Hello, there folks! In need of your advise :)

vazgen87

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Hello, folks!

Let me introduce myself first, my name is Vazgen, out of Los Angeles, California. Happily married.

My wife and I are really looking into rescuing a little kitten, my wife especially, me slightly with precaution thoughts - and that's why I'm seeking an advise from cat experts. :)

Growing up we always had dogs and cats in parents' house, I never had any problems i.e allergies. But at the age of 20 (I'm 29 now) I occasionally started experiencing allergy symptoms when I was around SOME cats and SOME dogs, you know runny nose, itching eyes, itching skin.

When visiting my in-laws I had to take claritin, because i wanted to itch out my eye, they have a fluffy cute cat :) At my friends' house being around a sphinx with a tiny little bit of fluff made me itching my neck.

Last week my wife and I went to Cat Cafe called Crumbs and Whiskers in Los Angeles and I didn't notice any symptoms while being there for 75 minutes.

So I think the problem is here, and I guess what I'm trying to ask you - has anybody dealt with something like me? On and Off symptoms? And what would be the best way to find a kitten in my case? What to look for? Any tips and advises would be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you,

Vazgen
 

2Cats4everLoved

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Hello and welcome to TCS.

I'm glad to know another sweet soul may have a forever home.

I have a dear friend who suffers terribly from allergies, she would often visit and have no issues.  If she went to my dads apartment she would suffer.

I think the reason being, I clean like a mad woman, when I clean with her in mind, I spray a mist of water on the floor and rugs before I vacuum, so the dust doesn't fly into the air,  this was a trick I learned from my cleaning staff at work.

My cat also got baths at the beginning of all seasons.  Now my dads cat didn't get the baths and cleaning his place was a bit trickier so she would choke as soon as she entered.

I would get the kitty used to being bathed, make sure she has her own spaces that can be easily cleaned and you should have no issues.

It all comes down to whether the kitten grows into a cat with heavy dander.

Best of luck.  I'm sure the others will chime in with great info for you.
 

di and bob

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Depending on what breeds are in the mix, cats have different hair and different dander. You may be allergic to some and some won't bother you at all. I would start with spending time with one kitten at time to see if you can tolerate them. My brother broke out in hives around all cats EXCEPT Siamese, which he has now in his house. After a while you may even build up a tolerance to cat dander. Taking Claritan, Benadryl at night, or getting a allergy injection would help too. I hope you find a kitten that you can share your life with, there is no greater joy then getting to know and receiving the love of a cat. Be ready for a kitten though, they really do better in pairs to keep each other entertained. They are high energy and into everything, but that all settles down when they are older, then you have someone to share a lap with for a nap, anytime!
 

sivyaleah

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I agree with the above. 

I never had problems with cats until my sister adopted an all black cat.  I was SO allergic to it.  Thankfully, she lived far out of the area at that time and by the time she moved back to the NJ area the cat had made it's journey to the Rainbow Bridge (not lucky for the cat, but for me visiting!).

Since then, never had any other problems.  I did recently learn, however, that I am allergic to cats in general.  That was kind of shocking but not surprising I guess.  We have 2 of them and since we got #2 my allergies became a lot worse. I just never wanted to believe she could be the cause.  

Obviously, she's not leaving so I've found ways to help myself.  I take a prescription allergy medication daily, use over the counter nasal spray daily and, bought a really good air filter for our bedroom.  I think the air filter has helped the most; both my partner and I have stopped snoring since we have it running. So maybe he was allergic also? We are going to buy one for downstairs soon too.  It's been so helpful!

Really, having allergies shouldn't stop one from adopting a cat. There are many ways to help manage symptoms and the reward of living with one is so wonderful!
 

MoochNNoodles

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My DH is allergic to cats and we have 2.  I knew this when I married him but man oh man it was hard for me to NOT have a cat around.  

DH does react less to our cats than my mothers cats.  He takes an allergy pill daily.  We take some steps to minimize the impact for him too.  Our girls do not come in our bedroom or at least aren't supposed to be on the bed.  We've always slept with the door shut and they've always had each other so it hasn't been an issue.  (They are litter mates adopted at 11 weeks of age.)  We used to run a room air purifier in our bedroom but I prefer quiet in the bedroom and since they weren't coming in there; it didn't do much but drive me nuts and give me a headache in the morning.  Having a good vacuum helps and DH is diligent about changing the filters on our furnace. We buy quality ones and I notice a difference in my own allergies.  I used to keep a plush towel that matched our old couch on the back where the girls liked to sleep.  Then we could remove it for washing.  

MIL used to keep a cover on her family room couch.  DH's step-father is allergic so when he and MIL married they bought a house with a nice daylight basement and her cat lived down there.  When she and FIL would come down they just uncovered the couch.

My mother's cats (and dog) go outside so that might contribute to DH's allergies at her house.  They all go roll in the dust and grass so I'm sure they bring in a lot more allergen wise.  They also have a vacuum that is probably 25 years old.  It vacuums well but it doesn't have any kind of filter. We have stuck to vacuums that have either disposable or washable filters.  I used to bathe my 2 when they were younger but it doesn't seem to be necessary for us.  My house sitter used to bathe her cat monthly because it prevented her mother from reacting to the cat.  
 
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