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Original poster

Help with possible cat allergy !!!

27 replies

sylvev · 07/11/2002 16:05

We have recently given into child-pressure and obtained 2 cats. Unfortunately after 20 minutes of playing with them, my ds began sneezing, eyes running and his 1 eye finally swelling up. The symptoms reduced after a while. We previously had a dog, who died 2 years ago, and ds was fine with her. Could this be an allergy and are their alternatives to, gulp, giving the cats away? Anyone any advice, similar experiences?

OP posts:

Original poster

sylvev · 07/11/2002 16:05

oops, should be "there"

OP posts:

threeangels · 07/11/2002 16:15

Hi Sylvev,

Anyone that Ive ever really known who had allergiews to any pets could not have them in the house at all. I dont really know what you can do to eliminate pet allergies. Sorry. Hopefully someone might have some better info because I know it would be hard to give up any pets. Good luck.

Jaybee · 07/11/2002 16:18

Dh has exactly the same reaction to cats - he is fine with dogs and rabbits but as soon as he gets close to a cat he starts - my old cat lives with my Mum. May be worth trying ds with Piriton to ease the symptoms and see if he gets used to dcs (dear cats) but I suspect that you may be looking for another home for the cats.

Lindy · 07/11/2002 17:20

My DH is also extremely allergic to cats and reacts in the same way as soon as he goes inside a house which has a cat. It sounds as though your DS may be the same.

SofiaAmes · 07/11/2002 17:46

I am allergic to most cats (and rabbits), but not all. One time I even had an allergic reaction sitting next to someone in a theater who had a few cat hairs on their coat. I am mostly not allergic to dogs, but occasionally one comes along that I am allergic to. The symptoms you are describing are pretty typical. When I am allergic, I have to take medicine which more or less, but not completely deals with the symptoms. I'm not sure I'd want to have my child on allergy medicine all the time.

oxocube · 07/11/2002 17:58

Hi Sylvev, I am also allergic to cats but we have 4 of them!! I developed asthma as an adult (at 21) when we actually had 7 cats and I was a student so conditions re cleanliness etc were not as they should have been!! I had a cat as a child but then my mum is a hygiene freak and there were hardly any cat hairs round. Anyway, now the asthma is here to stay, ever present but much better when I stay with my parents who now have no pets. Although I always suspected the cats were the cause, this was only confirmed 2 years ago after seeing a specialist and having lots of tests.

I don't have it in my heart to get rid of the cats as they are old now (between 11 and 13) and would not realistically find new homes and besides, I am very fond of them. I just won't get any more when they die. I think I would perhaps feel differently if my kids were allergic. Perhaps the best thing to do would to be to have a skin test (not painful and straightforward) and if positive, find new homes for your cats before your d.s. becomes too attached.

If its any consolation, cat allergies are apparently v common but you could still have a different pet - I am not allergic to anything else except Christmas trees (and we still have a real one every year as it looks and smells so lovely!)

Original poster

sylvev · 07/11/2002 19:04

Thanks for your thoughts. He has been ok today, only sneezed twice. I've encouraged him to wash his hands if he touches the cats and not to touch his face until he has washed. The cats are confined to the kitchen and back room at the moment and ds does not seem to react unless he touches them. We plan to get him tested asap and, hopefully, this will give us definite info. I've come across pages of web info. and some of it is reassuring. I do not want him to be on medication, if it came to that then I may well be advertising here for "good home wanted for 2 lovely cats". I'll keep you posted. Thanks again.

OP posts:

karenanne · 07/11/2002 19:04

my daughter also reacts like this to cats but only if she either strokes a cat or gets a hair on her.we give her piriton and after about 12 hrs her eye goes back down.my mum has 3 cats and she just makes sure she hoovers regularly and wipes dd hands after either shes touched a cat or crawled around the floor

Tinker · 07/11/2002 19:05

I'm pretty much like SofiaAmes on this one. But cat allergy is really uncomfortable, I would think about getting rid for your son's sake. Had to sleep on a floor once in a flat where there were kittens - eyes were swollen for days and the sensation of not being able to breathe is horrible.

SofiaAmes - what medicine do you use?

Alibubbles · 07/11/2002 19:43

sylvev, Ds might become aclimatised to them soon. The mum of two children I used to look after was highly allergic to them on the first visit, but she still chose me! She gradually became used to them and had no problems at all. But when we got a new one, she had to go through the getting used to process all over again, but again she did get used to it.

DD (16) has grown up with cats, but is now allergic to one we have had for six years!

Sometimes the benefit of having a pet outweight the allergy part, my DD adores her cats. We just try to keep them out of her bedroom.

VJR · 07/11/2002 20:02

I agree with Alibubbles. We have a friend who is very allergic to cats and when he used to stay he would end up with a wet towel wrapped round his neck as the sofa brought him out in a rash! When homeless at one time he stayed with us for about a week and by the end he could have the cat lying on his chest - it was amazing! I understand that this is not the case for all people with cat allergies but perhaps its worth perservering before taking drastic action.

