Cat allergy... Is it impossible?

[butterflybuns]

After a heartbreaking decision for our dog to be pts last week there is a massive fluffy shaped hole in the family. Another dog has been ruled out for the forseeable future. A cat however is another matter. Is it possible to have a cat though and manage cat allergies?

I'm the one that's allergic and it only seems to flair up if I stroke a cat for a long while; if I go into a house with cats or if the neighbours cat swings by for a cheeky snuggle then I'm fine.

Is a cat owning future out of the question? What's the best way to deal with a mild allergy? FWIW we won't get any pet til we move house which at this rate will be next year so there won't be any snap decisions being made, just research at this stage.

I'm allergic to cats and have 2 of them, but I take antihistamines every day (have other allergies) and don't have asthma.

If they wash or nuzzle me, or break my skin at all it itches like crazy.

Also for the first 3 weeks I did feel like I couldn't cope as it was a steady stream of clear mucus and it did affect my breathing. After a month all was fine.

Why don't you consider getting a devon or cornish rex from their pedigree rescue as they have a different kind of coat (feels heavenly) and less likely to irritate you.

I can't speak for all allergy sufferers but I have known a few with severe allergies to fluffies who are fine with their own - however all of them.got worse before they got better. I would research the effects of being on long term anti-allergy meds incase you need to do that and take it from there. There is some great advice available so do your homework but there is also some terrible advice so be aware of what you are reading!

Oh and sorry about you dog

My DH is pretty allergic to cats (eyes and nose streaming kind of thing, breaks out in welts if they scratch him,) but he also really likes them. We have one, and it made him really uncomfortable for the first couple of months, but he did get over it eventually. That said, grooming the cat is my job, which I totally don't mind. He's still allergic to other cats though.

I got used to my own cat, but strange cats will cause me to break out a bit.

as others have said my daughter is allergic to my cats like you quite mild as in itchy nose and eyes but she lives with her own cats ok and the breed of the cat is nothing to do with its coat, because cats clean themselves by licking its the saliva on thier coats you are allergic to, there is an enzyme in the saliva which brings out the allergy, being as you are talking 12 months from now it might be worth looking into allergy desensitisation treatment

dh is allergic
when he was younger , his mum adopted one and all he had was itchy eyes/sneezing and conjunctivitus.
gp told him to stay away from it-cat was part feral anyway
roll on 20 years next cat dh came into close contact with nearly killed him (and us)
we were visiting family and dh eyes started to really itch, turns out theyd just aquired a cat ,we had to leave straight away
driving home dh became really unwell and had to pull over,he couldnt breathe and was close to passing out
gp says hes now got a severe allergy ,and must take antihist. daily forever.
so you dont know if your allergy could get worse.

Francis- that reaction sounds horrendous for you all, what a scary experience! I don't think my allergy will become full blown anaphalaxis though ( at least I really hope it doesn't).
Apart from that it sounds hopeful, will do more reading- thanks for all the responses

It is possible for allergies to go both ways. I have a friend who through out vet school never had an allergy to cats within 3 years of qualifying his allergy became so severe he had to give up working in practice. I also have another friend who is a GP who was unable to control his allergy without oral steriods.

My mother was mildly allergic & adored her cats, found the symptoms fluctuated in severity (don't think she took meds).

Allergic friend bought expensive hypo-allergenic cats, indoor only. Funny looking fur, She adores them.

I used to be allergic to cats when I was younger, my eyes would puff up and I'd get lumps all over my neck, streaming eyes etc. when I was about 14 I talked my mom into letting us get a cat (lots and lots of pestering!!) and I never had any reaction to my cat. She was however a house cat - occasionally she'd go into the back garden but never ventured further than that. If I come into contact with cats that go outside I flare up again. I also seem to now be allergic to dogs...? Bit odd but I have the same reaction to dogs as I had to cats when I was younger. I'm not allergic to my two cats now or my sisters. I do sometimes wonder if my allergic reaction is actually due to fleas...

I'm sorry to hear about your dog x

I'm sorry about your dog OP.

Some cats are less allergy-inducing than others. There is a particular wash (petal wash? I could be wrong) that is meant to be helpful - you'd need to wash the cat regularly.

