can't eat it or play in flour/play dough. Face explodes in a rash!

Some of the less moulting cats might be less of a problem.

As might a cat who is brushed more often.

Sometimes it is the 'dander' (dead skin cells) that affect people.

One simple thing to try is give your ds some piriton or other hay fever type medicine about half an hour before going back to see the cats again.

If he is ok with medicine, it might be manageable.

Also, he won't be with the cat all day. The cat does not have to go in all the rooms of the house. Bedrooms can (and should) be cat-free.

I am allergic to cats but it is the colour that affects me. Black and white are the only colours that don't set me off. It took me years to realise this but my long haired black and white girl can rub against my face without causing a reaction and just being in the same house as my MIL's short haired tabbies does cause one.

Do you know many people with cats? If so then maybe try to spend time with different colours/hair types and see if a pattern emerges. I have never been tested for allergies, it is something I was able to work out myself quite easily although I had assumed it was all cats rather than certain colours. Other animals are fine.

I'm allergic to cats and there no way I could live with one even if it was kept out of bedrooms. I wouldn't want to take piriton everyday either.

My sister is allergic to cats, mine affect her dreadfully, but she has two Russian Blues and they don't set her allergies off at all.

You can buy low allergy cats, but they're expensive.

Sphinx cats have no coat so perhaps they're low allergy. It's the protein in the cats saliva that triggers the allergy and I guess Sphinx cats also wash themselves so that might not help.

We learnt that my DF was allergic to cats after getting a short haired moggy from a rescue shelter. There was no way the cat was going back (poor DF but he was surrounded by cat lovers) so we limited where the cat could go in the house and ensured the cat did not sleep on the beds or sit in DF's chair. His allergic reaction diminished considerably over a period of months and actually improved in relation to other common allergies.

I wouldn't do it if I were you OP. I'm allergic to cats - itchy eyes and throat, streaming nose, sneezing, difficulty breathing etc. It's awful. I'm allergic to dogs too, but the reaction isn't as extreme. My friend has a Labra-doodle cross dog as they apparently are safe for people who are allergic, but I'm obviously bloody awkward as I still get ill when I go round to see her! Not sure if I'm allergic to other animals like rabbits or guinea pigs. I used to have a rabbit and I was absolutely fine, but he lived outside which may explain that.

My friend is allergic to cats and has asthma. She wanted a cat so badly though that she went and bought one . Within a week she was up at the hospital with severe allergic reaction, and had to get rid of the cat. She does have a dog now though, but she takes Piriton every day to fight her allergy symptoms.

I know it's hard - my DS is desperate for a dog but even if we wanted one, which we don't, we couldn't because of my stupid allergies.

I am allergic to pretty much all furry creatures, cats, dogs, Guinea pigs, rabbits etc. It's hideous and am also allergic to grass, hey, straw etc. My kids would love a dog and they help ds2 who has asc, he is so much calmer around dogs... Bit we can't have one. I take antihistamines daily as it is and still have horrid reactions, no way could we have one.

Could you visit a friend with a cat to see if he has the same reaction? But it doesn't sound good op.

Hang on, he was just sneezing right? No other symptoms? In that case i would definitely expose him to more cats to see if it was a one off or if he develops a reaction every time.

Fwiw my first kitten as a child i sneezed for a day or two but since then have had cats all my life and never had any problems.

I'm allergic to cats (and everything else with fur, feathers or pollen) I have 3 cats. My eyeballs (well the outside covering the eyeball anyway) swell so that when I blink I trap my eye between my lids. It's gross. But my body seems to acclimatize to them. Strange cats I look like my eyeballs will just melt out of y face . Three days later...I'll be fine. Let him be arround some in a home environment (so their 'presence' is in unthought of places) see how he is.

You cannot assume Siberians won't trigger allergies. I have them and believe me they do!!

It's the dander, not the hair, so the moulting thing has nothing to do with it.

DS has cuddled cats before and all of his friends have had cats and had no reaction. Does reaction often present itself straight away?

Both DH and DS are allergic to cats, but DH gets used to them after a few weeks of being around a new one and will be fine as long as he doesnt touch his face after touching the cat. He wouldnt be without our cat. DS has a lot of allergies and cant work out if the cat is making them worse. He also loves the cat to bits.
He is off to uni next in a couple of weeks so will see if he is better there.

Meant to say, DS was really bad at the RSPCA rehoming centre, far worse than he is at home.

It's definitely possible to get used to a cat and for the allergy to be less of a problem over time. I'm allergic but stubborn so I got two cats and took antihistamines until I'd acclimatised to them, now I can bury my face in their fur with no sneezing at all.

I'm allergic to cats. We had one when I was a child. My DF was also allergic and so sort of thought that a runny nose and itchy eyes was just a normal thing you had to put up with if you wanted to own a cat.

The cat was not allowed in the bedrooms or on the beds - but I used to sneak it in to my room anyway . I was also told to wash my hands after stroking it, and never to bury my face in the fur - I used to ignore this too, but my puffy eyes would often give me away.
I did get less allergic as time went on - Id have more of a reaction if I'd been away for a while. If I had never touched the cat, I'm sure I would have been completely fine.

It didn't stop me rushing to get my own cat as soon as I had my own house. I was allergic to that one at first too, but after a while I got acclimatised.

I don't have a dangerous reaction to cats though, it's just a bit annoying, but I'm happy to put up with it. V different if it is actually affecting your health adversely.

allergic reaction can get worse over time. so I wouldn't get a cat in your situation. it would be miserable for the allergic person and unfair on the cat when it has to be rehomed.

it's often the dander and saliva particles people react to. they are extremely difficult to get rid off even with a rigourous cleaning regime.