Just found out DH is allergic to our cat!

[BrightSpot]

Hi all,

First of all, I want to apologize that I haven’t posted in quite a while. I’m in a new position at work that doesn’t leave me with much spare time. I do still lurk when I can.

I wanted to reach out to you today on a non-diamond related topic. My DH’s allergies have been especially bad lately & he finally went in for an allergy test. Turns out, he’s highly allergic to cats even though he’s had them on & off since he was 18. Oddly enough, he was diagnosed with psoriasis when he was 18 as well & his allergist thinks this might not be a coincidence—that perhaps he’s suffering from a severe allergy, maybe not psoriasis at all. He’s going in for more tests tomorrow, so we should have more information soon, but I’ve been worried sick about his health & at the thought having to give up our sweet kitty. (He hasn’t mentioned doing this & I assume it would be an absolute last resort, but it’s still a scary though.)

Do any of you have advice on coping with cat allergies? Any tips & tricks or miracle cures? I’d really appreciate any help you could offer.

Here’s a picture of our kitty, Bella.
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXPlP|Rup6lln|/of=50,529,443

 

[firebirdgold]

She''s a gorgeous kitty!
There used to be this stuff that you could bathe your cat in that would cut down on the allergens they produce. If I remember correctly you''d have to bathe the cat everyday for like a week and then slowly start cutting back until you were only bathing her once a month.

Nature''s miracle has a spray that reduces the dander on a cat link to drs. foster and smith.

You might also want to consider using a hepa filter in the rooms the cats and DH spend the most time.

 

[FireGoddess]

I think they also have ''cat wipes'' you can use on kitty''s fur? Let me see if I can find those.

 

[oshinbreez]

I''m so sorry to hear this. I hope you can find something so you don''t have to get rid of your pretty kitty.

 

[chrono]

My hubby is allergic to cats (and a whole bunch of other stuff too) and we just discovered this 5 years after getting our kitty. And we are keeping her until kitty heaven calls.

1. Kitty is 100% indoors (to eliminate hubby's pollen allergy) and takes a weekly bath.
2. Brushing often keeps the dander down too.
3. Everyone washes their hair every night to cut down the allergens.
4. Hepa filter in our vacumn cleaner
5. Kitty is banned from our bedroom

6. Hubby gets weekly allergy shots (after a year or two, the frequency drops to twice a month, then monthly).

 

[belle]

hey brightspot! so good to see you again!

cat allergies.....boy can they cause problems!

especially if the allergy is severe, and it sounds like it is. i would have to agree with the doc, i bet it is no coincidence that he was diagnosed with psoriasis at the same time. it''s likely that his system is on ''hyper alert'' due to the constant contact with the cat and that his skin issues are a result. he probably has eczema induced by this hyperactive response state his body is in. with cat allergies, or any of those constant contact allergies (usually pets) the body gets into that responsive mode and just fires off at everything, no matter how minor it is. even the smallest amount of environmental factors will trigger a response.
don''t worry...you don''t have to think about getting rid of the cat yet though. the best thing to do for him is to make sure the cat doesn''t spend the majority of time in the same place that he spends the majority of his time. for most people, that is the bedroom

seriously... that is the one place that we spend the most time in one spot (if not, you''re not getting enough sleep!). so, get the walls clean, get the linens clean, get everything you can clean. if you have wood floors, you''re already a step ahead because carpets trap sooo much of the allergens that are floating around. otherwise, lots (and lots and lots) of vaccuming and just cleaning in general can help keep the allergens low. again, the most important is probably the bedroom. it needs to be a ''no go'' zone for cats. i know it sounds harsh because most cats love to sleep in the big bed but it just causes so much havoc for those that are allergic. and...it''s better than getting rid of the cat altogether!

best of luck brightspot! i wish you didn''t have to come to visit with the troubles but we''re glad to see you again!

 

[FireGoddess]

http://www.allergyasthmatech.com/CategoryDetail/Cat_Dog_Dander_Wipes/124_195?s_cid=BIZ168

 

[belle]

Date: 5/17/2007 12:48:42 PM
Author: FireGoddess
http://www.allergyasthmatech.com/CategoryDetail/Cat_Dog_Dander_Wipes/124_195?s_cid=BIZ168

i wonder how those would work? it seems like the cat, being a cat, would just want to lick that stuff off? they are pretty fastidious so i can''t imagine them just leaving the wipe stuff unlicked.

 

[AmberGretchen]

I''m so sorry you and your DH are going through this. Your sweet kitty is just beautiful though, and I don''t think you''re anywhere near a point of having to get rid of her. All the posters so far have given excellent suggestions. The only one I would add (my DH is allergic as well, and we have 3 kitties) is to have your DH try out different allergy medicines. What works for different people at different times can be highly individual. My DH had luck with a medication called Nasacort, and I know there are a wide range of options out there - I would have your DH work with your Dr. to see if any of them might work for him.

