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Original poster

dd1 has a cat allergy. is there anyway of getting around this to get a cat?

23 replies

misdee · 12/05/2008 20:55

i think i know the answer, but am wondering if its possible after seeing street doctor last week and they suggested wiping down the cat every day with a damp cloth.

wuld a short hair cat be better? less saliva on fur?

am i mad to be even be considering this?

OP posts:

cariboo · 12/05/2008 21:03

Yes, madness to consider it. dd is also v. allergic to cats even though she adores them & would love to have a cat at home. Her allergist said "absolutely not" to having a cat and no, there isn't a viable treatment to de-sensitise cat dander allergies. Yet.

Original poster

misdee · 12/05/2008 21:09

its terrible isnt it. dd1 likes cats, hates dogs but isnt allergic to dogs and cries if we say about getting one. she wants a cat, as we all do.

even those hairless ones are no good as its not the fur, its the saliva.

do they do likes a cats trust to adopt ones? which send you cards etc.

OP posts:

QuintessentialShadows · 12/05/2008 21:12

Yes, because once ONE allergen is activated, it will only get worse, and he can end up being allergic to more animals than cats, or his allergy may become severe, or asthma.

I was told we could not have ANY animals due to my chronic rhinnitus, and my sons chest problems. I am so far just allergic to horse hair.

Original poster

misdee · 12/05/2008 21:25

i know. like i said i already knew the answer.

so is there anything like a dogs trust for cats?

we rehomed our cat when dd1 was little as a last ditch attempt with regards to her eczema, since then the asthma started and very clear reactions when in a home which has cats.

OP posts:

manuka · 14/05/2008 18:27

How old is your dd? Allergies are the bodies 'last straw' in that if the immune system is stressed it will react badly to extra pressure.
It would be interesting to do an experiment if she's up for it. If she really wants a cat maybe you could try clearing her body of excess 'waste'. Check out Natural cellular defence website. They sell a mineral called zeolite which may help.

christywhisty · 16/05/2008 20:44

My dh is very allergic to cats, but when he has been around them for a few weeks he seems to get used to them and as long as he washes his hand after stroking them (and other animals)and doesn't touch his face he is fine.
He had cats all his childhood, which he was fine with but new cats set him off.

lucyellensmum · 16/05/2008 21:42

misdee, if you are that desperate there is a biotech company in america that breeds genetically modified hypoallergenic cats - only one massive side effect though - they cost about 7 grand!!! wish i could remember the website.

FWIW my DP is allergic to cats, but not all cats, it has no bearing on the fur as you are absolutely right it is the salava not the fur, specifically one protein in the saliva.

It is thought that devon and cornish rex cats tend to be less allergenic than other breeds. But i think you are going to have to get DD a gecko or something

lucyellensmum · 16/05/2008 21:44

manuka, im sorry but your hypothesis is decidedly dodgy. Website sounds even dodgier, i wouldnt advise detoxing or anything so drastic in a child. GEt a different pet, cats are a waste of space anyway

Original poster

misdee · 16/05/2008 21:48

she is 8 and no way am i detoxing her! she is an 'atopic' child anyway.

dd3 (non-allergic) has been playign with a neighbours cat which seems to set up home in my back garden at times. he is gorgeous. but makes dd1 want a cat even more.

OP posts:

bubblerock · 16/05/2008 21:53

Awwww Here you go, the solution to your problem

Original poster

misdee · 16/05/2008 21:56

lol bubblerock, it looks like an alien!

OP posts:

lucyellensmum · 17/05/2008 00:00

the sad thing is, i really like those hairless cats - you have to put sun block on them you know!!!

MsHighwater · 17/05/2008 00:05

Get her a cybercat?

CombustibleLemon · 17/05/2008 00:19

This is a link to sponsor a 'cat cabin' with the Cat Protection people- £48/year for basic up to £120/year for bells, whistles and video messages.

Peridot30 · 17/05/2008 00:32

I would say there was no hope of you getting a cat. Dh had a dog when he lived with his mum and im allergic to animal hair so much so that one night i fell asleep at his house and ended up in hospital because my windpipe started closing and my face started to swell. i looked like The Elephant Man (or so he told me) IT was a very scarey experiance and would never have an animal in my house for fear of it happening again.

Ds is also allergic to animal hair and we can both start sneezing and have red eyes just by standing next to someone that has an animal never mind touching it.

zazen · 17/05/2008 00:43

I get that also peridot30, even if I'm seated next to someone who has a cat at home.. swell up and wheeze .. terrible isn't it.
I'm also allergic to horses... pollen and dust mites - can't even sit on the grass, come up in welts - And some dogs, big hairy mutts, oh and slobbery ones.

I had a canary when I was little, seemed OK.
And we had an outside cat who(m) I could watch!

my FIL has a cat in his house and I DREAD DREAD DREAD going there as I have to take all my inhalers and tablets and misters and eye drops and steroids etc... I'm clanking like a medicine chest..

My sister died from an asthma attack, and I have quite a few food allergies also, so misdee it's worth taking these things seriously and not adding to the toxic burden.

muggglewump · 17/05/2008 00:55

I have a cat that lives outside. She comes to the door to be fed but other than that she does her own thing.
That might not be what you wnat from a cat though.

Original poster

misdee · 17/05/2008 07:36

mugglewump, that basically what our neighbours cat does. we dont feed it, but it lives in our garden.

zazen, i am taking it seriously, hence the questions. i was just asking if it was possible based on an episode of street docotor when they suggested wiping cats down everyday to cut down the dander. its not the fur thats the issue its the salivia. we have a rabbit and guinea pigs that live outside, and dd1 is fine with them. she doesnt handle them at all, but helps me with feeding them, and occasionally strokes them.

OP posts:

QOD · 17/05/2008 07:51

short haired all black cats are best, they shed less.
My dh is allergic yet we had 3 at the same time!
Anyone elses or remotely long haired or other coloured .... ATTTTISHOOOOOOOooo

hercules1 · 17/05/2008 08:41

Ds and I are both allergic to cats but have 3 dogs fine. If I get a licking off one of the dogs I get a short lived rash where he licked but not from the other two otherwise we have no problems.

HereComeTheGirls · 17/05/2008 08:57

Sphinx cats have no hair at all!

HereComeTheGirls · 17/05/2008 08:57

oops but just read its the saliva not the hair

FooFooTrue · 04/06/2008 17:09

I am allergic to cats and so got a spyhnx cat (have two now!). I was aware that people say the allergy can be due to their saliva not their fur but when I visted the kittens and their mum I had no reactions whatsoever. They are two lovely cats full of character and both are very cuddly. The downside is that they are expensive and are indoor cats so you need litter trays. They do go outside in warm weather but don't go further than our garden.
They're worth a thought!

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