Am I nuts for thinking about getting my ds a cat when i'm allergic?

[essbeebarmy]

Message withdrawn

I have a british Giant the best bunny ever

I'm slightly allergic to some cats, which can be a pain as i am a vet nurse!! I've found burmese to be the worst. Rex cats, as mentioned by Califrau, maybe aren't the cutest, but i have met some really friendly ones. Also, IME rabbits can be just as bad, as they have fluffy undercoats and can moult like mad. Also need to be handled a LOT to become friendly, are prone to being ill quite a lot, and can scratch & bite.

Someone else mentioned a rat. I know the very thought of these can make people shudder, but they do make excellent pets. They can respond to their names,are handled easily and rarely bite. If kept in a big enough cage, they can also be litter trained. Are also v cheap to care for.

I agree that kids can only really benefit from having a pet. Would a dog be too much work? If you are allergic to them, poodles and bichon frise are fairly non-allergic.

Don't do it essbee.
It's no fun spending most evenings with swollen, itchy eyes or having to change the sheets every time the cat managed to sneak into the bedroom for a snooze. I had cats from age 3 - 27 and spent my teenage years having v. nasty chronic bronchitis and asthma - surprise surprise, it disappeared when I went off to boarding school/uni.
It's costant stress for your system unfortunately.

And btw, don't be fooled by Siberian cats being supposedly hypoallergenic (something you will come across when you google cat allergies) - if you have a genuine cat allergy, you'll be just as allergic to Siberians as to any other cat (trust me - I drove 100 miles a couple of weeks ago to see a kitten I would have liked to buy, only to end up with a swollen face and itchy eyes ).

Yes, I think it'd be patently unfair to yourself, your son AND the cat.

Rats make lovely pets.

the only thing that my DH is more allergic to than cats, is rats.

It's not the fur that causes the allergy, it's the protein from the particular animal, and breed (he's especially bad with burmeses and siamese, that have very short fur).

There are genetically engineered cats that don't have the allergenic protein apparently. here $4000 !!!

The Siberian breed (not genetically engineered) is supposed to be low allergen (longhair too).

oops, guess the siberians are out-thanks for test driving that for us geekgirl.

Though I've kind of given up now-dd2 is swollen up as you describe with no animals, I think at the moment it's tree pollen. She must have got a double dose of allergy-prone-ness from me and DH (I always had cats and never was allergic to THEM, just everything else).

I think if you are an allergic child, your system will find something to fight no matter what.

DD1 is totally unaffected by anything.

Has anyone tried being desensitised?

You are bonkers. I'm allergic to cats, and no way no how would I consider it.

Yes, you are mad

IME nothing you do will render you non-allergic. My ds is very allergic to cats, it doesn't matter how well our friends clean before we go round (they have cats), it still makes him horribly uncomfortable.

also the more you ae in contact with the cat, the worse you will become

Essbee, you can keep a rabbit in an indoor enclosure, and train them to use a litter tray.

Don't get a cat, you can't control the allergens - if DS has sat on the sofa of a cat owner, I get a reaction to his clothes. It's the protien in the hair and saliva, rather than the actual hair that causes the reation, it just can't be confined. And it's really really miserable living with constant allergy itching and running nose. It affects my mood quite badly.

Research v docile rabbit breeds - don't get Netherland dwarfs!

whats wrong with a lovely oblong head Lakeland Terrier that you could name Roger? Much more fun than wheezing and snotting everywhere! Or you could get an indoor rabbit! Or a rat!

You are insane. I am allergic to ALL animals with fur or feathers, and I thought that most people who had an allergy to animal dander were allergic to all animals. So no bunnies for me.

It has got worse as I've got older. Have had to go to A&E twice, as my tongue swells up along with all other unbearable itching etc.

Tried to look after friends dog for 2 weeks. Covered it in anti-allergic spray stuff. Made no difference. Very poorly for one week despite loads of antihistamines and inhalers, and evicted it after one week. Still affected me 6 weeks later.

If you have a bad reaction I wouldn't even entertain it. I desperately wanted to look after that dog, but no way.....