Cat for My 2-Year-old?

If you're not getting the cat because YOU want one as well, then don't get it. She's not going to change the litter box, play with it all the time, take it to the vet when it's sick. She can visit the sitter's cats. Let it be a special treat when at the sitters.

Let her continue to visit the babysitter. This way you won't have to worry with the expenses, ie., vet, pet food, cat litter (and cleaning out the catbox), cat sitter (when you are gone). When she is older and can help take care of the cat, you might want to revisit the idea.

We got a dog for my son when he was about a year old. We wanted them to grow up togeather and bond. I had lots of pets growing up and loved it. If I could do it all over again I would still get the dog.... Just a different breed of dog:) I wish I would have reserched it more. My husband has a ton of very bad allergies. For the first 4 years we tried ever RX available. Nothing helped. Now he does allergy shots (once a month for the rest of his life so very pricy, but worth it). Most days you would not know he had any allergys. When things get to the worst he has a allergy pill he takes and everything is better again!!!! good luck and happy cat hunting if that is what you decide. I agree with getting a pet at this age. Yes I know mom ends up taking careof it, but as he gets older he can do more of the work!!!!

Color does not have anything to do with it. In animals, its the dander and the saliva from them cleaning themselves, and there is really not much you can do if you have severe allergies. Bathing the cat (about as unfun as it gets, at least with most cats) and obsessive cleaning up of the cat hair/dusting for the dander might help with the allergies a little bit, but you will end up taking meds or just suffering (or both) regardless.

Also, keep in mind that you'll be doing all the work for the cat-feeding, litter box duty, trips to the vet, brushing, bathing, trimming claws-and your daughter will not. And your daughter will not appreciate the work nor appreciate your sacrifice (your suffering allergies).....

Just my two cents: 2 years old is awfully young to assume cat care duties, and with you having a severe cat allergy, I think the best solution for the time being is to let your daughter know that cat fur makes mommy sick so she can enjoy the cats at the babysitters and at home she could have something like a plush toy cat. When she's old enough to reliably feed the cat, clean out the litterbox, etc., then you can revisit the idea of adopting a cat into your household.

Why is there even a question? YOU are severely allergic and your daughter is only 2!!! Just explain to her that cats make mommy sick. End of discussion.

I just wanted to drop my 2 cents in... I completely sympathize with your desire to get your daughter a pet because she wants one. And she's very, very young-- too young to understand if you decide you need to take the cat back. She'll just know you took her kitty away.

For what it's worth, there's a little neighbor girl who loves my son's plastic "Curious George" plate. I was going to pass it along to her family (we are too old for plastic plates now!), but her mom pointed out that it could be a special thing for my house. And so, that it is...it lives at the bottom of my container drawer and comes out when she visits. In short: it's okay to say no to our kids ( it's actually good for them not to get some of the things they want...Mama's On Call has a great new post about this), and even better not to say yes to something that would adversely affect your health. Mama being healthy without allergy meds (oh, the side effects!) is WAY more important than a cat.

If you are allergic... then that is a definite reason not too. You said your allergy to cats is "severe."
So....

It is not the color of the cat. ALL cats have dander.

There is an "Allerca" cat that is NOT allergenic and bred not to be allergenic.
Here is the link for it:
http://www.allerca.com/

I am allergic to cats... my symptoms, for ME personally is that if I pet a cat then touch my face or eyes... I swell up.
So, I have had cats as pets because I LOVE animals... but I immediately wash my hands after.... and change my clothes... and do NOT touch my face after petting a cat.
I also take Claritin.
But I also have Asthma. So cats are a "no no" for me. But... well, I have had cats.

2 years old, is young to have a pet. I am sure you know, that at this age... they will NOT be able to take care of the pet, and YOU will have to do it.
Also, the "honeymoon" phase of having a pet... can wear off, with a young child. Because they are fickle.
And each cat has their own personality... some do NOT like kids.. .. nor fast movements or being pulled and tugged at. So.. you have to find a cat.... that is mellow... and likes kids. Hanging out with it and asking the pet handler... which one, is good with kids.

all the best,
Susan

Don't do it!

We had our first cat for 17 years! I had no allergies. I got our second cat one year ago - I'm severly allergic. I want/need to get rid of her but don't have the heart. I wish more than anything I wouldn't have gotten her. Your 2 year old doesn't "need" a cat. Let her enjoy the babysitters. Cat's live for LONG time and if you are allergic it really really sucks!

Hope that helps!! :-)

Have you ever lived with a cat? I am allergic to cats and when I have been away from my cats, I am awful when I first come home, and then about 3 days later, I'm good, my husband too.

There are the Rex cats that are supposed to be better for allergies. Look for a breed, not a color. Also, you will probably do better with short over long hair. I react much more severely when someone has a long hair as opposed to short.

My daughter loves cats too.

I would say if you want a cat, then get one. From what I've heard there are a few breeds of cats that are better for people with allergies towards them.
I'd make sure they were an inside cat. I remember getting a cat from a friend and he was an outside cat, well he ended up getting hit by a car. Definitely not something anyone should go through.

So, definitely do a bunch of research on different breeds.
Some of the breeds though can be a little bit more work, like a hairless cat. They need regular baths to keep the oil build up down on their skin.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do! Cats make great pets. :)

I had a friend in jr high/high school who had a pet rabbit and I had a cat. She always wanted me to go over to her house because she said that she was alleric to orange cats. I always thought she was full of it because she had a rabbit and I would see her pet other cats. I figured she just didn't like coming over to my house. Since then, I have found out there was actually some creedence to her story. I know that everyone is saying that it is not the color, but the breed that makes the differnce. This may be mostly true, but the breed is a big determing factor in the color.

