How To Deal With Pet Allergy?

[grooverite]

So its looking like I have or am developing an allergic reaction to my cats. Just want to know how if any of you have and deal with this situation. I've been having terrible sleep for the past 10 weeks now since I moved to a studio apartment. I used to live in a 2br and would sleep in my room without my cats but now that they sleep on me, I wake up with very strong pressure headaches and one nostril is always clogged up. I'm thinking of taking some allergy meds to see if it will alleviate the symptoms until I go see my doctor in 2 weeks. Is there anything I may not know of that can help?

 

[Mother Dragon]

It's possible there's something in the new apartment that's the problem. If it were freshly painted, had new carpet, or was sprayed for insects, those could be your problem. There doesn't have to be an odor for you to have an allergy. New furniture can cause the same thing.

 

[Blakeney Green]

I would try an allergy med like Allegra, Claritin, or Zyrtec. There's no need to buy the name brand. Just go for the generic; it's the same thing and usually much cheaper. Personally, I use the generic for Allegra, but different people respond better to different meds.

 

[arouetta]

I have an allergy to cats. I actually skip the allergy meds and keep Sudafed on hand for sinus headaches and stuffy noses. Yes, I have gotten up at 2am, popped a Sudafed and gone right back to sleep. I also wash the bedding and pillow cases a lot.

 

[neely]

Here are some other posts that list articles & suggestions for people who are allergic to cats. I hope this helps.
HUMAN ALLERGIC TO CATS!I CAN'T GET RID OF HER!
Does Anyone Here Have Cats And Allergies?

 

[AbbysMom]

It's possible there's something in the new apartment that's the problem. If it were freshly painted, had new carpet, or was sprayed for insects, those could be your problem. There doesn't have to be an odor for you to have an allergy. New furniture can cause the same thing.

It may be worth seeing an allergist to get tested.

I take zyrtec for my cat allergy and also follow some of the suggestions in this article -

Living With Cat Allergy

 

[sivyaleah]

I'm on the following regime for allergies to both cats and outdoor/seasonal things:
Daily allergy pill - currently on Xyzal (zyrtec mentioned above is good too)
Nasal spray as needed - Nasacort, over the counter easy to find.
Eye drops as needed - mine is prescribed "Olopatadine Hydrochloride".
Vacuum as much as possible - HEPA filter type cleaner
Dust as much as possible.
Brush out cats as much as possible.
Have 2 hospital quality air purifiers made by Rabbit Air. Expensive but has helped enormously. One in bedroom (most important) and second in our main living area.

I was suffering a lot and it's alleviated to a very manageable point now. Getting allergy tested will pin point what your triggers are. Mine is mostly tree and grass pollen along with cats.

 

[arouetta]

Allergy testing is a really good idea. It's a miserable process and you should stock up on Benadryl gel and cortisone cream first, but it will tell you what's really going on vs what you think is going on.

 

[sivyaleah]

Allergy testing is a really good idea. It's a miserable process and you should stock up on Benadryl gel and cortisone cream first, but it will tell you what's really going on vs what you think is going on.

My allergist sprayed my arm with *something* to bring the rashes from testing down. It worked nearly immediately.

 

[arouetta]

Oh, I forgot. When I bathed my cats weekly, my allergy symptoms were a lot less. I might start doing that again.

 

[grooverite]

Thank you ALL for your input and thoughts!

I've had these symptoms before moving into my studio actually. They just weren't that frequent. I suppose since this is the first time I've been in a smaller place, the allergies have been overwhelming me.

I'm def going to ask my doctor when I see her for a allergy test. I need to rule that out. I may have some form of sleep apnea as well from my research online.

What I do know is that up until last week, I had been waking up with VERY STRONG pressure/sharp headaches and 1 nostril always clogged up. I had NOT vacuumed my carpet for 6 weeks since I moved in so I decided to vacuum it and the headaches and congestion diminished a little. I'm now constantly changing and cleaning my bed sheets since my cats are all over it. I'm vacuuming twice a week. It def has alleviated my symptoms a little! I need to groom my cats daily but I have to admit that I don't do it as often as I should. I think that would help.

To be honest with you all, I'm hoping it isn't allergies but its hard not to think otherwise, lol!

 

[grooverite]

Oh, I forgot. When I bathed my cats weekly, my allergy symptoms were a lot less. I might start doing that again.

I used to bathe mine when I lived with my ex-fiance. I've tried to do it by myself but its WAY TO DANGEROUS for just one person! Yes, I trimmed their nails as well!! lol

 

[grooverite]

BTW, I took a Benadryl Wednesday night that my co-worker gave me and it DEF helped me sleep straight through the night! I needed that so bad!! I also read online that taking Benadryl as a sleep aid is NOT GOOD so there goes that!

 

[Ceracera]

A friend of mine had asthma and he used an air purifier.

 

[grooverite]

A friend of mine had asthma and he used an air purifier.

I've been thinking about that as well but I don't want to jump the gun until I know for certain from my doctor if I'm truly allergic to my cats or something! My co-worker said it might even be seasonal allergies I'm experiencing but these symptoms only happen at night when I'm sleeping.

 

[arouetta]

BTW, I took a Benadryl Wednesday night that my co-worker gave me and it DEF helped me sleep straight through the night! I needed that so bad!! I also read online that taking Benadryl as a sleep aid is NOT GOOD so there goes that!

Some people are hyped up by Benadryl. But if you look in the sleep aids section, there's something called ZzzQuil. It is Benadryl, at the exact same dosage as Benadryl, and is about a dollar more. So it is safe for sleep, if you don't mind waking up foggy headed and if you aren't one of those few people who are actually hyped up on it.

 

[grooverite]

Some people are hyped up by Benadryl. But if you look in the sleep aids section, there's something called ZzzQuil. It is Benadryl, at the exact same dosage as Benadryl, and is about a dollar more. So it is safe for sleep, if you don't mind waking up foggy headed and if you aren't one of those few people who are actually hyped up on it.

I would mind actually. What I do know is that any sleep med won't allow restorative deep REM sleep which is what we all need for a good night's rest and the cause of the foggy headedness.

 

[arouetta]

I would mind actually. What I do know is that any sleep med won't allow restorative deep REM sleep which is what we all need for a good night's rest and the cause of the foggy headedness.

It's not really a sleep medicine. It is an allergy medicine. The sleepy effect is a side effect, like what 90% of medications have. In the case of Benadryl, it's because histamines also tell your brain to wake up and Benadryl stops that function of histamines as well.

 

[KalicoKitten]

I have 3 cats and am actually allergic to cats and dogs haha. I take allergy medicine every day. The actual allergy pill is has 10mg of Citrizine HCl. I also take a nasal spray with the same active ingredients as Flonase but it's an off brand that Kaiser Permanente just came out with. Whenever my eyes get itchy I'll use the allergy eye drops from target because I've found that it's the cheapest ones that work for me (cheaper than Kaiser's brand). My cats also trigger my asthma which had never happened before in my life but *shrug* bodies always changing and everything. I take QVAR twice daily for maintenance and ventolin when it actually gets bad. No attacks though luckily. I have fairly mild symptoms. No headaches or stuffy noses though so I can't be of help there :/ sorry.

 

[KalicoKitten]

A friend of mine had asthma and he used an air purifier.

An air purifier didn't really do much for me although I do still have one and use it. I think it helps my cats more than me haha. They get dust in their noses and the filter lessens the amount they get.