We have a cat and a 2 year old. Only over the last few weeks DD has been complaining of itchy hands and feet; I initially thought this was HFM and waiting the 10 days for it to run it’s course, except it didn’t. So we took her to the GP and he thinks it’s dermatitis and gave us steroids and antihistamines. The pharmacy haven’t had the antihistamines in stock so we’ve got going with the steroids but it’s not improved.
When I say she’s complaining of itchy hands and feet, I mean she will wake up from around midnight hysterically crying and screaming if we don’t stay away itching her hands and feet, when we think she’s fallen back asleep and stop, she’ll immediately wake up and start screaming again. - no one is getting any sleep and we’re all miserable at the minute.
The only other thing we can put it down to is our cat :( DD absolutely adores the cat, always so gentle and loving to her. There has been once or twice she’s been playing with the cat and she’s woken up with a red swollen eye (where the assumption of possibly allergy has come from).
We’re going to wash her bedding and hoover her room tomorrow and shut the door so the cat can’t go into her room; we’re also going to hoover the rest of the house first thing and shut the cat out in the porch(access to outside) before we go out for the day, basically trying to eliminate contact with the cat for a day or two to see if anything improves to give us a better indication.
I’m just looking for advice on how people manage if they’re allergic to their pets? Looking up long term use of antihistamines this is out the question for its links to dementia and other side effects, I wouldn’t be willing to having my toddler popping pills everyday to accommodate.
However, her and the cat are bag friends, we love her, she’s so gentle and tolerate of having plastic cups balances on her head and being fed bits of crisp and all sorts. But how do we manage if she is allergic? Does it mean re-homing or is there something we can do?
Obviously before we even consider re-homing we would want to get her actually diagnosed with an allergy to cats. - but if this is the case I feel a bit stuck on why we can actually do. Can we realistically keep the cat and her apart forever? Probably not. - but if the lights continue where she’s crying and no one is sleeping because of the effects of it I just don’t see what other choice we have.
Posting here im the hopes someone has been through similar or is allergic to their cat and how they manage?