Cat Allergies

Hi J.. My son has asthma and allergies. We have a cat that has been with us before my son came along. I was ready to find a home for the cat, but my son's Dr put him on Singular (I think that is the correct spelling). Works wonders!

T. L

Hi-I already had a dog and 2 cats by the time my son was born. He has some food and seasonal allergies...and as it turns out is allergic to cats. However, the doctor said he seems to be desensitized since he doesn't display symptoms (like watery eyes or swelling) year round. Do your cats go outside? Your daughter could be having an allergic reaction to an environmental allergen that they would be bringing ginto the house on their fur and paws (like pollen or ragweed). If you haven't already, you should have her do the shot-under-the-skin test for all allergens, then you'll know for sure exactly what it is. Warning-my son had this and it required 12 shots in his arm, but you need to know. The skin prick tests alone are not enough in many cases.

Hey J.! I've never heard of those "meds" but I do know from personal experience, I am VERY allergic to cats, that at some point you become immune to that allergy and all is fine. My sister was very very allergic to cats and now has 2 and has had them for 10 yrs and she has no problems at all. (they even sit on her head!!) I'm sure this really wasnt what you were looking for but hopefully it will give you some reassurance that there IS light at the end of that tunnel and you wont have to get rid of the cats. Good Luck!!

i have never used the allerpet-c...might be worth checking out. i have pretty severe allergies and my father has asthma, but we managed to have several cats all through my life without real problems. making sure that they are indoor-only cats helps, as does the occasional bath. some people with severe allergies make sure that the cat is bathed weekly. the real key is keeping the cats out of the bedrooms, especially at night, or at least keeping them out of the beds. even young kids can learn to keep bedroom doors shut if need be. also helpful is frequent vaccuming, running air cleaners in the rooms where the allergic people spend most of their time, and teaching your child to wash her hands right after petting the cat. the hand-washing is key! discourage her from picking up the cat to cuddle and getting her clothes all furry, and train the cat not to sit on the upholstered furnishings. (or pick one chair and put a blanket or pillow in it that can be washed or vacuumed easily...i'm a realist here.)good luck with it. if her allergies do increase in severity, there are homeopathic remedies to help with the symptoms, which can be tried for a while before going to OTC or prescription antihistamines and shots. one more thing: you mentioned that you just bought your first house...if it's a new home, the lingering chemicals from the construction materials can cause allergies or allergy-like symptoms. new carpet is especially prone to do this. it will improve over time, but it might be a good idea to keep things well-ventilated, weather-permitting, and invest in good air-cleaners for bedrooms and play areas. kids are especially sensitive to these chemicals.

Are you sure it's from the cats? When my son was an infant our pediatrician told us as long as there was more than 1 of the same type of animal in the home, then the children wouldn't have an allergy to them.

Hello J.. I worked in a pet store for 6yrs and we sold a shampoo for that was supposed to help. To be honest we had a lot of mixed feedback. Some of our customers swore by it, and bought it all the time. Others said it didn't work. I think it depends on how severe the allergy is. Nutro Max makes a dry food that is supposed to help with allergies. It's been so long since I worked there that I can't remember exactly how it was supposed to help. I think it had something to do with the dander, which is what most people are allergic to. I know that's what the shampoo does. Check at your local pet store. They get ?'s all the time. Someone is bound to know.

I don't know about how severe your daughters cat allergies are, but I was around her age when I developed mine. My parents had one cat that they had for years and had to give it up. I am so badly allergic to cats that as a child we frequented the hospital emergency room with asthma episodes. As an adult I still suffer with cat allergies & steer completely clear from them. I continue to suffer with asthma & terrible eye problems and sneezing when I am even in the room with a cat. The best of luck to you and your daughter!

J., the short answer is no.

Allergies are something that only get worse the more contact the person has with the allergen. If your daughter is allergic at 4 years old, then exposing her over a course of 14 more years is not a sound idea. I have multiple allergies to animals, and after a recent visit to the allergist, I confirmed that avioding the offending allergen is the only way to manage animal dander allergies. There are no effective immunotherapies out there, medicial science doesn't even know what component of the dander is the cause, much less how to treat it. Cats are one of the most allergenic of all the pets, it will be hard to get rid of the allergy by just removing some of the offending dander by using the household products that reduce dander. There's no way to get rid of it entirely.

My suggestion is to substitute another pet (singluar) for the cats and see if your daughter develops an allergy to that one as well. I'm allergic to rabbits, but not to cats and dogs. Each person's ability to develop an allergy for each animal is unique, just keep trying. And don't fall for those voodoo cures that involve mystical diets to relieve all your allergies. They are just that: voodoo.

