What if the doctor says, "no cats"?

Some friends of mine, whose baby has been sick a lot lately, had their doctor tell them to get rid of their cat. The cat belongs to their oldest son who is nine. They put up signs at the school to find a good home for the kitty. Ulimately, they could not give the cat up. He is part of the family and it was breaking their son's heart!

I was SO GLAD! I think doctors say, "get rid of the cat" WAY too much.

I've been allergic to cats all my life, and have had at least one most of my life. The years I didn't have a cat, I did not notice any change in my asthma or general health. I'm also allergic to dust, mold, most grasses, and every kind of tree in North America except one, and can't "get rid of" those! But I always wash my hands after petting a kitty and keep the floors and bedding reasonably clean.

Have you had a doctor tell you this? What did you do?

Cheers, from
SwampWitch

I think alot of people on this site are allergic to cats, but still have a bunch...I don't know..I guess you just deal with the allergy if you love the kits.

I am allergic to dogs and cats (I have both) and it's not that severe or anything and I'd rather deal with the allergy than get rid of my babies. and that's exactly what I am doing. when I had my allergy testing..I told them if I am allergic to them there's no way in heck I would be getting rid of them. they told me to find a place like my bed so it'd be where they aren't.. so they couldn't sleep in my bed. I didn't go for that either. I have 4 dogs and 2 cats and they aren't going anywhere, ever!

Well she didn't say get rid of them, but she thought I was overboard with 8 and I agreed, No I wouldn't get rid of mine, they are my babies my joy my fun and my company, I am allergic to alot of things also and I say you can't give up everything you care about

I'm allergic and take an allergy pill ever day to help them, so does my husband.

I don't think I could EVER give up the boys, they mean way too much to me.

From the time that I adopted Velvet (10 years ago) until recently.....my doctor told me "No Animals" with your astmah and allergies. For years I told him that they didn't bother me....and I raised holy hell when I was younger and my mom was willing to get rid of them- thankfully it worked and she didn't. Well....last year, I had yet another series of allergy tests done after a really bad astmah attack. Anyways, low and behold, my doctor finally saw that I was right and I wasn't allergic to animals .....I'm allergic to smoke, dust, timothy hay, (which makes feeding my bunny hay a nightmare! ),some medicines, and a few other things- but never once have I been allergic to animals...I'm glad I stuck to my instincts and didn't listen to my doctor on that one- I would have given my animals away for nothing! Hehe, you better believe that when I got my results from my allergy doctor I took it to my normal doc and told him that I was not allergic to animals . So sometimes, stick to your guns if you know your not allergic ....and if you or a family member are....and you don't want to loose your beloved pet- I'd say wash your hands after touching or petting them, and have "pet free rooms" such as a bedroom or other place where animals are not allowed so you can go in there if your having an astmah attack or something of that nature. Also, use a really good filter for your house to absorb more dust, debris, and pet hair...., I would also recommend a good vaccume cleaner and maybe even making a "pet room" where the animals can sleep and eat, etc...it just depends on the specific situation. I know if I had a child who were allergic....the childs needs would come first without a doubt....but I wouldn't neglect or abandon my animals eithor- I would probably create a room for my animals that the child wasn't allowed in so the child's allergies wouldn't be bothered. That way I could keep my animals and my child would not be bothered by them.

I had a doctor actually tell me that I couldn't have a clean house with having cats and that I should just get rid of them. To that I say I don't think so. That's my baby girl right there.

I have asthma...
Over the years, when a doctor told me that I should not have have cats,
I changed doctors.

I've got friends with kids who have severe allergies to dust, mold, grass, etc. And as everyone's said - you can't get rid of those! They avoid nuts and go for allergy shots.

Me? I'm allergic to cats. I use a steroid cream (ultravete 0.05%, prescription) for the hives. It works quickly so I don't need much of it. I take Zyrtec-D twice a day.

We also use pet wipes frequently to keep down the dander. We have carpeting only upstairs. Downstairs are wood floors (best for people with allergies). We spray Febreeze Allergan reducing spray on our furniture, the cat trees and the drapes every few days. We try to vacuum every day - it's usually every 2 - 3 days to cover the whole house. But we include the drapes and the furniture in the regular vacuums.

There are other pet products - like an ionizing brush (an ionizer causes the dander or dust or whatever, which are negatively charged, to attach to the ions, which are positively charged, and then the dust/dander falls to the floor or through static attaches to the brush, which can be rinsed). It's expensive for a brush - $34.95 - but if used regularly on the cat, it will go a long way to keeping the dander down. I just bought one here: http://www.allergyasthmatech.com/Pro..._Brush/589_195

Glad they're keeping kitty!!!!! With some extra work, it shouldn't be a problem for the baby. In fact, it could very well be completely unrelated!

Laurie

I am allergic to cats also!But, I have 5 of them and will keep them with me until they go to the Bridge.I use Flonase and Claritan for mine.When it gets really bad, as it has been,I use Alevert too.
My Dr. would probably say to get rid of them.But,I haven't told him how many I have.
I wash my hands after I handle them.Change my clothes after bathing them and holding them.It works for me.
I would suggest your friends get a air purifier.That should keep down some of the allergens.

