Sudden cat allergy? Oh no. :(

lovewilbur

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I lost my last kitty back in December. During the 6 years that I had him, I never had any type of allergic reaction. He was a domestic shorthair cat, with lovely white and gray fur. Sometimes I would shove my face into her fur because he smelled so good :). After giving it much thought, I recently went to the animal shelter with plans to adopt. I was feeling a little unsure if I was ready, so the shelter suggested we do a 5 day "slumber party". I currently have 2 sibling black cats in my house. They have short hair but pretty thick coats (they're so so soft!). They are shy kitties, so they have been hiding underneath dressers and the beds. They have spent the most time in our bedroom. I stayed in the room with them as much as possible to get them used to the sound of my voice and my smell. One of them is more social and I've spent a lot of time petting him and loving up on him. I began to notice my eyes felt extremely dry and I've been waking up with a scratchy throat. It isn't unbearable, but I am beginning to worry that I am allergic to them. I am hoping that maybe it is just from the dust, because unfortunately, I forgot to vacuum underneath our bed before I brought them home. Their fur has looked a bit dusty when they come out from underneath. I know it's not a huge deal, but if I do suddenly have a cat allergy....I would feel so bummed. I hope there are things I could try to minimize the symptoms. I don't want to feel uncomfortable in my own home. I also don't want to give these kitties back, because I've grown quite attached to them and they seem to like us when they are feeling confident enough to emerge. Cats are one of my huge joys and the thought of being allergic to them makes me feel really sad. I can't imagine NOT having a cat. Anyways, I didn't know exactly where to post this....but I wanted to vent because I am feeling worried. Thank you for reading. Why would I suddenly react to these new cats but not my old cat?
 

SwissMiss

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I lost my last kitty back in December. During the 6 years that I had him, I never had any type of allergic reaction. He was a domestic shorthair cat, with lovely white and gray fur. Sometimes I would shove my face into her fur because he smelled so good :). After giving it much thought, I recently went to the animal shelter with plans to adopt. I was feeling a little unsure if I was ready, so the shelter suggested we do a 5 day "slumber party". I currently have 2 sibling black cats in my house. They have short hair but pretty thick coats (they're so so soft!). They are shy kitties, so they have been hiding underneath dressers and the beds. They have spent the most time in our bedroom. I stayed in the room with them as much as possible to get them used to the sound of my voice and my smell. One of them is more social and I've spent a lot of time petting him and loving up on him. I began to notice my eyes felt extremely dry and I've been waking up with a scratchy throat. It isn't unbearable, but I am beginning to worry that I am allergic to them. I am hoping that maybe it is just from the dust, because unfortunately, I forgot to vacuum underneath our bed before I brought them home. Their fur has looked a bit dusty when they come out from underneath. I know it's not a huge deal, but if I do suddenly have a cat allergy....I would feel so bummed. I hope there are things I could try to minimize the symptoms. I don't want to feel uncomfortable in my own home. I also don't want to give these kitties back, because I've grown quite attached to them and they seem to like us when they are feeling confident enough to emerge. Cats are one of my huge joys and the thought of being allergic to them makes me feel really sad. I can't imagine NOT having a cat. Anyways, I didn't know exactly where to post this....but I wanted to vent because I am feeling worried. Thank you for reading. Why would I suddenly react to these new cats but not my old cat?
 

SwissMiss

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I seemed to develop allergies after I had a bad case of the flu many years ago. One of the things I'm allergic to is cat hair (dander). It's not severe but I get a very stuffy nose. I use a generic Flonase nasal spray once a day. And I'm able to have my sweet love bug Jasmine anywhere in my apartment even sleeping in bed with me.
 

Kflowers

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For your answer and your peace of mind, I suggest you go to an allergist for you and ask them to test to see if you are allergic to cats. One test shouldn't be that expensive.
 

Margret

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Why these cats and not your former cat? I don't know. You may well be right that it's really a dust allergy. It may also just be a new allergy; I had used Neosporin for decades with no trouble, but in 2013 I was suddenly allergic to it. I recommend talking with your doctor about it. S/he can test for allergies and find out exactly what is causing your reaction.

