Allergies - can you grow out of them?

[Level75]

We went to view a cat at a rescue center today and my daughter (8) had an allergic reaction. Swollen watery eyes, hives, sneezing etc.

The strange thing is that until she died last year we had a cat which DD had no reaction to. It didn't occur to me that she would be allergic. We are certain it was the cat because with the benefit of hindsight she had a mild reaction to a friend's cat a few months ago.

Any chance of her growing out of this? We're a so disappointed.

Allergies can change over life. My cat allergy got much worse when I hit puberty, then much less severe in my 30s. However, that is a long time for your daughter to wait, I'm afraid.

I think allergies can also vary depending on the particular cat, and reduce with repeated exposure. Other posters may know more about this.

as pp said. allergies change all the time. they can get worse as well as better but will probably never go away completely.

I know it's dissapointing but you must not get a cat.
living with constant allergic reactions, even mild ones, is absolutely miserable.
plus it would be very unfair on the cat if you had to rehome it due to the known allergies.

I'm allergic to other people's cats. But fine with my two. When we was growing up i had a cat then too and was fine with it. I went from being in the same room with a cat having a reaction to cuddles. I didn't grow out of mine really just got used to it I guess

My DD did have bad eczema when younger. I wonder if it was linked to our cat at all.

They can get better and worse with age, as can asthma and eczema.

Not all cats produce the protein in their saliva that most people are allergic to. It is sporadic in the general cat population, but Siberian cats genetically do not produce this protein. This would explain why she was not allergic to your previous cat.
It is worth trying with other cats or looking to get a Siberian (who are gorgeous cats).
This is my Siberian.

My sister’s partner is much more allergic to male cats and dogs than female. Doesn’t require antihistamine for their female family dog.