allergies ?!

looks like i'm becoming allergic to my cats... i have been sneezing for the past few weeks
(non-stop) and my eyes have become severly irritated, itchy & red...

this only happens when i am at Camerons (where my cats live) and i am there all the time...

lately though it's been happening wherever i am, i've been in bed all day sneezing
and keeping my eyes closed, they hurt so much & are watering...
they are swelling up from the irritation.

if it's my cats i'm allergic too that's just going to be too bad for me, i guess,
because nothing could make me get rid of my pets.

i've never had an allergy before either, and it's not even "allergy season" (whatever that is...)

all of this leads me to believe i've developed an allergy toward my cats

where should i go to get tested for this ? my doctor, my naturapath ?

it's just getting worse, at first i thought it was just a reaction to something and would go away,
now i'm pretty convinced it's not going to just go away.

i am really tired all the time too, is that also a symptom ?

half-asleep and sneezing,
katie.

Blue
Maybe you should have a M.D. examine you, especially if your symptoms are getting worse. This time of year, you could have an illness that's been going around. If it does turn out that you have become allergic to cats, you can ask about shots or other medications that will lessen your reaction.

Let us know how you are doing and what you find out.

The reason you are becoming allergic wherever you are is because there is cat dander on all your clothes and stuff at home. Even when your cats aren't there, they ARE.
I'm allergic, and have a cat, and symptoms that I swore were unbearable are easily treated with a little pill every morning. Very nice.
Get tested though. Your doctor can do this for you, and then advise you on the best course of action.
Over the counter pills don't work well, by the way. Prescription is the way to go.
Best of luck, dear.

they develop. I mean, at any point in time you could be eating a PB&J and develop an allergy to peanut butter. It's weird. It's possible it's not your cats because like someone said, your cats are with you all the time (clothes, etc). Go to the doc and he'll see what's up. You may have to get an allergy test (which are sometimes pointless). I do hope you feel better soon!!!

Hopefully your doctor won't test you. It's obvious from your symptoms that you're allergic to something, so hopefully he'll just give you a prescription to one of those new nifty allergy medications. These work great. My mother is deathly allergic (and I do mean deathly allergic) to my cats, but she has a prescription, and now she can come visit and doesn't die. It's very nice.

Good luck, Blue. Allergies are the pits.

Hold up, folks!

An allergy test must be done to confirm or rule out allergy. Without it you never know if you have an allergy, a chronic infection, or a physical defect or growth. They are relatively cheap and painless, and will ensure you are getting the correct treatment.

Also, I have taken all the new no-drowsy prescription allergy medication and not one was the least bit effective, so I still keep taking my actifed, which went OTC about 20 years ago. I have been taking it for over 30 years now.

Blue, there's a couple of things you can do; make sure you vacuum often and give your cat(s) a wipe-down with a wet facecloth everyday. Ask your doctor about a prescription, like Bubbles says, or allergy shots which help you build up an immunity to allergens. You should really go to an allergist and get scratch tested. It could be something seasonal as well.

My boyfriend is allergic to my kitties. We use a liquid they sell at the pet store to wipe them down occasionally, bathe them every other week in kitty shampoo, vaccuum, and wash the linens frequently (they sleep with us). That helps enough that my honey gets to stay and isn't affected at all.

thanks for the replies everyone.

i forgot about this thread

i'm going to talk to my doctor before taking any pills or anything else.

let you know how it goes.