The worst thing that could happen is that she stays in contact with the allergens, her allergies persist, and she becomes asthmatic. The resulting lung damage makes her more prone to airway infections and ear infections. Big price to pay for a pet.

My husband is allergic to our cats (I got them before I met him), and since his doctor put him on Singulair (because he has other allergies, too), he can practically rub his face in the cats fur and not get any symptoms. And Singulair is safe for kids and is extremely well-tolerated and pretty safe compared to other drugs out there.

J.,
Our daughter was first diagnosed to be allergic to eggs, peanuts, cats and dogs when she was about 1yr old. Prior to us having her, we already have 2 dogs and a cat for almost 3yrs until our daughter was born.

Just like any parents, these "manimals" are considered our kids too, hence, my husband and(especially) I, refuse to get rid of them. No doctors can tell you what to do with your cat (due to liability issues) except to constantly keep your child away from the cat.

There isn't really any remedy to eliminate the problem except to constantly keep your child away from touching your cat. We didn't have any $$ at that time, so during her infant period, I would just put a huge duvet or blanket on the floor whenever our daughter wanted to play, or roll over with her toys or even crawl. Do not let your cat be in your child's bedroom and/or sleep on yours or your child's bed either. Constantly lather your cat with warm water or get those wipes from Petsmart.

Our daugther is now 4yrs old, and we still have our cat and both dogs. From my personal experience and all the research that me and my husband did; so long as you keep you hours clean (vacuum frequently) just like what we did; your child should be ok. Fyi, our daughter was given an Epi-pen when we went to see an Allergy ____@____.com's and (knock-on-wood) we have never use it since we found out what she's allergic off.

Should you see that your child starts to break-out (normally it will look like a small mosquito bites) immediately wash the area with warm water and just give him/her a 1/3 teaspoon drop of Benadryl.

Of course, I am not sure how bad your daughter's condition would be when being exposed to dander, etc. or perhaps if she is on medication on a daily basis, then MAYBE you might want to consider other solution.

I hope that info helps you a little bit.
Now that our daughter is "brave" enough to face her consequences when she pet our cat and dogs; she told us that nobody is to take her bestfriends away from her!

Rgds,
R. Davenport
Glen Allen, VA 23060

I will give you some advice that I have found to be good. Even though cats hate water, get a good pair of gloves and give them a bath in DAWN liquid detergent, it is very mild and will get all the dander off them.

J.,

Like everyone has said, it depends on the severity of the allergy. There is also Fabreeze Allergen Reducer that might help. Talk to your daughter's pediatrician to see if there is something they can do, but as long as you wash your hands after touching the cat or any of the cat's things; vacuum and keep the house clean, there is not much else you can do. Good luck and hope you find a way.

I don't know about that product but my 15 month old is allergic to my dog and his allergist said to get one ionic breeze for his bedroom and one for the room that the dog is in most often. Pet dander is light so it floats in the air and the ionic breeze (or air cleaner) pulls it out of the air. She also said the dog is not allowed in his room at all, since they spend the most time in their bedroom you really have to keep that room the cleanest. She also said to get HEPA filters for the furnace, cover the vents in his room with cheese cloth and vacuum a lot. I don't let my dog upstairs at all anymore (I only have two bedrooms up there anyway). These things have helped tremendously!!! He has other allergies too so I have done a lot to make sure his environment is better and it has helped a lot. No more runny nose:) You shouldn't need to get rid of your pet. Have you been to an allergist? Do you know for sure that is what it is?

Hi J.-

You didn't say what symptoms are presenting?
Both of my chhildren have mild cat and seasonal allgeries.
Maybe you can try a combo of things.
Keeping kitty off her bedding---PILLOW and off the furniture your daughter uses most. Swiffering or vaccuuming every other day to collect hair and dander.
If kitty stays indoors you should limit her to one room with litter box and access to a window while you are at work.
After daughter plays with kitty...she washes hands really well and no play after we put on PJ's. Keeping her bedroom pet free might help too.
After that I have had really great results with the reddi-tab Clairton....the ones that disolve on their tongue. It's great for the classic symptoms and doesn't give them the zombie feeling.
Good Luck!! I have three cats two dogs any number of fish and just lost the family bird, I know. And I am highly allergic to our kitty cats and have recently started suspecting the dogs as giving me the tell tale signs.
I have not used the Allerpet-c.
Hope your daughter feels better!
Stac