My brother is allergic to Cats and Dogs

peter

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Hello, I would like to introduce myself to the community in this post, My name is Peter, I am 14 years old and have a strange instrest in cats.

For the Past 2-3 Years, I have gained a liking of cats, I love looking at breeders websites and seeing new kittens and such.

Orginnally My parents thought it was a " I want one " Phase, but I'm sure we're past that now.

Theres really one thing stopping me from getting a Kitten. My brother is allergic to cats


It SUCKS! Because he even wouldnt mind one, He feels bad that because he knows I like cats, I need advice, I want a cat so bad, It really sucks and its hard to face I can like never have one. My brother takes Cingular this medicine for his allergies and he had a episode once for a week where he could hardly brethe and he would have these choking episodes where he was trying to throw something up that wasnt that, Dont take my word on that, Its a vague scary memory, We're way over that It was years ago, but he still gets an Allergic Reaction around cats.

Red Eyes
Itchy Nose
Congested
Itchy Eyes
Wheezy

It really is horrible, I wish there was a 24/7 type Benedryl, I would never get a cat if I knew i couldnt keep it, love it, and raise it, so the Idea of getting a cat and having to give it up would break my heart.

What can I do!?
 

carolpetunia

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Hi, Peter! I'm so glad you found this site -- even if you can't have a cat right now, I'm sure you'll have fun hearing about our cats.


It may be that your brother really just can't be around cats at all -- but apparently some people have allergic reactions only to some cats, not necessarily to all of them. There seem to be differences from one cat to another that can cause more or less of a reaction in an individual person. Also, there are some cat breeds that are hypoallergenic.

By searching this site, I'm sure you can find lots of information on allergic reactions to cats, both in articles posted here and in threads archived on the site. And in the morning when people wake up, I'm sure you'll get lots of good advice in this thread, too!


With what you learn here, you may be able to talk to your parents about how to determine whether it's possible for your family to have a cat without causing health problems for your brother. I hope it turns out you can!

Meanwhile, it's great to have you here! Welcome to TCS!
 
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peter

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Thanks for welcoming me.

I was thinking...

Hepa Air Filter
Washing the cat daily
Keeping cat out of bedrooms

I try to discuss it, but My life is very hectic and we might move so its so hard to get them to actually litsen.
All I can do is try, of coruse I want my brother to feel fine, I was looking at Siberian Cats, Which are supposed to get hyproalleregenic, but what If I get one and I have to give it up!


They actually have 100% hyproallergenic cats for like 6000$ now, But thats not a possibility

http://www.allerca.com

If someone I knew owned a Siberian Cat, I would check to see if he was allergic, If he wasnt, I would be so excited, I would probably get one from a breeder almost instantly XD
 

pami

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Aww Peter ........ Im sorry you are having problems with getting a cat right now. I know it may seem like a long time away, but in another 4 years, you can have one, away from your brother.

In the meantime, do you think your parents might let you volunteer or even work at a cat shelter where you can atually be around them?
 

carolpetunia

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Volunteering is a great idea! And once you've learned how to care for cats, the shelter might let you try fostering a cat who needs some time in a home environment before being put up for adoption. That way, you could bring home a cat and see how its presence affects your brother!

You would have to have a backup foster lined up, in case your brother had a very bad reaction and you had to get the kitty out of your house immediately... and of course, the whole idea would depend on your parents and your brother's doctor. But if a good long trial period demonstrated that your brother didn't have a bad reaction to one of your fosters, you might be able to adopt that kitty.

I know how hard it can be to make yourself understood sometimes. If you find it hard to talk to your parents about these ideas, maybe you could try writing them a letter -- sometimes it helps to lay out your ideas on paper.
 

lunasmom

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Originally Posted by Peter

It really sucks and its hard to face I can like never have one.
Never? Do you expect to live with your brother the rest of your life? I'm sure at some point in your 20s you will be on your own and at that point you can adopt a cat.

also find out if he's allergic to cat dander or cat fur. Often times with animals people are allergic to the dander rather than fur. So if you can find a breed that doesn't have dander you should be good.