Good luck!

 

[Cind11]

Date: 5/17/2007 1:25:27 PM
Author: AmberGretchen
I''m so sorry you and your DH are going through this. Your sweet kitty is just beautiful though, and I don''t think you''re anywhere near a point of having to get rid of her. All the posters so far have given excellent suggestions. The only one I would add (my DH is allergic as well, and we have 3 kitties) is to have your DH try out different allergy medicines. What works for different people at different times can be highly individual. My DH had luck with a medication called Nasacort, and I know there are a wide range of options out there - I would have your DH work with your Dr. to see if any of them might work for him.

Good luck!

Yes, I agree about the allergy medicines. My DH is allergic to our four cats and he had switched to Allegra from Zyrtec. The Allegra isn''t doing as good a job. He''s going to switch back to Zyrtec which seems to have done a good job of making him feel better. His allergist also said he has probably developed somewhat of an immunity to our cats having been with them for a while. I''m sure you will get this resolved. Your kitty is beautiful.

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 5/17/2007 12:53:44 PM
Author: belle

Date: 5/17/2007 12:48:42 PM
Author: FireGoddess
http://www.allergyasthmatech.com/CategoryDetail/Cat_Dog_Dander_Wipes/124_195?s_cid=BIZ168

i wonder how those would work? it seems like the cat, being a cat, would just want to lick that stuff off? they are pretty fastidious so i can''t imagine them just leaving the wipe stuff unlicked.

LOL, I know. I have never tried them. It seems the intervention with the allergy sufferer (ie. shots) would work best, but who knows? It seems like something I''d probably try if I had that particular problem!!

 

[deliciouspear]

Date: 5/17/2007 1:38:54 PM
Author: Cind11

Date: 5/17/2007 1:25:27 PM
Author: AmberGretchen
I''m so sorry you and your DH are going through this. Your sweet kitty is just beautiful though, and I don''t think you''re anywhere near a point of having to get rid of her. All the posters so far have given excellent suggestions. The only one I would add (my DH is allergic as well, and we have 3 kitties) is to have your DH try out different allergy medicines. What works for different people at different times can be highly individual. My DH had luck with a medication called Nasacort, and I know there are a wide range of options out there - I would have your DH work with your Dr. to see if any of them might work for him.

Good luck!

Yes, I agree about the allergy medicines. My DH is allergic to our four cats and he had switched to Allegra from Zyrtec. The Allegra isn''t doing as good a job. He''s going to switch back to Zyrtec which seems to have done a good job of making him feel better. His allergist also said he has probably developed somewhat of an immunity to our cats having been with them for a while. I''m sure you will get this resolved. Your kitty is beautiful.

I hate to be the devils advocate, but this case I think it is important to consider whether having cats is worth requiring your spouse to use steroidal nasal sprays and other medications on a daily basis. I am allergic to cats and while my DH really loves cats his adversion takeing medication on a daily basis when there is a simple non-medical solution is stronger than his desire to have a cat. Granted, our decision is easier since it is the decision of whether or not to get a cat rather than whether or not to find another home for a beloved pet.

I hope that in your case taking the steps that others here have recommended (cat-free bedroom, regular brushing and bathing, etc.) will be sufficient to solve the problem!

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 5/17/2007 3:22:45 PM
Author: deliciouspear

I hate to be the devils advocate, but this case I think it is important to consider whether having cats is worth requiring your spouse to use steroidal nasal sprays and other medications on a daily basis. I am allergic to cats and while my DH really loves cats his adversion takeing medication on a daily basis when there is a simple non-medical solution is stronger than his desire to have a cat. Granted, our decision is easier since it is the decision of whether or not to get a cat rather than whether or not to find another home for a beloved pet.

I hope that in your case taking the steps that others here have recommended (cat-free bedroom, regular brushing and bathing, etc.) will be sufficient to solve the problem!

You can actually become tolerized to your specific cat. There are many cat-allergy sufferers who become tolerized to their pet, but not other cats.

Without taking daily steroids.

 

[deliciouspear]

Date: 5/17/2007 3:24:26 PM
Author: FireGoddess

Date: 5/17/2007 3:22:45 PM
Author: deliciouspear

I hate to be the devils advocate, but this case I think it is important to consider whether having cats is worth requiring your spouse to use steroidal nasal sprays and other medications on a daily basis. I am allergic to cats and while my DH really loves cats his adversion takeing medication on a daily basis when there is a simple non-medical solution is stronger than his desire to have a cat. Granted, our decision is easier since it is the decision of whether or not to get a cat rather than whether or not to find another home for a beloved pet.