The good news is that if it is a cat allergy there are treatments available. You'll want to discuss the available options with your doctor, but the best one I know of is a course of injections that can gradually desensitize you.

Also, this is a long shot, so don't rely on it. Many years ago I heard about a specific drug that could be given to cats. The drug fought a minor infection(?) that causes a specific protein to be present in cat saliva, which is then deposited on their fur. The theory was that this protein was the worst or most likely allergen on cat fur. If this is true (and it may well have been discredited by now) it would explain why people are allergic to some cats but not others. It's worth researching at the very least.

Margret
 

kashmir64

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It could also be just coincidence. I don't know where you are, but if it's summer and you sleep with a fan on, this will definitely dry your eyes and make your throat sore. The weather is whacked, could be the wind is blowing and it's something from outside. I hope you get where I'm going with this.
Before you give back the kitties, I would do some investigating to make sure it's really an allergy to them and not just an irritant from something else going on.
 
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lovewilbur

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I seemed to develop allergies after I had a bad case of the flu many years ago. One of the things I'm allergic to is cat hair (dander). It's not severe but I get a very stuffy nose. I use a generic Flonase nasal spray once a day. And I'm able to have my sweet love bug Jasmine anywhere in my apartment even sleeping in bed with me.
That is great to hear that it works so well. I will pick up some Flonase tomorrow!
 
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lovewilbur

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You can always get an air purifier and a cat dander filter, I use the Ganiza G 200s large area purifier on Amazon. Ganiza and then the Pet dander filter
I had one in my husband's basement office and I've moved it into the bedroom. Luckily the sound doesn't seem to bother them at all!
 
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lovewilbur

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It could also be just coincidence. I don't know where you are, but if it's summer and you sleep with a fan on, this will definitely dry your eyes and make your throat sore. The weather is whacked, could be the wind is blowing and it's something from outside. I hope you get where I'm going with this.
Before you give back the kitties, I would do some investigating to make sure it's really an allergy to them and not just an irritant from something else going on.
That's what I'm hoping, that it's a coincedence. I'm going to see how it goes and maybe see an allergist if it continues.
 

denice

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Hopefully it isn't a cat allergy but if it is it sounds like it is mild. Many people who are mildly allergic have found ways to still have cats. One thing that seems to help is wiping them down with a damp cloth every few days. Of course, they will immediately give themselves a good cleaning and start the process again but it helps keep the buildup of dander on their coats down.
 

Neko-chan's mama

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My husband has a mild cat allergy, but he's built up a tolerance to Neko-chan. She even sleeps in bed with us with no issues. But when we take her to the vet, he gets very stuffy and sneezy. He also seemed to do better when we changed her wet food..
 

arr

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It could definitely be other allergies that just happened to start up at this time. Everything outside is blooming, cottonwood trees are in full force, there’s been a lot of smoke from wildfires, even changing hormones can cause dry eyes. Incidentally I started noticing very dry eyes since about a month ago, to the point I can’t see out of my contacts by the evening. My throat has also been excessively scratchy. My first stop is the eye doctor to see what my options are. The point is, like you, my problems literally started a month ago out of the blue, and I really don’t think I’ve suddenly developed a cat allergy after having cats my whole life.
 

neely

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It could definitely be other allergies that just happened to start up at this time. Everything outside is blooming, cottonwood trees are in full force, there’s been a lot of smoke from wildfires, even changing hormones can cause dry eyes.
I completely agree! :agree: That's my problem too, besides an allergy to cats and dogs I'm also allergic to environmental changes.

lovewilbur lovewilbur I've had different reactions to different cats in the past, e.g. I broke out in a rash from one, stuffy nose with teary eyes from another and mild breathing problems from a third. It did help to see an allergist and get confirmation so I could start medicine and keep the kitties. Good luck, please keep us posted. :crossfingers:
 

AbbysMom

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You could have built up a tolerance to your previous cat that you don't have with your new one. It's also possible that it's not the cat at all but some outside allergen.

This article may have some useful tips -

Living With Cat Allergy - TheCatSite
 
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