Need allergy & cat knoweledge fast

Hello,

Maybe someone in here can help me with a serious issue. I had serious allergies toward cats since I was in infant. ( asthsma serious enough to be in ICU from cats) so I always stayed away. And even if in house with cats a half an houir the bginning allergies would begin then prgressivly get worse so I never put myself in that situation. (A real pain when being invited to friends and being an animal lover)

However a few years ago I went to my friends house after she bought a cat. It seemed that cat didn't bother me too much. ( bearable) She got another cat months later which did me in completely. I was so happy I had found one cat on the planet that did not get me sick. No she wouldn't give her to me. LOL

Now I have found years later another cat that does not get me sick it seems. Two visits in a row I held it and did not sneeze nor begin the usual wheeze leading to and asthma attack.

Where do I need help? My friend rescued this kitty from the freeway. But she is allergic. ( oddd she is allergic to dogs but not mine and I am alleric to cats not hers) So she can't keep it. None of the rescues will take it, and the people calling ad for her son't seem like good pet cadidates.

It is about 8 weeks old. Can you tell me do kittens have less dander ( allergens) than when full grown? I spent about an hour holding her non stop and stuck my nose right in their to get it in my lungs to actually prove or disprove allergey to her. Tomorrow I will go back and try again. Why Am I so crazy? Well she is adorable and the SPCA is her next home. Yet I cannot go into ICU either. But figured if 2 times no attack my chances are she for some reason does not have enough of the usual dander that is bad for me.

So cat lovers and pros... Can you tell me do kittens for some reason ave less dander than a full grown cat? Is it only because she is young? I also muzzled her right after she cleaned herself. ( since they say is is the saliva and dander which create the harmful allergen)

I don't want to bring her here and find out she makes me sick only to have her have to relive the trauma of finding a new home if I am indeed going to be allergic to her later. Yet I cannot see her go to SPCA. I am afraid she may not actually find home. ( people in this area just throw their pets out like trash when they dont want it anymore) Also part of the reason I am visiting in incrememnts holding her whole time. To see if resistance wears down before leaping!

So do kittens have less allergens than full grown cats? I would really appreciate the help. And no prescription meds and hepa filters yada yada yada don't help at all. Have tried to no avail and suffered greatly!

Appreciate any input. It is friday evenign here. Saterday morngin there. And she goes to SPCA monday morning.. Need answers ASAP

Thank you muchly

Because of their size, kittens do have less dander than adult cats and it gives people a false sense of security that they will not be allergic to the cat. Also, please remember that the dander will build up in your home once the cat moves in.

I don't know about the difference in kittens. I bred Cornish Rexes (one of the few breeds that seem to cause less reactions). But I placed a kitten in a home with a child that had allergies and she still was allergic to the kitten, so the kitten was returned to me.

You might be able to tolerate one cat now. I know you didn't ask for how to deal with it, but one trick that works well in most cases is very simple

Wipe down the cat once a day with DISTILLED water - it helps neutralize the allergins and many people have great results doing that with their cat

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

I don't know about the difference in kittens. I bred Cornish Rexes (one of the few breeds that seem to cause less reactions). But I placed a kitten in a home with a child that had allergies and she still was allergic to the kitten, so the kitten was returned to me.

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I agree with GoldenKitty45, there are a few breeds that you might have no reaction to or a mild reaction to. (Cornish Rex, Devon Rex, and Sphynxes) I myself have cat allergies but met a devon rex kitty that I had no reaction to. After this experience, I now have 2 devons which I have no reaction to. My only advice is you should meet and interact with the breed you are interested in prior to purchasing a kitten so that you will know whether or not you are sensitive to the cat. After all, there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic cat Good luck!

Kittens do have less dander than cats, and if you are allergic, this will most likely be a problem in time.

I don't know how far you're prepared to go to have this kitty, but let me share my experience. I am very allergic to cats. My eyes turn red and get insanely itchy, I get hives, get stuffy, and can have trouble breathing.

