Visited cattery today for allergy test - what should I do?

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 4/26/2009 9:03:37 PM
Author: got2goldens

Date: 4/26/2009 2:57:28 PM

Author: redfaerythinker

Allergy shots... You seem to really want a pet... and allergy shots are a permanent solution to your allergy problem. I was allergic to dust mites and I did the treatment, and now i''m fine. Now granted, you''ll have to get shots for four or five years... but it''s SOOOOO worth it!

I agree with Redfaerythinker completely!


I used to get HORRIBLE migraine headaches, and had no idea why until I got allergy tested and lo and behold, it turned out I was highly allergic to cat AND dog dander. At the time I was tested, I''d had a cat for almost 8 years, and a Golden Retriever for a little over a year--no way was I giving up my babies.


I started getting allergy shots once a week. About 2 months later, I had built up enough of an immunity that my headaches were practically non-existent, so were my sinus problems. Eventually you don''t have to go once a week for the shots, you can cut down to once every 2 weeks, once a month, etc. depending on your progress.

I''d look into getting the shots. You seem like you''d really like to have a cat...I know it was totally worth it for me, in fact, at one point we added another Golden Retriever to the household to celebrate my progress!


~Kat

Thanks so much! Can you tell me more about the allergy shots? Is it expensive, or covered by insurance? Does it have any side effects, or anything? I''d never considered it before (I really didn''t know anything about them) but it sounds like something I really need to look into.

I''m so glad it worked out for you. BF so wants a golden retriever - well I do too except I think our apartment is a bit...small...for it

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 4/26/2009 9:45:06 PM
Author: kcoursolle
Have you thought about owning a sphynx? My DH also has allergies (fairly severe) and we visited a sphynx breeder and he didn''t have much of any reaction at all and he has been doing great with her for the past year in our apartment.

I hadn''t. I think I''ll see if there are breeders in the area. Did you look at any other supposedly hypoallergenic breeds before going with the Sphynx? How is she personality-wise and needs-wise?

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 4/26/2009 11:58:54 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
We had two indoor cats before our third child came. She was allergic and basically was congested all the time until they died. We had had them for several years when our daughter came, so we couldn''t just get rid of them. I always kept my daughter''s bedroom door closed, but that didn''t really solve anything. So once the cats were gone, I knew we could not have indoor cats again.


My advice is to forget the idea unless you find a cure for the allergies. I personally wouldn''t go for shots for 4-5 years if I didn''t already have a cat!

Aww poor daughter

Were her allergies pretty severe? Did allergy meds have any effect?

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 4/27/2009 9:08:34 AM
Author: bee*

Date: 4/26/2009 6:18:51 PM

Author: purrfectpear

As far as I know, cat hormones - spayed/neutered or not - have nothing to do with allergies to cats. It''s all about the dander and the saliva from what I''ve read. That said, I don''t think visiting a place where there were 13 cats was much of a ''test''.



I''d try to find a home where there was 1 cat of the breed, and spend an hour there. Does the breeder have any friends or a client that would be willing to let you visit a one cat household?



Also, sphinx (though expensive) might be a better fit. They do need to be bathed regularly but I believe they are less likely to trigger allergens.

I agree. I''ve never heard that people have less allergies to speyed/neutered cats. I''d definitely try and go into a one person cat home. I work in a vets and even I get sniffly sometimes when I go into the cattery as there''s quite a lot of hair. I have a cat at home and it never bothers me. A sphinx cat sounds a great idea.

I think this is the study that I saw earlier. It''s definitely not conclusive but it was interesting.

Link

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

An interesting article about the supposedly hypoallergenic qualities of the Siberian:

Link

 

[HopeDream]

Hi Brown Eyed Girl,

Just thought I'd add my two cents

My boyfriend is allergic to cats, but has grown up with them anyway. He says it take him about three months of runny nose/itchy eyes/sinus headaches and then he gets used to the cat. (I guess three months is how long it takes the immune system to adjust?)

He also reacts differently to different colours of cat - black ones make him more allergic than white ones, no matter what the breed. (scientific studies have shown that dark colored cats are up to six times more likely to trigger allergies)

Aparently males produce more allergy protien than females, so see how you react to light coloured females.

another option :

Allergy free cats have been invented!!!

There are geneticaly modified cats on the market that have had the allergy protien gene altered so they don't produce it (I suspect they found a cat that had the mutation naturaly and bred it and it's offspring until the mutation was very common in the gene pool - sort of like how haemophilia is common in inbred european royalty).

The cheapest modified breed is on sale for $3,950 until the end of April. They come with a 7 day trial guarantee so if you are allergic they will collect the cat and give you a full refund. (you can check them out at www.allerca.com)

They've been in buisness fo a few years, so I assume they're some what reputable, (they will also let you speak with people who already own the cats.)

I have never tried these cats and have no idea how allergenic they are in real life, but it's another option - Just putting it out there

(as a scientist and cat lover , I try to keep up on the latest discoveries)

Good luck !

HD

 

[Lynn B]

Oh dear, BEG... I truly see your dilemma. This is nothing to sneeze at. (Haha, pun intended!

)

Seriously, and FWIW, my DH had a terrible allergic reaction at Boo''s breeder''s house (lots of cats there!) ... we almost didn''t get Boo because of that. But something in me just seemed to urge me otherwise (and I am generally not a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants type of risk-taker!!!

)

Well, thankfully it turned out to be fine. DH (who has allergies AND mild asthma, and cannot tolerate allergy meds!) handles Boo just fine. Boo even sleeps with us. I am soooo happy about that. I did have a back-up plan, I knew a family member that would have willingly taken Boo had it been absolutely necessary... and so getting Boo was a risk (financially and emotionally) that I was willing to take -- I wanted him SO BAD!!!!

Keep us posted; I''m thinkin'' of you! xoxoxo

Lynn

 

[redfaerythinker]

The shots for me started out twice a week, then once a week, then every other week, then once a month. But you don''t have to make an appt for them. My allergist had a section of the clinic where you would just walk up and say i need my shot, and boom, you were done.

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 4/27/2009 5:19:40 PM
Author: Brown.Eyed.Girl

Date: 4/26/2009 9:45:06 PM
Author: kcoursolle
Have you thought about owning a sphynx? My DH also has allergies (fairly severe) and we visited a sphynx breeder and he didn't have much of any reaction at all and he has been doing great with her for the past year in our apartment.

I hadn't. I think I'll see if there are breeders in the area. Did you look at any other supposedly hypoallergenic breeds before going with the Sphynx? How is she personality-wise and needs-wise?

I don't know of other breeds except the ones you are looking at, russian blue, cornish rex, siberian, etc. but there are no guarantees.

Personality-wise my cat is fantastic!!! She is gregarious, sweet, playful, and cuddily. Needs-wise she is fairly high maintenance. She needs regular baths once a month because of the oil in her skin. She also needs her ears wiped out (no guard hairs).

 

[kcoursolle]

By the way, here is a thread about my kitty: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/want-to-know-what-ive-been-mia-lately-because-i-got-a-new-cute-sphynx-kitty.84506/