How can I work out if my son is allergic to our ragdolls?

[Obeythedancecommander]

Just a sidenote: i am allergic to moggies. I was OK with our childhood cat until I moved out and then everytime I came home to visit he would make me sneeze/give me cold like symptoms.

For some reason I have never had am issue with ragdolls, maybe as they have no undercoat... I don't know. Anyway I digress...

We brought 2 raggies home last August. All has been fine until now. Randomly 2 days ago my nearly 3 year old came out in big red hives all over him and had swollen fingers and eyes. He ate nothing new that day and I just can't deduce what it is exactly that caused this reaction. My OH is convinced its the cats. We gave our son antihistamines yesterday after seeing a Dr and it brought the swelling and hives right down to a light pink. We washed all the bedding with non bio. Anyway this morning my son has woken up and new hives have appeared in different places and it's not as bad as before but they have definitely come back whereas I was expecting them to go away completely by this morning.

My OH is just saying, "oh it's the cats, it's the cats". How can I work out if it is the cats whilst still living here? If it is the cats I need proof that it's them. I'd be totally devastated to have to rehome them, they are just the loveliest cats ever. Oh is quick to accuse them, I just don't know what else it could be.

Take him to an immunologist for allergy testing. If you do this through the NHS the referral will take 6-12 months. We paid privately (about £200) and found out that the cause of DD's hives and swelling was a dog allergy. When the NHS referral eventually came through we did that as well and by that time she'd also developed other allergies.

Cat is a common allergy, but so is dust mites. You can only know by getting the test.

P.S. we had been about to get a dog when we found out. The consultant said in no uncertain terms "do not get a dog as a pet". So if your son's allergy is to the cats, they'll have to go.

He needs an allergy test.

Whilst allergies can develop over time, it seems a bit odd that the cats have been there for 6 months and then your son has a reaction.
It's quite difficult to pin down what the trigger is if you haven't noticed a change.
This time of year it's also possibly a tree pollen reaction.
Good advice to get a test before you assume it's the cats.

he needs an allergy test.

also have a look at the local pollen forcast. currently many trees are shedding pollen, elder for example.

cats are bad for allergies because the allergen gets everywhere through the dander, even if you do not let it onto certain rooms, the dander is in the air.

Allergy testing will highlight the issue. I had the common allergens tested, and I was positive for cats

and if he tests allergic to cats you must rehome them.