Help! just rescued a cat......

[paisleyII]

have decided to give a home to a stray cat that has been staying for a few months in a builders yard opposite where i work. i have asthma and have thus avoided ever having a cat even though i love them, my daughter also loves them so i have done it for both her and the cat really. question - is it true that female cats are better for people with allergies than male dogs? also, does anyone know if you can get a jab at your dr's if you are allergic to cats & dogs? my dh doesn't want me to get a cat flap, he recons we can let her in and out (we are friendly with a local cat who for years would come in and hang out at us, i am fine with him as long as i don't sit with him near me for long ie on my lap and wash my hands before i touch my eyes. i know nothing about owning a cat, i have been told to keep her in doors for two weeks and then let her out but make sure she comes in at night. i am really excited but a littler nervous as i am aprehensive as to how it may or may not affect my health, any tips would be much appreciated. i want to take her to the vets before she comes home incase she has flees.....

You can get a few different products that neutralise the allergen cats produce it's in their saliva from all the self bathing they do and gets in the air and sticks to walls, furniture, clothes etc.

It's called petal cleanse and you can get stuff to put in with washing and sprays for the walls etc.

I'm allergic to cats but I have three... and manage ok with this stuff used probably once a week.

thanks lubey, where can you buy this petal cleanse ie sainsbury's? and what do you do with it? ie put some in with you washing? do you spray it on the floor and hoover once a week? please tell me...i am trying to absorb as much info as i can :) much appreciated

oh, i have just seen on the net that petal cleanse is stuff you put onto a cats coat once a week? am i right?

I have asthma and have lived with my female care for 17 years. No issue with my breathing due to her.

That's so kind of you.

My dh is allergic but he got used to the cat quickly. Afaik gender makes no difference to how allergic a cat is.

I'd keep it in until neutering, both sexes will wander in search of company.

Online pharmacies are cheap for fleas. I let ours out hungry and his tummy bought him home. V important to keep in at night, most road accidents happen when it's dark.

If you use a collar make sure it's a snap release one not the elastic sort, much safer. The pound shop do them 2 for a £1.

My Dh is allergic to cats. We have 3
Interestingly he found out when I brought home 2 long haired cats from work that he wasn't as allergic to long haired cats.
He now doesn't react to our cats unless they sit on his face he strokes them and then touches his face, I did originally get long haired cats but typically they seem to have produced a shorthaired one.
He is still very affected by other peoples cats, especially shorthaired ones.

actually 'lord cromwell' as dh wants to call her, has long hair. i am really excited, always loved cats. noway could i leave her to fend for herself ie over the christmas period when the office where she has been staying (in the builders yard) is shut. she looked truly pathetic this morning, she doesn't stand a chance up against those tough east london street cats. she looks to me to be a cat that probably belonged to someone who for whatever reason doesn't seem to anymore. then again, she could have belonged to ie some old lady who died, i have no idea but i will give her lots of love, we all will, thanks for your messages, i don't feel so worried now

Paisley I get the petal cleanse online, never seen it in shops. there's a whole range of different products for different jobs, like stuff to put in the washing, a lotion to rub into cats coat (it isn't any danger to them btw) and stuff to spray on walls and furniture :)

That's wonderful you have recused her. Celia Hammond Animal Trust www.celiahammond.org does a lot of cat rescue in east London, they would be a good source of advice.

She should definitely have a vet check up and be vaccinated, wormed, flea treated. They can check if she has a microchip and also check if she needs neutering, too.

Post some pics!

Sorry, that's www.celiahammond.org

thanks alot hellon, really good to know . i am worried most that my asthma will be really bad and that i will have to give her up but i have been hoovering all morning, am going to buy two air filters too. i asked at the dr surgery if there was such a thing as a jab that you can have as i had heard there was such a thing but she shrugged and said she had never heard of it. is there such a thing? x

I use anti-allergy wipes from Pets At Home, they are own-brand and quite cheap. They are like oversized babywipes; you just wipe over your cat once a week or so. I have three cats and am allergic to them but using the wipes helps an enormous amount! Can't say the cats are too enthused about it though...

oops thanks, that's a great idea. i just got back from pets at home but only bought a few things as if she has a chip (having her checked tomorrow) then she ain't my cat! and i don't want to have spent lots of cash

How did you get on at the vet?

hi hellon - we collected her from the builders yard. stuck on a busy road she manages to escape from the cardboard cat carrier then hid under my seat. got on ok at the vet, seems like she didn't have flees (phew), no chip, wasn't sure if she was pg.....scanned her and thought not but she hasn't been done so he is going to 'do her' on friday and said if she was pg that would clear it (i feel a bit guilty about that but noway could i take on kittens too). she is so cute and gentle, very sweet. won't sleep in the bed i bought her, hides in a corner where it is snug and sleeps there. i have been keeping her out of my room as this would be REALLY good for me breathing wise although i feel a bit guilty about it but our house is a nice size so plenty for her to roam and i remind myself that apparently she wasn't very happy every day when they put her out in the yard before they (the secretarys) went home for the night. she loves cuddles etc. has a bell on a collar which gives was freaking my dh out as she kept jumping on him in the night when he was drifting off , we sleep in separate rooms due to his snoring :) question - when she was sitting on my lap before she smelt bottomy, i saw her do a poo today which seemed 'healthy' (solid and not runny) - i dont' remember cats smelling before, is this normal? can i do anything about the smell?......ta

Ooo she's home with you how lovely! Sounds as though she is making herself at home :) Does she have a name yet?

Is she washing herself? Cats usually wash a lot and will wash after using their litter tray. If she's not washing that might explain her being a little bit whiffy. Ask the vet tomorrow what he thinks.

Is there a nice high up spot she can get to? Cats like to use the vertical space in a room as well as the lower level. She will feel safe up high. One of my cats likes to jump up on top of the fridge and will get up onto a bookshelf if he gets an opportunity. At the moment he's on the mantelpiece watching penguins on TV.

Good luck for tomorrow, hope it all goes well.

Oh dear not tomorrow - I meant Friday!

morning hellon - i have seen her do the odd wash lick but not much, i haven't had a wiff of her bot' again so far although i am not exactly getting deliberately close to her bot'. dh and dd seem to call her 'Lord Cromwell' which i think is ridiculous, when the vet came into reception and called that out i felt like a right twonk so i call her GLADYS :) ooh blimey, we do have shelves but i am a trader/in vintage and antiques and have 'old collectables' all over the place, i thought with them up high they would be out of the way....we have stairs!! do they count, she likes going up and down them. she has been jumping on tables etc, on the sofa arm.....i don't mind, she can jump on the fridge if she likes although she hasn't tried, she seems very mellow and fragile, fragile is a good way of describing her, she makes funny sounds and purrs loudly,. dh and i aren't good at change, me especiallly but i do like having her here and feel happy for her when i think of how she ws living, it upset all of us when we went to the mkt on sunday and she was there not having seen anyone since friday afternoon, all alone in the yard probably with rats and foxes too :(

ooooo ha ha ha Lord Cromwell is a great name But Gladys sounds proper ladylike I bet it suits her.

I think cats like getting up high because of it being a vantage point and they feel secure. They can be very good at jumping or climbing up so have a look to see if there might be any routes she can use to access your precious and fragile items. My cat cannot normally get onto the high bookshelf but if I leave a coat over a nearby door (or a duvet cover is airing on it) he will happily climb up it and perch on the bookshelf. Only one of my cats does it so Gladys may not be a climber.

That's such a sad story of the poor girl being alone in the yard but it has a happy outcome. She is very lucky to have you :)