I hope that in your case taking the steps that others here have recommended (cat-free bedroom, regular brushing and bathing, etc.) will be sufficient to solve the problem!

You can actually become tolerized to your specific cat. There are many cat-allergy sufferers who become tolerized to their pet, but not other cats.

Without taking daily steroids.

Oh, that''s great to know! Any idea how common it is to become tolerized, and how long it takes? I would love to have a cat too, but when my allergies are active my quality of life is significantly lowered. I would need some great statistics in order to risk it. DH would be thrilled!

 

[Miranda]

Zyrtec. And keep kitty off of the bed. I think I''m allergic to cats, too. There are just some things I''ll make sacrifices for and an occasional Benadryl or Zyrtec is worth it to me to have cats. Of course, I do not have severe allergies...That may be a different story.

BTW your kitty looks EXACTLY like my childhood cat Tiger. OMG, I love(d) that cat. He passed on to kitty heaven when I was in 4th grade. DH always knows when I''m coming down with something becase I start to tear up because ''I miss Tiggey''.....

 

[BrightSpot]

Hi all,

I can't thank you enough for all of the support & wonderful suggestions! And belle, your post made me tear up a bit. I have missed you, my dear PS friends. It's funny. While most of my time spent on PS in the past had to do with rings or wedding planning, when I was so stressed at the thought of losing my kitty, one of my first thoughts was to reach out to the PS community for support. You are truly a special group of people. Thanks for the warm welcome back.

FG & Indie, thanks for the product recommendations. I will check out that Nature's Miracle spray & wipes. They sound like an easy way to reduce some of the dander & is definitely worth a try, at least in between baths. (Poor kitty...) Belle, that's an interesting thought, though, that it seems likely a kitty would work even harder to lick off a foreign substance.

We're definitely going to get a hepa filter or 2 for our apartment & step up our cleaning routine.
It's so reassuring to hear that some of you are able to live with cats despite allergies.

Chrono, thanks for all of your great tips! Our kitty is an indoor kitty, but DH did make a cute little seat for her outside (totally enclosed, but open to air) so I guess she's still exposed to pollen. Even worse, the seat is in the bedroom. Maybe we should look into moving it as it's probably a good idea to ban her from the bedroom as you recommended. Unless the pollen exposure is really a problem, then we might have to take it away. Do you have problems bathing your cat? We gave Bella a bath once & she was pretty good, but I don't imagine she'd enjoy a frequent bath. Also, do you dry your kitty? It must be very cold to be a wet cat in the winter. Do you use a special shampoo?

Belle, it does indeed sound like DH's system is on "hyper alert" as you said. Our apartment has hardwood floors, but we have several area rugs including one in the bedroom. If it helped, I would be willing to get rid of that one if it caused problems. (That & banning kitty from the room & washing the bedding frequently.)

Amber, Cind11 & Miranda, Thanks for the drug tips. I will definitely have him ask his allergist about medications. He's not on any allergy medications right now, aside from the occasional Benadryl or Claratin when things get really bad.

deliciouspear, you make a good point. I have certainly spent a lot of time thinking about whether or to what extent DH would suffer having a cat around. I don't want to compromise his health, but neither one of us wants to rehome our beloved pet. I hope we'll find a way to make this better so we don't have to make that decision.

I'm also interested in hearing more about how cats become tolarized. Bella moved in about 2 1/2 years ago. DH started experiencing some gastrointestinal symptoms at this time, but neither of us recognized the link. (Not that we can prove it now, but the allergist suspects they might be linked.) This is better now, but the skin & eye reactions still occur on occasion.

Also, thanks for the compliments on Bella. She was a rescue kitty, but I suspect she is part Maine Coon. She is very dog like (drinks from the toilet & plays fetch) & sweet, though shy with strangers.

Miranda, I totally get teary for lost pets too--often when my resistance is down as well. Who are your kitties now?

Again, thanks to everyone for your thoughtful posts. I'll keep you updated when I get more info from the allergist. Keep your fingers & paws crossed!

 

[Kaleigh]

Hey BrightSpot,
Nice to hear from you, although wish it was under better circumstances. I hope this gets worked out. My son is super allergic to cats so I''ve never had any. It''s the dander you have to control, and not sure how you go about that. Just wanted to say HI!!!! Miss you.

 

[chrono]

Date: 5/17/2007 4:34:46 PM
Author: BrightSpot
Hi all,

Chrono, thanks for all of your great tips! Our kitty is an indoor kitty, but DH did make a cute little seat for her outside (totally enclosed, but open to air) so I guess she''s still exposed to pollen. Even worse, the seat is in the bedroom. Maybe we should look into moving it as it''s probably a good idea to ban her from the bedroom as you recommended. Unless the pollen exposure is really a problem, then we might have to take it away. Do you have problems bathing your cat? We gave Bella a bath once & she was pretty good, but I don''t imagine she''d enjoy a frequent bath. Also, do you dry your kitty? It must be very cold to be a wet cat in the winter. Do you use a special shampoo?

