ELaurie Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 DH has a history of an allergy to cats. I had a cat when we got married, and DH tolerated him very well until the kitty died a couple of years later. We kept the cat out of our bedroom, but otherwise he had free reign of the house. During that time, DH felt his allergies actually improved slightly. Now we are considering the addition of another cat, but have concerns that DH's previous allergy may resurface. Any BTDT advice from the hive would be welcome :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 I am allergic to cats and I have two of them! Basically, when we first got the cats my allergies acted up and I took my allergy meds. But after about two weeks I got used to them and now they don't really bother me. But we do vacuum a lot to manage the hair/dander and I am careful to wash my hands after handling them and not touch my eyes. I am totally a cat person and would be heartbroken without them! I still allergic to OTHER people's cats though. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 DH and both daughters had cat allergies. We have 4 cats and all have since outgrown or developed tolerance. We started out with one kitty and the allergies began to disappear. Over the years we gained 3 more (one a failed foster attempt). We're very careful about keeping them as indoor only kitties so they don't pick up outside allergens or hang out with neighbor cats. We keep them well combed and they all get full baths once a month. Fortunately for us, they all do well in the bathtub and one even likes to join us in a shower. One kitty is long haired and every 4-6 mos I give him a 'lion cut' shave. He likes it since it is hot where we live and it keeps him neater. I think the regular bathing has a lot to do with the disappearance of allergy symptoms. Not all cats will tolerate a bath though so there are special cat bath wipes that are good for cleaning and ridding the fur of the protein that tends to be the allergy culprit. Cat allergies are tricky things. We may have just been very lucky that things worked out for us like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 I am hugely allergic to cats. (During allergy testing, the cat protein site swelled to the size of a golf ball.) We have an 18 year old cat, though, whom I have had since he was a kitten. I'm less allergic to him than other cats (there's something about a universal protein, then each has their own unique stuff, and reactions tending to decrease with cats you live with? I can't remember.) and, unless I hold him against my face, it's really not a problem. He sleeps with the kids because the dog sleeps with us (he finds her repulsive) but he used to sleep with me. Based on your husband's previous experience, I wouldn't expect a huge problem. Maybe at the beginning - new allergens and all that - but if he's willing to live with that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 My dh also had a allergy to our one cat, not the other we had. He didn't know that this particular cat would be a problem. We don't have him sleep with us and it has gotten much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 DD8 is allergic to cats. Our cat (which she has been around since she was 1yo) bothers her less than other people's cats. She take singulair at night, which really helps. And we put a plastic shower curtain as the top cover on her bed. The cat hates it and so doesn't get on her bed. As long as she doesn't handle the cat and it doesn't get on her bed, she does fine with just the allergy pill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheryl Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 DH has a history of an allergy to cats. I had a cat when we got married, and DH tolerated him very well until the kitty died a couple of years later. We kept the cat out of our bedroom, but otherwise he had free reign of the house. During that time, DH felt his allergies actually improved slightly. Now we are considering the addition of another cat, but have concerns that DH's previous allergy may resurface. Any BTDT advice from the hive would be welcome :001_smile: I suffered from allergies living in MI and in NC for 15 years or so. I was on shots and pills. One of my highest allergens was cat "dander"...not the hair, I guess. Well, I've been off of shots/pills at allergist's recommendation for 3 years. When my dd and I noticed I was not having reactions around neigborhood cats we decided to adopt one and we did last Jan. I remain fine around our cat. HTH!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELaurie Posted October 4, 2009 Author Share Posted October 4, 2009 The kitty we have in mind has been purring away on DH's lap for the past several hours, so we'll see how he does ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 I hope the kitty you have in mind works out for you! I have a relatively mild cat allergy and live very happily with two hairless cats. They even sleep in bed with us, and I don't have any problems. They are the sweetest cats ever, and I can keep the dander down by wiping them down with baby wipes on a regular basis. They're also very easy to bathe, and they dry quick as a wink. Easy peasy. I get the whole red, itchy, watery eyes and sneezing thing when I'm around most cats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cin Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 First off, I am allergic to everything they tested me for, so I take allergy meds on a daily basis. No matter what. BUT, when we had cats, I kept them out of our bedroom, off of 'my' chair, and ALWAYS washed my hands after petting them, and removed my clothes after holding them or if they sat on my lap. We have had many cats (some ran away, some got sick, etc) and I found that there were some that I reacted more to than others. Of course, the most affectionate one we ever had sent me into sneezing, sniffling fits as soon as he hit my lap. Seriously, I couldn't touch that poor guy, and we both wanted was to curl up together with a good book : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELaurie Posted October 4, 2009 Author Share Posted October 4, 2009 I hope the kitty you have in mind works out for you! They're also very easy to bathe, and they dry quick as a wink. Easy peasy. Hmm . . . how does one go about giving a cat a bath? I've had cats before, but I never bathed them :001_unsure: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 Yup. Allergic -- but have a Ragdoll cat that is purebred. They say it is hypoallergenic. For the last 5 years, the long hairs and dander hasn't bothered me one bit. I do wash my hands after handling the cat and vacuum often. But this is the first time in my life I can have an indoor cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 Hmm . . . how does one go about giving a cat a bath? I've had cats before, but I never bathed them :001_unsure: We'll I would imagine mine are a little easier to bathe since they don't have any hair. I would worry about getting tangles in a long hair cat, and I'm guessing you may have to blow dry them or something to get them to dry out in a reasonable time... All I do is fill up the bath tub with a few inches of warm water (maybe half way up their legs), put on one of those glove wash cloth type things, plop the cat in the tub, and give her a good scrub down with some very mild soap. I rinse by pouring a cup of water over her until all of the soap is gone. I'm thinking that the rinsing is once again much easier since they don't have fur. My cats are relatively used to it since they've had them since they were little. Is bath day there favorite day? I'm going to guess not, but they give me one or two pitiful little mews and then put up with it pretty well. I've also gotten better at it as time goes on. The first time there was soapy water all over the bathroom and my shirt looked like it had gone through a shredder - now I can get it done in 5 minutes with barely a drop of water on myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vettechmomof2 Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 I am allergic to cat dander but I own 3 cats and work as a licensed veterinary technician. 2 of our 3 cats I have an allergy to. They are not allowed to sleep on my pillows or I have problems but luckily they normally sleep with my children. My female cat does not bother me at all. At work i never know which cat will affect me but the moment my eyes start to brun and water I remove myself and use eye drops for extra moisture in my eyes. I live with hives pretty much year round due to some of my allergies but they always get worse when I handle a cat that I am allergic to. I basically just deal with it. I think that you should have your husband meet some cats you might like to adopt/buy and have him brush them to see which he might be allergic to. He might be able to find a cat that he does not have much of a problem with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in Monterey Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 I am allergic to cat dander and have had the same cat for 18 years. My life wouldn't be the same without him. I am VERY allergic to various cat litters. I have various chemical sensitivities and it took me a long time to figure this one out. At that said, I do react to other people's cats more than my own. Julie in Monterey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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