The cat owner with allergies...

[helsic]

First I'm not sure if this is the correct subforum to post this since It would talk about the owners health instead of the cat's health, please feel free to move it wherever your feel suits better.

I wanted to open this topic to share experiences, ideas and advice to all cat's owners that suffer of allergies. 

I had asthma when I was very young and I suffer from rhinitis so i was always was forbidden to have a kitten. But well I'm 29 now and I live in my own with my husband and we rescued two kittens. 

So, the thing is, how do you deal with your allergies and your cat?

I don't want to give up on my cats so I have to use some medication for my allergies sometimes but I get less symptoms if I clean the floor properly so the kittens won't get many dust in their fur. Also if I bath them with wet tissues or with regular water and shampoo it significantly improve my health.

I also wash my hands EVERY TIME I  pet or play with them and I don't allow them in my bed.

How about you guys?

Have you deal with this kind of situation? Share your ideas and advice!

 

[ondine]

I've pretty much had pets all my adult life and at 62 am just developing allergies. So far, regular vacuuming and dusting helps but I foresee the day I will need meds.

I'm looking forward to seeing what others think about this. I also bless you for taking on these kitties. May the rewards be greater than the sniffling!

 

[catsallaround]

I have asthma and a bunch of cats. I build up some immunity to my cats and if I touch other cats I will react strongly to them still.  Keep the beds covered with a tip sheet if allowed in bedroom and WASH OFTEN!  Also enclose ALL beds in plastic that is heavy duty and zippered.  

My only trigger now is going to the vet and deep cleaning when I vacuum the cat trees. For me keeping them inside is also a factor as I have outdoor allergies so if they were allowed out they would track in pollen and other things.

 

[cheddar]

I will begin getting allergy shots hopefully soon. My doctor said that it works really well. I have always been allergic to cats (dander) and my eyes would swell up and get the typical runny nose and itchy eyes. I have 2 kittens now and so far so good. My eyes haven't swollen up or anything. I still do wash my hands often. From what I have been told, if you get a kitten you may build up tolerance to them but still have allergic reaction to other cats.

 

[nebula]

I have bad allergies too, but Xena does not bother me much. First of all, we held out until we found a cat breed that is supposed to be less allergenic. Look to Siamese, Burmese, Bengals, Russian Blues or any of your Savannah hybrid cats. We found a Russian Blue at a shelter, our baby girl........... And I rarely have allergies from her. We have a strict regime of things we do

#1- We hired a cleaning lady to make sure the house gets  a thorough cleaning

#2 - We have a "cat free" room I can go in for relief for a few minutes (it is soon going to be my office...)

# 3- We bathe her weekly, she got used to it from the time she was 7 weeks old and we brought her home- Bathing cuts down on allergens greatly

#4 - We brush daily

# 5 I keep hand sanitizer all over the house whenever I touch her

And finally, I take a routine maintenance of Singulair, and then Zyrtec as needed.! Good luck!

 

[chloe80]

My sister's always been allergic to cats but when she moved out a couple of years ago she got one. She's generally fine so long as the cat's kept downstairs, is brushed regularly and the house (esp carpets and upholstery) is kept in pristine condition with a minimum of hair intwined in the fibres. Zyrtec also helps massively as Nebula said!

 

[stewball]

My daughter was allergic to one of my cats. I had 3 at the time. I got my lotto from her boyfriend - she was 21 at the time. She's now 40 and has a cat of her own. I see no signs of allergies now.
It was an unpleasant finishing of the relationship and he was also verbally abusive.
I told her it was in her head as she hadn't been allergic to him before.

 

[oceanbreathes]

My SO was allergic to cats before our five entered his life.  I think there's definitely something to be said for "exposure therapy" as my sister was also TERRIBLY allergic until she began volunteering at a shelter with 80+ cats in one room.

Here are some things we've found helpful:

HEPA filters! 

Vacuuming(I hate vacuuming but I do it for his/my allergic cat's sake).  Also, dusting/wiping surfaces(I generally use a towel dampened with vinegar).  I wash all of our bedding/clothing often, too.

Feeding cats a higher quality diet.  My cats eat raw and some canned.  I've read this can help and it seems to make a difference.  

Eating a good diet.  No dairy(this can really make allergic symptoms worse due to mucus production, for one), reduced wheat/processed foods, reduced sugar, & plenty of vegetables.  My SO willingly takes a multi but is reluctant to take Omega 3s, borage oil, bromelain/quercetin, stinging nettles, curcumin, and some of the other supplements I'd suggest for allergies.  As for meds, I've heard Allegra(I've taken this) and Zyrtec are some of the better ones.

Opening windows(unless of course you're plagued with awful outdoor allergies as well).

Wiping cats with a warm, damp wash cloth can be helpful. (sounds like you're already benefitting from this one)

I'm so relieved that my SO's allergies are not worse as we all sleep together.  My oldest cat sleeps right against his face and will touch his cheeks with his paw and lick his face/arm.  We also have droolers who drool when content(one will soak your shirt as he insists on 'nursing') so there's pretty constant saliva around here.  

I'm sorry you're going through this and I hope you find some options that are helpful!

Oh, and for the congestion from rhinitis, I just bought one of these for my cat:
I plan to use it with saline at first and then possibly use eucalyptus(as I used in his warm mist vaporizer).  There are plenty of ones for adults as well.

I've used neti pots, xylitol sprays, and other nasal irrigation things before for myself and found them to be effective/soothing.

 

[AbbysMom]

This article may help:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/living-with-cat-allergy

I'm quite allergic to cats. I've developed a bit of tolerance to Abby, but really have to be careful as far as washing my hands after petting her, touching her blankets, etc.