HUMAN ALLERGIC TO CATS!I CAN'T GET RID OF HER!

[doreet]

HI, I HAVE A 4 YR.

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• doreet
• Aug 13, 2016

The problem is MY HEALTH,

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• doreet
• Aug 13, 2016

Most people here get sick.I am stuck here.--allergic to pollen,ragweed, hayfever, SMOG, and my cat.I think the CAT IS THE LEAST ALLERGY.(I live right next to a major highway, dumb Lane county widened an old road, ruined everyone's homes and neighborhoods. the pollution and allergies are BAD, THEY ONLY GOT WORSE.(I can't even sell my tiny house or land, no one wants to live next to 4-lane higjway. we all should have sued the  county.too late now.

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• doreet
• Aug 13, 2016

so our air is BAD, HOT RIGHT NOW, MISERABLE. the weather in Oregon is now WORSE over the years, NO RAIN, its more like Texas. ugh.I cannot move away, but no one else can either.this is my 2nd sinus infection this summer, which is unusual; doc thiinks i got a cold first;(in summer?)

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• doreet
• Aug 13, 2016

HOW SERIOUSLY CAN I TAKE THE IDEA THAT ITS MAINLY A CAT THAT IS GIVING ME SINUS INFECTIONS?I usually only get one a yr. start of pollen season.I don't break out, get rashes,or; breathe badly, or wheeze; My lungs are pretty good.He just nicked "cat dander" as the worst allergy; what about grass seed burning AND smog all thru the valley?tons of growing things, gardens, small farms. SMOG A LOT.tons of allergies in the valley?

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• doreet
• Aug 13, 2016

OK,I have the cat's large, furry, hair and dander fillled big fuzzy cat platform she lives on; should I tnrow it out, get new one?tack vinyl all over new cat tree?(so it can be cleaned.)is the much used big fuzzy cat tree making me sick?

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• doreet
• Aug 13, 2016

its very hard to clean; can that be cleaned?I KNOW ITs NOT GOOD TO HAVE A HUGE TREE OF HAIR AND DANDER RIGHT NEXT TO THE SOFA.WHAT DO YOU THINK? HOW can i reduce my cat allergies, still keep cat?(my sister is allergic too, but her last cat ran away. she won't get another one.)I CAN'T GET RID OF BELLA--SHE ,MAKES MY LIFE WORTH  WHILE!

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• doreet
• Aug 13, 2016

 ( i also have been growing thru a lot of changes, and STRESS LATELY. NOT sleeping well.SIGH

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• doreet
• Aug 13, 2016

old ladies need companions, lots of my friends are already dead.yeah, it gets lonely. I love my cat,she loves me.    any opinions?thank you!

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• doreet
• Aug 13, 2016

​"Love me, love my cat," in Eugene,

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• doreet
• Aug 13, 2016

OREGON, Tara

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• doreet
• Feb 21, 2015

.....

 

[jcat]

I think you'll find that there are many members here who are allergic to cats, among other things, and still manage to cope, whether by taking OTC medications, using HEPA air filters, limiting the use of textiles (carpets, curtains, throw pillows, etc.) in the home or doing lots and lots of vacuuming.

I don't take meds, but have done the rest of the things on the above list. Cat trees are real cat hair magnets. Ours is vacuumed weekly and steam cleaned about once a month, but you could also wipe yours down with a damp cloth. We have three plush window platforms that I cover with towels or small pet blankets, which can be put through the washer every week or two. That might work on your tree, too.

You can also wipe your cat down with a damp cloth every week. There are pet wipes for that purpose, but a wet washcloth works just as well.

This article might help:
[article="22310"][/article]

TCS has a lot of threads on this subject. Perhaps you'll get some tips from them:

[thread="321417"][/thread]

[thread="322722"][/thread]

[thread="192399"][/thread]

[thread="123119"][/thread]

 

[pegleg]

I have hay-fever and have a very green area on one side of me. The side where I hang my washing out unfortunately.

What I do is hoover everything, tabletops, windows,the cat trees and scratching posts, not just the floors and soft furnishings. Then I have a steam cleaner which is amazing. You can steam pretty much everything and it's very hygienic and excellent for allergies. I can't recommend them enough, no need for strong chemicals which can be a hazard to your kitty and the environment and superb cleaning. It wasn't a fancy expensive one but it does the trick. I haven't used eye drops at all this year and they're usually a staple.

Do you groom your cats often?

Do you take antihistamines? I find loratadine to be the least drowsy and as it's a generic cheap as chips.

The pollution probably has more of an effect than the dander. I moved from a horribly polluted city to a seaside one and the difference was made clear in that I went from 6 horrible colds a year to none.

 

[DreamerRose]

I would recommend Claritin until you get the place clean. It won't make you sleepy, and if you get Claritin D, it has a really good decongestant in it.

 

[molly92]

I'm very allergic to cats, and allergy shots did help me get rid of the asthma component of my allergies. But the sneezing, itching, watery eyes, etc, is still there. I know allergy shots are more effective for teenagers, but my allergist definitely had a lot of elderly patients who got regular allergy shots as well. Still, you can't predict how well they will work, and it might not be worth the effort.

Lots of doctors will tell you to just get rid of the cat, but I believe that most people can find ways to manage the allergy if they are persistent enough! The key I've found whenever I'm around cats, my own or others, is that I need to keep my face away from hair and dander. Normally dander gets in my nose and eyes after touching a cat and then touching my face, but I also can't get my face too close to them either. If it does get in my eyes and nose and starts causing swelling and sneezing and all of those lovely symptoms, I wash my hands thoroughly, wash/wipe my face with a clean cloth, blow my nose thoroughly to get rid of the dander as much as possible. Sometimes I also change my shirt if there's a lot of cat hair on it, and I take a Zyrtec as soon as possible. Zyrtec has always worked great for me, even though in some people it can cause drowsiness. Claritin is another option. My parents have found that Flonaze works very well for their allergies.

Something I've done with cats in the past that would tolerate it is give them a "bath" with a waterless, dander-reducing foaming shampoo, and I would always notice feeling much better for the next few days. My current cat does not tolerate it at all, though, so I don't use it much on her.

I've also noticed that my body adapts to having a cat around somewhat. If I go away for a few days and then come back, I have worse symptoms for a few days before I acclimate to her again and then they die down. I think it must work kind of like allergy shots, where continued exposure to the allergen lessens the severity. I have pollen allergies to, and those seem worse than cat allergies now because the pollen does come and go in irregular intervals.

For cleaning the house, vacuuming does definitely help the most, but you have to be careful while you're vacuuming, because the process will stir up dander and hair that had settled into the carpet or furniture, and you might notice your allergies are worse during or immediately after cleaning for this reason. And if something is particularly difficult to clean on a regular basis, but traps cat hair really well, as long as you don't interact with it much, it won't affect you much (unless your allergies are extremely sensitive). Keeping your entire house cat hair-free is a lot harder than keeping your person free of cat hair, so that is what I focus on.

I don't use an air filter, but with the combination of allergens in your town it sounds like you might benefit from one! I'm sorry you have such a problem with sinus infections. I think some people can become prone to them, although I'm not certain why. My mom gets them all the time and she always takes a Sudafed when she starts to feel stuffed up.