We rescued a kitty (which turned into six and fostering as well - long story). I went to the Doc and got a prescription for Zyrtec. I cannot tell you how much it helps. I still had a problem with hives, so I got a prescription steroid cream called Ultravete. I have almost no problem with red itchy watery eyes - when I do, I use those allergy eye drops.

However, if you want to pursue this, there are a lot of things you can do to help keep the dander down - on the kitties and in the house.

Get throw blankets to put over your couch and/or chairs. They're quick and easy to take off when you have company, and can easily be washed weekly. Leave them on when you're not using them - take them off when you are. The hair and dander collect on them, so you're not surrounded by it when you want to sit. It's also a lot easier than vacuuming your furniture all the time.

Vacuum your house every two days (if not every day).

I know it's hard - but don't let kitty in the bedroom. I, of course, didn't stick to that rule, and now one of the cats practically sleeps in my face. But with the zyrtec, it's not a problem.

Also, you don't have to bathe your cat frequently. But do get kitty wipes. Wipe your kitty down every evening - then use one of those brushes designed to get out extra hair - I don't know what they're called, but a pet store will know what you want. It's like a curry brush or something. Our kitties hated being brushed at first - and we'd just do one brush. Now it's their favorite method of being loved on - and it didn't take long to get there. Most cats end up LOVING being brushed - especially on the head and around the cheeks - but they'll take the whole body brushing to get that "cheek attention" they crave. Then wipe her down again with a kitty wipe. This REALLY cuts down on the extra hair and dander.

Keep cat beds around the house. A cat tree wouldn't hurt. Vacuum the tree regularly, and wash the beds weekly. The beds will encourage her to sleep there instead of on your furniture (though the throw blankets help with that problem).

Wood floors are better than carpet - if you have a kitty, just bear that in mind if you ever have to move.

So.... it is very possible to live with cats despite the allergies. It just depends on how badly you want the cat and what you're willing to spend and do to make it happen.

Laurie

OK hopefully I'm not instilling false hope here, but this is my personal experience with cat lovers and allergies.

First of all, when I was young my mom got us two kittens, our family has always been cat lovers. Well we found out my younger brother was allergic....so we took some steps. Got almost all the carpet in the house changed to hardwood, kept them out of my brothers room etc. Well he is a pet lover and still played with them and held them all the time and seemed to 'grow out of it'. It was like his body got used to our cats, he still has the allergies when he goes to other places with cats. (also our cats were not non-shedding, just barn cats, one long hair one short hair).

I never had pet allergies but I moved in with a family for awhile that had siamese. Well Suprise!! Didn't I get really sick, runny nose, teary eyes, sneezing, only around the siamse, I was fine with all DSH my whole life, but for some reason I reacted to these cats. Well after a couple months and a lot of dristan I am now fine and the very proud owner of a gorgeous siamese.

Finally my boyfriend has always had mild cat allergies and I now again live int he same city as my younger brother. As soon as I was out of student housing i adopted two kitties. 1 DSH, 1 siamese. Both my brother and boyfriend initally had issues coming over for extended periods of time. But with (again a lot of dristan) and many of the suggestions above, they both stay over for extended periods (weekends at a time) and they rarely even sneeze!!

One lifesaver was the 'furminator' it pretty much stops their shedding. I spent about a week 'furminating' them everyday and now thay both have almost no undercoat and the shedding has all but stopped. I brush them both with this once to twice weekly for 15 minutes just to keep on top of it. I also buy 'wet free' shampoo and wash them with this foamy shampoo once a month, helps with dander. I keep blankets on allt he couches so when brother and boyfriend are over I can take them off and they are hair and dander free, finally I sweep a lot (although now that they don't really shed I don't do it as much) and everything is great!!

I am not a doctor by any means, but from all my experiences and everyone who had allergies from mild to very severe it seems a lot of people can get used to atleast their own kitties and their bodies don't fight back too badly. If you take a lot of steps to reduce shedding and dander in the first couple months you very well might be A OK!

Oh I should also mention high quality food keeps the shedding down as well!! The healthier they are the healthier their coat and the less shedding and dander produced!!

Good luck!!!