Perhaps you can try spending some time around your sitter's house or other places where there are cats to see how bad it really is and if it is something you are willing to do. The exposure will help you build up your immunity, and perhaps you will find that some cats do not bother you as much.

In the meantime, check out "fur real" pets. My daughters seem to think they want a puppy (not gonna happen), so they are getting fur real pets for Christmas.

There are some hypo-allergenic breeds. Also, with any cat, regular brushing and weekly baths are helpful. to keep dander down. Plus, you know, benadryl....

Good luck!

Be a Mom and just say no.

We have a persian which is hypo-allergenic/non-shed & people who have severe allergies to cats have never had a problem w/our cat Sweetie. I have been told it's something w/the dander & she actually has long hair not short hair that most domestic cats have. You may want to check around w/different breeders or vets - I would most likely trust the word of a vet over a breeder though because some of them may tell you anything just to get you to buy a cat from them. If you lived closer I'd tell you to come check our cat out, we're moving and may not be able take her :( Good luck!

If you are allergic, you don't need a cat around. You can go to an allergist and have the in depth testing done to make sure you're allergic to cats and see if there's a specific breed or something that may be good for you, but you'll be miserable with a cat if you're really allergic to them. I know we want to give our kids everything, but not at the expense of your health.

2 is too young I think.
I am 44 and I have been raising 2 kitties that were abandoned at two weeks. You talk about band-aids! They can't help but harpoon you as they crawl up your legs and down your arm.
BUT, if you do get a kittie, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not get a kitten from a feral cat. They tend to be aggressive & feisty. Getting an abandoned kitten that has been bottle fed by a human seem to be more user friendly.
~A.

PS. Call a vet to price shots and spaying first, they all very in pricing

I am allergic to cats. I have two :) I am the most bothered when i let them snuggle near my face. Or if i pet them and rub my eyes. Washing my hands after i pet them really does help. The reaction only lasts a few minutes...it is usually a small itchy hive spot.

I love my cats, so do my kids. I did not want my allergies to keep them from having furry friends. Maybe you can spend an hour with the sitters cats and see how you feel? Hopefully your allergies wont be too bad.

i agree with diana, let her continue to visit baby sitter, cats in my opinion are not good to have around unless it's adults or older kids only in the house (strong immune systems), the litter boxes contain a lot of poisions and bacteria that children can inhale and get sick off of.

if you do get her a cat, get a female, my friend had a male, and did not fix him and was very aggressive towards him, always came to work with scratches and even a bite once.

i got my daughter at that age a hamster, and i only made her feed and water her friend, but i changed the cage outside so the bacteria flying around only got to me, and no i wont do that again. i would go for a bunny, outside, up off the ground in a hut so all she will have to worry about is feed and water at her age, and then mommy and daddy can go scoop up the pebbles, and maybe put them in the garden for fertilizer :)

This depends on how allergic to them you are. Dander is Dander so that will be a problem no matter what kind of cat you get. The other thing to consider is that the dander will get sucked in you intake for your furnace and AC. Which isn't that big of a problem if you hire someone to clean your coils. My husband is allergic to them and is an HVAC tech, just cleaning out a coil will cause him to have pretty nasty reaction. Therefore at the house we have a no cat policy. You can always find a pet that you are not allergic to.

If you are allergic don't get one unless it will be an outside cat only. You will regret it. You never know, unless you get an adult cat, how the kittens personality will turn out. You wouldnt want an aggressive cat areound a curious 2 yr old.
I have a cat, I love her to bits, but I'm so done with catfur on
E V E R Y-thing....and dont forget about the litter box... another joy to add to your home ;)
I'm just saying, if you are allergic don't do it. Your daughter might become allergic too once she is in the environment with the cat dander on a fulltime basis too.
They do have some really cute "robotic" cats at the toystore.... I bet that she would love that... I'd go that route if I were you ;) ~Merry Christmas.~

I would not get a cat for a 2-year old. She can enjoy the babysitter's cats and that will be a special thing for when she is there. My son begged for a dog from the time he was 2, but by the time he was 6, he didn't have any interest in dogs at all. Your daughter is much too young to take care of an animal and you are allergic to them. In most every household that I know of that has an animal, it is the Mom that has the burden of caring for them. We finally did get a dog, but guess what, it is basically MY dog. The kids really don't care that much about her. I like the advice about getting a robotic cat or maybe one of those really realistic stuffed cats.

Cat allergies have nothing to do with color, since the allergy is to the oils in the skin, dander, and saliva, and NOT the fur. Any correlation between color and allergy is simply placebo. Trust me, I have TONS of experience with this- I have been very devastated to develop a severe cat allergy after my first pregnancy. I had three cats that I had to part with because I ended up in the hospital twice with allergic reactions to them. It's so severe that if a cat touches me, I break out into hives. I've tried medications but they are very expensive.

Anyhow- I suggest staying away from the cats if you are allergic. Sadly!! :( Try a guinea pig. I got my two girls a guinea pig and we love him!

get her a stuffed cat or a cat toy . . . she doesn't need a cat especially if you are allergic.

I haven't read all your responses yet so if I repeat I'm sorry!

I have an Italian Greyhound (it's a dog, I know but) she is about 6 lbs and about the size of a young cat, and she has a very cat like personality, the first time I took her to the vet, the vet commented that this breed is the most like a cat than any other dog. My Lucy is a cuddle dog loves to sit on my lap and sleep in the bed with me and just calm and relaxed. if you could have a dog then it might be a good alternative, but I wouldn't get a cat if you are allergic, it's just asking for trouble.