No problems with my kitty''s baths although she isn''t exactly jumping for joy. She just mews in resignation and hangs on to me for deal life.

I did start her on regular baths once a week since she was a 6 week kitten, so we don''t have any fights, scratches, etc. Regular cat shampoo or Dawn dishliquid if she is especially grimy but this is rare. Be sure to double even triple rinse the shampoo.

I bathe her when the day is at its hottest so that she can sun herself afterwards. Before taking her out of the tub, I "wring" as much water off as possible (including running my hands down all 4 paws and tail). I put her on a rug then wrap her in a huge warm bath towel for warmth and to soak up the excess water. After she starts squirming, I then rub her down with the towel and let her sunbathe. No hair dryers for her because she is afraid of the noise, although I know there are some cats who love it.

She gives me a dirty look when she is drying herself (licking her fur) but loves the brushing afterwards when semi-dry. I always give a treat later for putting up with the baths too.

I think she secretly likes being clean because when completely dry, she goes nuts and races all around the house.

The regular baths not only helps with loose fur but really cuts down on pet dander. Hope it helps.

 

[BrightSpot]

Hey, Kaleigh! It''s so good to hear from you! I miss you too.

How are you doing?

Chrono, thank you SO much for all of the info on bathing kitties. I chucked at your description of your kitty mewing in resignation/hanging on for dear life & the post-bath dirty look. We bathed Bella once & she wasn''t thrilled with us for a while afterward, but didn''t put up too much of a fight during the actual bath. I do think she felt cleaner/happer post-bath, though as she was also a bit more energetic. I''ll definitely give it a try!

DH had a follow-up appointment with his allergist today & got the results of his pulmonary function test. Apparently he has only 67% lung function & less than 50% in the small bronchials. The doc said he probably/definitely has an autoimmune condition that is presenting itself in other areas (eyes, skin, joints, etc.) She recommended doing a full work-up, so he''s going to see either a GP or a pulmonary specialist. She''s also afraid this lung condition might be progressive, especially if he doesn''t seek help. (i.e. he wouldn''t be able to exercise at all in 20 years.) She recommend a chest X-ray & CAT scan. So it seems the cat allergy might be the least of our worries right now. Very scary stuff.

 

[chrono]

BrightSpot,
I hope your hubby''s checkup goes well with the GP or specialist. It does sound scary and at least you are aware of it now so as to be able to take action ASAP versus finding out later when this might have gotten a whole lot worse.

 

[innerkitten]

Well I''m allergic to cats and have three. Of course mine is a mild allergy , The big one for me is dust. There are steps you can take to make things easier for your DH. Don''t let the cat sleep in bed with you. You might even ban kitty from the bedroom. Also regular vaccuming of sofas and things. I have to take allergy meds during allergy season but I am usually okay during the rest of the year. I also have had cats on and off my whole life. I tend to get used to cats after a while.

 

[FireGoddess]

Yay, I can log on! Was having issues this morning.

So sorry to hear about DH, BS. I hope his appt goes okay.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Oh brightspot, that is really tough for your hubby. But good that they caught it now, so that the damage can hopefully be stopped with treatment.

I have moderate asthma and I worry about long-term lung damage myself, but I keep telling myself that by taking my meds and exercising to keep my lung capacity up and keeping myself generally healthy I''m doing everything I can to prevent that. But I am sure that this is very scary for you and your DH - I will keep you both in my thoughts.

Oh, and an FYI for those who were wondering about taking allergy meds long term - my DH is completely meds-free and has been since about 6 months after we got our first kitties, so while I don''t know how common it is to get tolerized to specific cats or even cats in general, it certainly can happen.

 

[BrightSpot]

Thanks for your thoughts & support. Chrono, I am definitely glad we found out now rather than later.

innerkitten, I think, as you mentioned, it is worse now as it''s allergy season. My DH''s worst allergy was dust mites followed by mold followed by cats.

AG, DH has started running every day to keep his lung capacity up & says he''s feeling better. Are you on meds consistantly? They gave DH an inhaler, but he hasn''t had to use it. He''s not on any breathing medication long-term. I''m glad to hear your DH has become tolarized to your kitties & that you''re doing well. Thank you for your kind words.

It will probably be another week or so until DH can get to the doctor again, but I''ll keep you guys posted. Thanks again for everything!

 

[Gypsy]

Hi Brightspot. I''m glad to hear your hubby is taking proactive action... any word on the possibility of an auto immune difficulty? I''m sorry you both are going through this.