I have asthma and multiple allergies - environmental, food and drug! My specialist, when I first saw him years ago, asked me if I had any pets. I knew where he was going with this, and told him that I had a cat who was I believe around 13 or 14 at the time! He looked at my face and said OK you have a cat and never went there again! Anyway,I take an allergy pill every day and am fine with the kitties!

If a Dr told me to get rid of my cats, I'd find a new Dr

My doc isn't thrilled that I have asthma and cats, but he didn't tell me to get rid of them. When I asked Brandon's doc if the cats would be bad for him she said no. They are actually helping him build immunity to cat allergies. So, I wouldn't be so quick to blame the cats if I were this doctor.

My Sister in law was told that for her son's sake. Let me tell you it did not go well. Yes my 3 year old niece missed her kitties, but it got worse. One cat was fine at the shelter and got a new home. The other developed horrible anxiety! So she took her back. The poor cat still couldn't get over the anxiety. She peed at the door daily among other things. And at the time they couldn't afford the anti-anxiety medications the vet perscribed. So eventually they did find her another home. But think, the cat never would have had the problem in the first place if that Dr didn't insist they should get rid of the cats. Oh, they do have another cat now and my nephew is just fine!

DH is allergic and we just take simple precautions, most I learned on here, and he is able to love on our girls all the time!

I think Drs are to quick to point the blame with kids and cats these days.
I was told ours were allergic to cats a couple of years ago.We got rid of our cat.My middle sons asthma was HORRIBLE!!! I had to use the nebulizer several times a day.Little did we know, it wasn't the cats that were the main cause!!!It was the fireplace.We learned that by trial and error.Hes' outgrown his for the most part.Now,we just use the childrens Claritan for him and he does good.If he has a bad spell,I get out the nebulizer again.
So, if a Dr says that again...........I'll tell them to stick their stethescope where the sun don't shine.Cause our babies aren't going ANYWHERE!!

I was told at one point that my oldest daughter had allergies and asthma. I didn't really believe it, because she had not had symptoms for long. I was unwilling to remove the carpeting and get rid of all her stuffed animals. I honestly don't remember if they told us to get rid of our dogs. (We didn't have any cats at the time.) We just tried to be more diligent about vaccuuming and keeping the dust down, and she was fine.

If I was told my baby was allergic to cats, I would keep the cat out of the babies room, and off the baby stuff (like the stroller and carseat). A week or two of limiting contact with the cat (while the cat still lives in the home) should tell if the cat is making baby worse. If so, then kitty has to live life away from baby. For most families, that can be done by keeping kitty in certain areas of the home, and limiting the allergic person's access to that area.

DS has a friend who became allergic to his cat. Somehow, they trained the cat to stay in the family room. She is also allowed outside now, but always stays in the fenced yard with their pet dog. He loves cats, and always complements our kitties when he visits. He simply has to wash his hands after petting them!

When I was younger, the doc tried to tell my mum the cat was the reason I had a bad chest (although not asthma) - she refused to get rid of the cat as the doc couldn't prove it!! They have tried to say my allergies are animals now (as do my family), but I was diagnosed with asthma and prescribed daily, all year round antihistamines during the one time we have had no animals at all in teh house, so that makes no sense

I would never be able to give up my babies due to allergies. I'd just learn to live with them.

Nine years ago I started taking Prednisone to suppress my immune system due to an autoimmune disease I have that is potentially fatal. I learned how dangerous my condition was when Schuyler, our beloved but rowdy Birman, nipped my wrist and barely broke the skin. Within minutes my arm began to swell and the swelling was red and hard, and progressing up my arm. I contacted my doctor who is head of the organ transplant division of a major medical center. He treated and stopped the swelling but there was a big panic about the close call I'd apparently had.

He informed me that either I got rid of the cat or I might as well face the fact that I'd die if I was bitten again.

Apparently this kind of reaction is not that uncommon. There is something in the saliva of some cats that can cause a very dangerous immune response and it really could be fatal. Also, you don't have to be taking Prednisone or another immunosuppressing drug to have this kind of reaction.

I didn't get rid of the cat and in fact, we've had three or more cats all of the time since the above crisis. If one of the cats gets too playful and bites me, I flush the wound with water then rub Neosporin into the area. When the itching and burning stops I know that I've nullified the danger. As my husband said, telling us to get rid of our cats is like telling us to get rid of our children. It's never going to happen!
Geri

my sister's allergist in CA blamed her cats, but the allergist in TN is a real cat-lover, and big proponent of doing detective work. my sis had her ac system completely cleaned, and all the carpeting replaced with wood flooring, and my sis and niece are doing great!
Avoiding fragrances (difficult to do) is a big step in decreasing the sensitivity of the lungs, and is often overlooked. Febreze fragrances can really make someone susceptable to an asthma attack; as can many laundry detergent fragrances, cat litter fragrances, and shampoos.