I'm allergic to cats but decided it was worth the hassle to have one (I grew up in a cat owning household too). I find I can manage it ok as long as I wash my hands after touching the cat and don't allow contact with my face. I have a moggy domestic short hair - would have liked a long haired cat but ruled it out due to allergy potential. I also take antihistamines throughout the year if I'm feeling a bit wheezy, but I don't tend to need them every day (and I need them for hayfever anyway during the spring/summer). Strangely my allergy disappeared while pg with DS, and only reappeared when I stopped bf.

So I think a cat is definatly going to work when we move which is great. Miss my furry cuddles

i did a fair bit of homework on this subject when i rescued a cat and assumed i would be really allergic to her as have always been allergic to cats plus i have asthma. what i discovered is that if someone is allergic to a cat but desperately wants one the most commonly mentioned cat was a female over a male and a long haired instead of a short haired. by complete coincidence the one i rescued happened to be a long haired female :) and weirdly enough i am not allergic to her!! incredible. when we brought her home i went out and spent silly amounts of money on air filter machines, allergic wipes, bottles of petal cleanse stuff (which i have to this day never used), wipes to 'wipe your cat down' (also never used), the list goes on but i never needed to use them. i brush her regularly and hoover a fair bit but that is it. ever my eyes aren' that bad if i touch her and then touch my eye, NEVER been able to do that with a cat before. you may still be bad around long haired female cats but i thought i would share this info' with you!

Yes it's possible - you'll likely build up tollerance to the cat over time. In our household, it took about a month for that tolerance to build. My DS became VERY wheezy (worryingly so) with our new kitten and I did doubt that he'd improve but he did. And building a tolerance is a good thing for life as cat allergens are 'sticky' and follow people like a cloud so are unavoidable.

It's cat dander that causes most of the reaction - or rather their saliva on it. So regular brushing can help. There's also a product called PetalCleanse that is like a non-wash 'shampoo' that you run through their coat regularly to help. It seemed to help us with our kitten during that transition period.

I would suggest you try and get as much contact with cats in the meantime just to see if it's going to be possible. Perhaps there's a local rescue you can help out with? I don't get a reaction from my own cats, but when there are newcomers at the shelter I help at I flare a little. So you'd likely be better with your own, but worth getting a gauge for how bad it is.

I am in the process of buying a Siberian Cat which is allegedly low allergen. Suzi is right, it is the dander/saliva on the hair that causes it (as I understand it anyway) not the hair as such.

I am interested in this Petal Cleanse thing though. Is it safe to use that on a kitten do you think? Also, is it really safe to use it indefinitely?

I@m actually fine with ragdolls so I'm optimistic it will be okay but we have a couple of friends also who are a bit allergic. I have misgivings about having some friends not be able to visit us and might get some of this stuff.

I was always quite allergic and lived on anti-histamines when visiting people with cats so did a LOT of research on this before getting my cats.

In the end I decided to go for Siberian breed as the are genetically pre-disposed to being lower in dander and I've never had any issues with my two lovely furries. As it turns out neither did DH when he came along and he'd always been allergic as well. However, these are v expensive as still quite rare breed so if you went down this route I'd make sure you spend quite a bit of time at breeders to see how you get on as they don't work for everyone - any reputable breeder will be more than happy to let you do this.

Otherwise top tips generally seem to be 1) get a kitten rather than adult cat (lower level of allegens in adolescents and gives your immune system time to adjust); 2) hepa air purifiers help; 3) keep it out your bedroom.

Good luck x

I'm allergic to cats and horses, but have kept both.

What I did was take antihistamines in the begining and after a couple of weeks reduce them to every other day then a bit more then stopped. I was fine with all cats and horses.

If the cat scratches me its very itchy, but I have no breathing/eye reactions anymore.

I have no horses now and because I don't have regular contact with them, when I do get close to one I have a reaction - itchy skin, streaming eyes and nose etc.

I think when you have mild allergies (as opposed to if you would go into anaphylactic shock) your body builds up a resisitance and tollerence to the allergens.

Is there someone you can cat sit for, or visit for a while to try this out for yourself before you get a cat? Just incase you don't get used to it as it would be awful to have to rehome it.

suburban my hayfever and animal allergies went while I was pg and bf too! and then came back.

There you go OP have a baby when you want to get your cat .

Thanks oreocrumbs for that top tip!