While we are on the subject of cats I just want to add this. After having a weekend away we came back to find the cat had pooed on the sofa. She is about 15 yrs old and used to being left alone overnight. She has not lived in a house with a cat flap for about 8 years (DP has a thing about them, other cats, long story) and had a litter tray left out for her which she has always used in the past. DP went absolutely mad when he saw what she had done and threatened to take her to the Blue Cross the next day. I wouldn't mind so much but this is his cat that he has known longer than me. I hope he doesn't treat me in the same way when I become old and start s*ing myself!!! I don't know why she did it but has anyone else had experience of loose boweled cats and does this mean she is on her last legs?

robinw · 07/11/2002 22:28

message withdrawn

ScummyMummy · 08/11/2002 07:20

I agree that aclimatisation may be possible, so if DS's reaction isn't too severe it would be worth perservering for a while, I should think. I'm a bit allergic to cats when I first meet them but have lived with quite a few and had no problems once my sinuses and sneeze receptors (or whatever) have accepted that they're a permanent fixture. Good Luck!

Bron · 08/11/2002 10:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SueDonim · 08/11/2002 10:49

VJR, we've had elderly cats in our time (the last one was 18 when she popped off) and they can get upset tummies, just like anyone else. Cutting out milk permanently can be effective, as some cats have a reaction to it, causing diarrhoea. If your mog is having regular accidents, get her checked over by a vet to rule out illness.

Re allergies, ime, there seems to be a huge variation in reactions, with some people sniffling if they get within 100yds of a cat, while others such as my friend almost have to climb into bed with one before they start reacting. I'd just monitor the situation for a bit and see if things calm down, then you can make a proper decision. Good luck.

soothepoo · 08/11/2002 11:26

If you end up having to give these cats away, but are still desperate to have a cat, the Cornish Rex or Devon Rex varieties have very short curly hair (they look like they have been knitted ) and therefore do not shed so many hairs, so may not produce an allergic reaction in your ds. However, you'd have to be pretty sure - as a pedigree breed, they would be pretty expensive, probably several hundred pounds! At the extreme end, there is the Sphinx cat -it has no hair whatsoever, but looks horrible!

2under2 · 08/11/2002 13:28

I'm dreadfully allergic to cats but have always had at least two! What works very well for us and our cats is not having them live indoors with us - they have a purpose-built cat house (bought from a company who supply the Cats Protection League, called 'Lindee-Lou' ) in the garden and we cuddle them when we're outside and always make sure to wash hands afterwards and put clothes that got hair on them in the wash. The cats got used to it quite quickly despite having been allowed into the house for the first couple of years and seem to be happy.
I've heard a few times that it is particularly important to keep the bedroom cat-free if you're allergic so that your body gets a break during the night. When I was living with my parents our cats were always with me and I had chronic sinusitis and bronchitis, but was happy to endure that rather than a cat-free life. '

SueDonim · 08/11/2002 15:25

Interesting about the rex cats, Soothepoo. Poodle dogs are also 'non'allergenic' so maybe it is something to do with the gene that causes the fur to be curly?

Original poster

sylvev · 08/11/2002 17:31

Thanks again for your ideas.
Robinw, we got the cats from the Cats Protection League, so we know they will go back to a caring "foster parent" if we do have to let them go.

Bron, I did not say I would prefer ds to be on medication, quite the opposite. As it is not even certain yet what the problem might be and he is fine most of the time,we do not want to make a hasty decision.

We have managed to arrange an appointment tomorrow to get ds tested and see a homeopath for any ideas, (I believe they help build up a childs' resistance to the allergen).

Interesting about the products available, I don't know of anyone using these, I believe there is a spray for the animals, furniture & bedding and washing liquid for clothes etc.

Anyway, I was interested to read the stories about acclimatising to the cats, it just depends how long that would take.

I will let you all know how we get on.

Thanks again.

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CER · 08/11/2002 23:17

Sylvev, "Allergy Uk" have a website and helpline that can give you advice. In the general pack that we got from them there was a leaflet about treatments that you can use on your cats to help stop them sheding dander which most people react to. I think it was some kind of shampoo but I'm not sure as I only glanced at it as we don't have any pets.

You can contact them on 02083038525,or at www.allergyuk.org.

Hope the test and visit to the homeopath is useful.

robinw · 09/11/2002 08:15

message withdrawn

Original poster

sylvev · 20/11/2002 22:04

Thanks for all your advice. Thought I'd post an update. Cats are still with us and settling in well, (too well, according to dh)! We visited a homeopathic doctor who did a thorough assessment of my son and his symptoms. He takes 1 powder once a week and a tablet if the symptoms appear. The change has been amazing. The cats go everywhere except for his bedroom, he sneezes now vary rarely and seems almost back to normal. We re-visit the homeopath in 2 weeks. Both ds and dd love having the cats and we are soooo pleased that ds is no longer affected. See, there can be happy endings in life! Thanks again.

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Alibubbles · 21/11/2002 07:42

I am so glad that it has worked out well for you all, enjoy your cats!

Children can build up special relationships with cats and it is a good way to teach them responsibility for others and dependent animals

Great news!

SoupDragon · 21/11/2002 08:13

That's great! We had to leave our cats behind when we moved They were rescue cats and didn't take too kindly to the arrival of children after 3 years of peace and quiet. I miss them terribly, especially when reading DSs Slinky Malinky books.

SueDonim · 21/11/2002 09:16

Great news! I'm glad you'll all live happily ever after.

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