Volunteering is a great idea too! However keep in mind that you'll probably have to shower and keep things out of your bros way to avoid anything you bring home that will trigger his allergies.
 

goldenkitty45

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Unfortunately if your brother is highly allergic to cats/dogs, then you have no choice but to postpone your pet ownership till you move out or your brother does - who is older?

IMO there is NO hypoallergenetic cat! Any cat with fur can cause allergic reactions. Some breeds have less reactions. And even cats without fur can cause reactions if the person is allergic to the saliva.
 
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peter

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How do I find out if my brother is allergic to the Fur, Dander, Or Saliva?

We use to have a cat when my brother was really young, It seems he devloped this late in life, It just sucks because there could be a cat out there of a breed that he is not allergic to. Trial and Error, Most houses with cats and dogs have hair all over the couch and stuff, I think that might be it, its just drenched in cat/dog stuff, How would I prevent that if I actually had a cat?

I am very intrested in the siberian breed. They are supposed to have less of an allergic reaction with humans, I think I might get my mom to schedule a allergy doctor, than, Buy a hepa air filter, Than I might schedule a meeting with a Siberian Breeder in my area and see if my brother reacts to the cat/kitten that we know, if he has a tiny reaction which he sometimes gets where his nose is a little congested than maybe we can do something and get our own cat.

My brother is 11. Turning 12 in december.

Is there any type of medicine my brother can take like a 24/7 type benedryl thing. I care about my brothers health of coruse, So I want to make sure he can live as if the cat wasnt really there.

and where can I search for a shelter in my area?
 

arlyn

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Proteins in the saliva are what cause dander.
There are hypoallergenic cats (hypoallergenic means not as likely to cause reaction, it does not mean allergen free).
The Siberian breed has a lower instance of the felD1 protien that acts as an allergen.
But if he is extremely allergic, I doubt there will be any cat you can have until you are on your own.
Even the allerca cats cause reactions in those with extreme allergies.
 

capt_jordi

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i think your best bet will be to volunteer to work with cats at a shelter right now and wait and get one when you move out. You are looking at a lot of money with allergy tests at the doctor, hepa filters, medicines (I take claritind if my allergies get bad.) And its not cheap when you look at constantly having to take them. And how comfortable would your brother be constantly on medicines?
I understand wanting to have something you cant right now, but sometimes its best to wait until the situation is better for everyone. Thats just my
 

pami

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Originally Posted by Peter

and where can I search for a shelter in my area?
If you go to petfinder.org and put your zip code in the cat search section (on the left hand side of the page) it will show all the cats up for adoption in your area and will list the agency they are located or fostered through. You can then click on that shelter name to read more about and any contact info.
 

goldenkitty45

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Hypoallergentic may mean LESS allergic, but the general public thinks of it as NOT allergic - believe me.

If you brother would have to take medicine 24/7 just for you to have a cat (not his choice - but your choice), then I really don't think its wise to even bring a cat in.

It might seem forever, but you are 14, you can be out of the house when 18. I'm guessing you are the older one in the house?
 
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peter

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I would never make my brother take anything, If it would be some type of pill that would make it so he doesnt have an allergic reaction, He wants a cat too, He gets fustrated so if theres something that wasnt bad for him that would help with his allergies and make him live confortably with a cat.

Wah
Allergies do suck dont they?
 

AbbysMom

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Here is some information on coping with allergies to cats:

http://www.thecatsite.com/Health/223...t-Allergy.html

As far as the Siberian Breed, it really depends on the extent of your brother's allergies on whether or not it is a viable option. If you do not have a local breeder, you can usually request a fur sample from a breeder to see if you have a reaction or not. It's possible to have a reaction to one of the parent cats from a breeder and not the other, so it is best to do your homework. There is also a lot of debate among the Siberian Breeders on whether or not the pointed Siberians have a higher incidence of feld1 than the classic Siberians, so it is best to test with different cats.

I am very allergic to cats, but react less to the Siberians than I do to other cats.

Are your parents going to be willing to spend the money for a Siberian? There are also Siberian Rescue groups you can look into.
 
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