I have a weird ? about allergies...

I don't know where to put it, so I picked this forum.

When I was a kid, I did NOT like cats. Or at least I believed I didn't (shows what I knew when I was a kid!). I was always allergic to cats, but not kittens. So when I decided to get a cat, I adopted a young one.

Holland has NEVER given me any allergy problems. She was 5 months old when I adopted her, she'll be 2 years old in May. Have any of you ever suffered from pet allergies? I guess what I'm basically wondering is when I can afford to adopt another cat, do I need to shoot for a kitten again, or am I safe with cats now? I just don't know... I only know a couple of people with cats, so it's hard for me to know if my allergies went away, or if adopting Holland as a kitten kind of negated them in her case.

Weird question, I know...

Try going to a shelter, and seeing what happens when you handle the kitties in there - you are probably not allergic to cats .

I have always been allergic to cats but have them anyway.
Getting a cat as a kitten did not make a difference.
I would got somewhere that has a lot of cats and see how you react.
I sneeze nonstop around long haired cats.
Remember the allergy is in the saliva.

Young kittens have different fur to older kittens and adults.

I have a sister who is allergic when she brings new cats in, but soon adjusts has no issues after a week or two.

It sounds like you're not absolutely positive you're allergic. Many people have allergies when their young and then grow out of them. you could go to your doctor and ask to quickly be tested for them. it take 20 minutes and it's just a litle basic scratch test. it's very possible you're not allergic to them and then you won't have to worry. If you ARE, you have a lot of options. There are a lot of great new drugs on the market, once a month shots and THEN many many breeds that are more hypoallergentic. (Turkish Vans, Siberians)

Good luck!

pet allergies can be strange things. growing up, we always had at least one cat, and usually a dog too. never had any allergies to speak of.

after moving from home, i went through a stretch of 4 or 5 years with no pets. then, when I got my first cat on my own, I was suddenly very allergic... sneezing, burning eyes, you name it. there was no way i was getting rid of him, so i persisted with it. as the years went on with him, the allergy symptoms lessened.

i have 3 cats now, and only have a sneeze very occasionally. also, my skin will get a bit raised and red/itchy where they lick me, but that's nothing. it seems like in time you can build up a bit of an immunity to it... at least i did! it's helpful to keep the kitties very clean, i brush them often and use the pet wipes to keep the dander at a minimum.

also, just a thought re: cat vs. kitten. kittens seem to spend less time grooming than an adult cat. less grooming = less saliva, less dander.

My fiance didn't grow up with cats, but had friends with them and never had a reaction. Then in his early/mid-20's a friend's Russian Blue mix kitten set him off- not just "itchy eyes, running nose" allergies, but full-blown asthma attacks. He couldn't spend more than 20-30 minutes around this cat before he'd be outside, wheezing. He started having reactions to other cats too, but anything with Russian Blue still seems to be the most triggering- must be that double-thick fur.

This went on for a few years, until he noticed that he was able to go longer and longer around cats before getting a reaction. This was about a year after I started volunteering at the animal shelter (I had to get my cat fix somewhere!) and fell in love with a cat there (Albus). We decided to take a chance and try bringing him home to see if there was a reaction. Happily, there wasn't any; the closest he gets to a reaction is if Albus licks his hands or face, he breaks out in a little rash, but he just deals with it. Says it's worth it!

We had a cat who lived with us ten years. No problems. When she died, we adopted Max who lived inside and a little bit later we put Speedboat in. When we added the second cat, my husband developed allergies to the cats. We finally had to move them outside. We erected the cat-fence-in system on the chain link fence. It keeps our cats inside the fence and keeps other cats out. It has worked out well because it enabled us to keep the pets we loved and my husband finally quit sneezing and wiping his nose and he can breathe.

IMO kitten vs. adult won't make that much of a difference, as the kitten eventually grows up to be an adult. However, one thing to consider is that you may develop a tolerance to your kitty by the time they grow up.

The best advice for those with allergies looking to adopt here that I give? Come to the shelter & meet the kitties. Every person & cat will be different - some people react to longhair, some don't.