Had anyone’s child gotten over cat allergy?

[StarScream22]

My daughter suddenly about 6 months ago became allergic to the cat (according to the doctor). He prescribed nasal drops But they’ve done nothing. I’m not exaggerating, she sniffs every 2-3 seconds and it’s getting to the point I’m struggling to be in the same room. I feel like I’m going to snap. The doctor said not to get rid of the cat as she will eventually get over the mild allergy with exposure. I’m not sure how much longer I can cope with the sniffing! I don’t know wether to give piriton to help?
Aibu in keeping the cat or will she grow out of it.

The GP told my mum that too so she kept the cat. I had a cold till I was 15. I remember the panic of getting to school and realising I'd forgotten tissues. Please say goodbye to the cat.

DH and I are both allergic to one of our cats, but not the others!

For me, it only really happens when we come back from a week or 2 away, I get sniffly and itchy eyes for a day or two and then I adjust again. DH takes a little longer to adjust, and he can have a reaction to the cat after just a few days apart.

So I would agree with your doctor - regular exposure definitely helps (but possibly to varying degrees in different people).

She doesn’t have cold symptoms, there’s no snot. She’s literally just sniffing nothing.

I had a cat allergy as a child. We didn't have our own cat but I got itchy eyes and runny nose if I was in a house where a cat lived. (A close friend had a cat so I was there a lot) It was quite uncomfortable but I really liked cats so I put up with it. I eventually grew out of it in my mid twenties (probably from low level exposure working as a vet!).
How do you know it's the cat though? (I had allergy tests as a child and cats didn't come up although some other things did. But I didn't live with a cat so it was more obvious).

You say this started after a stressful event and could possibly be a stress behaviour? Have you thought about getting her some counselling or doing some meditation/ relaxation techniques to try and help her manage her stress levels?
If it is stress related and the cats her friend then getting rid of the cat may not actually help her long term.

The doctor said it was the cat, which I guess I just accepted without thought. Had a difficult year and a half, my brain hadn’t been fully engaged. I’m going to take her back.

She has counselling at school and she practises mindfulness, which is amazing. She’s actually coached me through a crying episode before! She seems to be ok other than the sniffing.

@StarScream22 this was me from childhood to 32 - I'm now on a prescribed daily dose of Phenergan and the last two years have been life-changing.

I couldn't have pets as a child although I insisted on riding horses, sniffed constantly through school, uni and work, and soaked a pillowcase every night (sorry tmi but true). Took days to recover after riding lessons Parents were super supportive but I think probably also a bit distressed by my insistence on being around animals at every opportunity.

I also got rescue cats of my own at 28 - I was willing to put up with the allergic misery because I love them.

But now - I don't sniffle, itch, or sneeze, my eczema and skin reactions are pretty much gone and my cats can sleep on my head without any issues.

I'd ask your doctor if they're suitable for children and if they can try a dose :)

Ask her teacher if she does it in class as well (when they go back)

My DD used to make a 'her herm' noise for months but she stopped, thank goodness.

What other symptoms does she have? I'm allergic to cats and so is Dd2 and our symptoms don't include sniffing. Hopefully there's some other reason which you might be able to solve?

I swear she stopped doing it until my mum mentioned it a few weeks ago and it reminded her. But it’s possible I may have just gotten used to it and now I’ve been made aware of it again it’s all I can focus on!
I think my best bet is to take her back to the doctors. It may well be a stress tic.

She has literally no other symptoms. Just a dry sniff.

As a child I had really bad eczema and asthma and was allergic to dogs, cats and horses. Came up in hives, made me wheezy, runny nose, red itchy eyes. However I loved animals and my grandparents had a small farm (large small holding really) with dogs, horses, cats along with the other farm animals. I was determined that nothing would stop me going to the farm.

We didn't have any pets apart from a hamster at home as mum & dad worked full time and so I went to the farm after school each day, at the weekends and during the holidays. I was there more than at home as I loved it so much. My mum was worried about my allergies but the GP said the same as yours. I had the scratch tests done and was shown to be highly allergic, I even came up in hives to the normal saline control scratch! I just had to manage my exposure levels each day and if having a bad day go somewhere on the farm where contact with my allergens would be low. Gran was also great about hoovering each day to remove dog and cat hairs in her house. As well as inhalers and nasal drops I took antihistamines just before I went to the farm and they really helped.

By the time I was 12 I had I had no allergy symptoms at all and so was able to have my own dog and horse - both kept at the farm rather than at home. I did realise though, that I'd developed a habit of sniffing as I was so used to having a runny nose but managed to stop it. Asked my mum and friend to tell me each time I sniffed as I didn't realise I was doing it.

I grew up with animals. When I left for uni and came home I had developed an allergy to the cats in particular. The doctor told me that as soon as I was able to I should get a cat! God the first few months were awful but I am now absolutely fine.

I am no less allergic to my animals now than 40 years ago. I’d rehome the cat and change doctor, personally, unless he can come up with some evidence for exposure making allergies better rather than worse.

Making - me too! Although Id want to know for sure its the cat. You cant exactly experiment with staying away at the moment.

A dry sniff on its own doesn't sound like a typical allergy symptom. I'd keep the cat personally!

Have you noticed what happens when you're away from the cat - for example a week or two on holiday?

I'd try to talk to the doctor again. Express your concern that it's taking so long to clear up, ask about the possibility of it being related to anxiety, and mention that you think it may have gone away until someone reminded her of it.

I had a habit of unnecessarily clearing my throat for a while, as a child. No idea how it started, but there was nothing physically wrong with me, and it eventually stopped. I do remember my parents commenting on it, though.

My Mum’s asthmatic and allergic to cats, has now had cats for over 40 years - she loves her cats . Basically have hardwood floors, hoover and wipe the floors every day, no cats allowed in her bedroom. Take antihistamines.

My daughter is also allergic to cats according to her scratch test, but has never had an attack at Mum’s.

It’s also possible your daughter has hayfever if she’s cat allergic and they are bringing grass pollen in on their fur. Has your daughter had any allergy testing or is the GP guessing??

Doctors going to phone me tomorrow so fingers crossed we can get something sorted! She would be devastated to get rid of the cat.

Let us know how it goes. Hopefully you'll speak to a different doctor than last time.

Also you might have missed my previous query, but I'm curious to know if her symptoms disappear if you go away for a week?

I don't think you should get rid of your cat. I would follow the medical advice - it does sound sensible. If her allergy is mild (although annoying) then it would be better to get over it rather than risk her having a more extreme reaction later - cats are everywhere!

But maybe there are more allergy meds she could take?

Also anyone calling you a bad parent is a complete idiot - I wouldn't rehome my cats in your situation either.

God there are some pricks in here.

OP my son had terrible hayfever. Never suffered until he turned 6 and we are now on his second summer of hell! Have you tried a bit of vaseline up her nostrils? It works for pollen.. so may well work for whatever cats release?

My daughter went through a sniffing phase. It was a tic. She outgrew it. No pets at the time so it definitely wasn't an allergy.