My Child Was Just Diagnosed With A Cat Allergy

crazy4strays

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
May 4, 2015
Messages
1,468
Purraise
306
Location
East Tennesee
I have 3 cats. The first cat we got almost 5 years ago. After having symptoms for quite some time, I had my son blood tested. He is allergic to cats and most likely acquired the allergy 2-3 years after we got our first cat.

Any advice? I'm hoping to treat his allergy and keep the cats in our home.
 

GraceW94

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
May 6, 2019
Messages
24
Purraise
55
Location
London, UK
Oh no! Bless his heart. How bad is the allergy? I so hope you can sort something and keep all of your babies happy!

Cat World magazine did an article on just this a couple of months back. From what I remember the article said that the most common allergens are cat saliva and dander from their fur. They recommended:

1) regular hand washing, especially just after touching cats to limit the amount of time the allergen spends on the skin
2) washing all bedding, cat and human, regularly and as hot as possible
3) keeping the cats out of his room so that they don't go on his bed where they could leave dander that he will then spend a good 7 hours in close contact with.
4) taking over the counter antihistamines when necessary to keep symptoms at bay

They also recommend paticular breeds, such as short haired or hairless breeds, but of course if you have existing cats then that's kind of irrelevant.

That's all I can remember off of the top of my head, but I think I still have the issue somewhere? My partner is currently asleep in the room where I keep my copies so I can't go in there on pain of death(!), but I'll check later. Good luck!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6

crazy4strays

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
May 4, 2015
Messages
1,468
Purraise
306
Location
East Tennesee
Thanks for the replies. We've gotten a referral to an allergist. I definitely will be asking them about allergy shots.
 

splasha1

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
May 24, 2014
Messages
42
Purraise
17
Location
Florida
I have 3 cats. The first cat we got almost 5 years ago. After having symptoms for quite some time, I had my son blood tested. He is allergic to cats and most likely acquired the allergy 2-3 years after we got our first cat.

Any advice? I'm hoping to treat his allergy and keep the cats in our home.
HypoPet
 
Last edited by a moderator:

VinceL

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Jun 2, 2019
Messages
222
Purraise
608
Location
Newton, NC
My personal experience may or may not be helpful to you.

We have had indoor cats for over 20 years...all but one of them has been a long hair. I suffer from hay fever, primarily tree pollen. Over the years when my allergy symptoms have gotten pretty bad, I have wondered if maybe I have an allergy to cats. I would pick up one of our cats, let him lick me, and I would stick my face in his fur and take a deep breath. I never experienced allergy symptoms by doing that.

A few years ago I developed serious allergic problems while we were in Florida and wound up in the ER. I saw an allergist who confirmed that I have an allergy to pollen from a tree that tends to start blossoming in February (which is when we go to Florida). However, she mentioned that the testing she had done indicated that I have a moderate allergy to cats. I told her that we have had indoor cats for over 20 years and that they sleep in bed with us. I didn't see how I could possibly be allergic. She told me that it is possible for people who are allergic to something like cats to develop a resistance such that they do not display the typical allergic symptoms. I do notice that if one of our cats bites me a little too hard and breaks the skin (which is easy since I am on a blood thinner), I do experience some localized swelling which recedes in a couple of hours; that may be my allergic reaction.

Maybe you have already done so, but verify that your son's allergic symptoms are from the cats and not something else. I'm living proof that being allergic to cats doesn't necessarily lead to allergy symptoms.
 

Talien

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 10, 2018
Messages
2,650
Purraise
5,131
Location
Michigan
I had a Cat allergy when I was a kid but I decided I'd rather keep my Cat and just deal with it. After a couple years I couldn't even tell I was allergic anymore, and I still can't tell after over 30 years of living with Cats

Allergy treatments will help, but state of mind has a lot to do with it. How badly does he want to keep the Cats?
 
Top