am I allergic to cats

[filomali]

Can you be more allergic to one breed of cat compared to another breed?

I have 2 older cats, since they were 7 weeks old and now they are 13.

I remember thinking I was allergic when we first got them from the shelter, I would sneeze and get irritated.

And then I was fine, I kiss my cats, I sniff them, they sleep with me at night.

These two cats are medium-long haired tuxedos. So they have a wooly undercoat and a glossy upper coat.

Now I just adopted a 2 year old about 6 days ago. She is in a room by herself, this is the isolation period before putting her together with resident cats. Every time I visit this cat in the room, I just feel short of breath, itchy nose, sneezing, etc.

What do you think? This is similar to my 2 other cats, soft fur medium hair fur, long bushy tail.

Maybe I should take allergy medication and see how it is. I would hate to take her back to the shelter.

 

[happybird]

I am allergic to only some breeds of dogs, so I think it is possible. If you are getting sneezy without touching the kitty, maybe extra brushing to remove the excess dander can help. They make pet wipes, too, that may help remove whatever that particular cat is producing to provoke your allergies, you just have to make sure they say safe for cats on the label.
The OTC Zyrtec and Claritin have worked very well for both my seasonal allergies and dog allergies (I am very allergic to our 3 dogs). I also wash my hands and face a lot.

I am allergic to the oils in the skin, not the dander, so dogs that produce a lot of oil are the only ones that affect me. If the dog has that stinky dog odor, I am usually allergic to it- welts, sneezing, swollen runny eyes. Then other dogs don't bother me at all, even if I rub my face on them. I have noticed that dogs with dense undercoats don't bother me. I think the undercoat keeps the oils closer to the dog's skin and away from the outer fur (and me).
I don't really know how this would translate to cats, although I did notice when my boy Sammy was sick and not grooming himself very much, I got some welts on my face from kissing on him. His coat was more oily than usual, so maybe it is similar?

 

[filomali]

well I took an OTC allergy med and it seems to help. I stopped taking it 2 weeks ago because I thought maybe the allergy season is over, well apparently not.  So for now the allergy medicine helps.

About dogs, I don't know. I visited a friend that has a huge golden retriever and another dog and I can see the house is full of dog hair (on the stairs, on the carpet, cushions, etc) and within an hour I got more affected to the point that breathing was difficult.

Anyway. Thanks for replying.

 

[cprcheetah]

Where did the new cat come from?  My husband is really allergic to outside cats, but we have 6 cats inside and as long as he doesn't get a hair in his eye, he is fine with them.  So he is more likely allergic to all the pollens/dander etc that the outdoor cats have on them.  I too am allergic to certain breeds of dogs (Boxers, Pit Bulls any with the really short hair like that).  I take Essential Oils for my allergies and they work great.  But used to take things like Zyrtec and Allergra for my allergies.