Cat owners allergic to cats - how do you manage?

[NeopreneMermaid]

DH is allergic to cats (and dogs, pollen, etc - streaming eyes and nose, etc) but had cats when he was growing up and says he wasn't too bad as they weren't allowed upstairs and spent a lot of time outside (lived in cul de sac and on a smallholding).

We have an opportunity to adopt two rescue kittens which we'll hopefully meet in the next week but how can we go through with the adoption without making DH's allergies unbearable?

He takes Benadryl when he has to and we wouldn't allow the cats in the bedrooms and could restrict them to a tiled kitchen/diner, family room and utility room (not living room). But are we in cloud cuckoo land and they'll make him unbearably snotty?

If you have cats you're allergic to, please tell me how you make it work!

Antihistamines every day of my life.

Asthma inhaler, the preventative one.

As before, anti histamines and asthama inhaler.

I can be dreadfully allergic to cats (as well as tree pollen, grass etc). I lived with some cats for a while, for the first few weeks it was dreadful and then my body seemed to become accustomed to them, it was really odd. It was a draughty old house though, that may have helped.

Now if I visit relatives with cats I use a nasal spray the entire time, otherwise it is like having a streaming cold. DH wants a cat, I'm not sure I'd risk it again.

Lots of hoovering plus antihistamines and sometimes an inhaler. I didn't know I was allergic to cats when we got our rescue cat. My DH keeps telling me to find her a new home but I don't have the heart.

She very rarely sits on my lap so that helps. My DH also has to brush her as that would be torture for me!

After this cat there will be no more pets. :(

You can't avoid it. I developed asthma when I got a cat at 18 and had to use my reliever every day. I took an antihistamine every day as well but still suffered sneezing, wheezing and painful eyes. I stopped touching them in the end as I would come out in a rash where I'd stroked them.

I had my lung capacity measured (part of the asthma checkup) after they'd both died and it had improved so much.

As much as I love cats and I miss having them so much, I couldn't live with them again.

DH was allergic to cats and as well as making his eyes red and itchy, if affected his asthma, making his breathing difficult. However, for a few years I took in feral cat colony kittens for taming, treating and rehoming and they were restricted to kitchen only. It didn't affect him much unless he snuck a kitten cuddle or two.
Eventually when most of the adult cats had been neutered, one of the last queens left a newborn at my door. I have no idea why she didn't want her but I took her in and hand reared her. I couldn't bear to rehome her so she was allowed to stay. Over the years she has made her way into the rest of the house but by bit and the further in she was allowed, the less DH was allergic. She's now snuggled around his neck or curled up on his lap every day.

Thanks for the replies. Possibly a daft question for those of you who mentioned asthma inhalers, do you also suffer from asthma? Or can they be used to help with non-asthma-relates allergies too? I have no experience of either so am a bit thick here.

Don't know if it helps, but I was fine all through childhood (had many pets); then about 17 or 18, Bam! Allergic to pretty much every type of fur, dander, pollen etc. Also started suffering with asthma and my early teens eczema ramped up too.

Now 40ish and my asthma and eczema are under control without drugs but I am still allergic!

My allergies started pretty much immediately when I got my 2 in adulthood, was fine with previous kitties growing up though.
It started of with severe runny nose first then the usual allergy symptoms.
It was over time that this constant inflammation lead to my chronic sinus issues and then started developing a cough during exercise or cold weather, also get it when I laugh too much. It’s the cough that is asthma. I now take a steroid nasal spray, an antihistamine everyday and a preventer asthma inhaler, or reliever inhaler once in a blue moon when it gets really bad.
None of the symptoms I felt were too severe though and mine are indoor and have the run of the house, but I wouldn’t be without my two anyway and get annoyed when people suggest otherwise! I mean they’re part of the family ffs

My son is allergic to cats but loves them and has two. He takes an antihistamine everyday and the cats are not allowed in the bedrooms.
If you are thinking of getting a cat Devon rex has fur that is not bad an allergen as other cats even though they do look like gremlins.