allergies

9357m

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I have no idea which forum area to put this, so bear with me. My son who has lived away for a few years may be coming home. This is fine, they're always welcome back. However, we took in these kittens since he left and I'm pretty sure his allergies are going to go nuts living with them. We also have a dog (always have). Does anyone here know if people with allergies can live with cats indoors? Like I said, he's always welcome back, but getting rid of the cats is going to break my heart. I don't think my wife would cry over it, but I will certainly have a tough time of it. They are at my side as long as I'm in the house. Tonight I was outside working on the house and they were both in the window watching me. As independent as cats can be, they can certainly win your heart over.
 

strange_wings

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You know, there are people with all sorts of terrible allergies to things but they don't stop living their lives. They find treatments, take daily meds, use filters and extra cleaning in their homes. But for some reason whenever someone finds out they're allergic to a pet, many don't want to compromise.

9357m - Make your son seek treatment and make your home more allergen free through cleaning. Chances are he's not only allergic to just pet dander so he would ultimately benefit.

My husband is an asthmatic with a lot of allergies. The only thing he never was allergic to is animals.
When younger he was allergic to many very common foods, like corn. Treatment did help, as does taking daily medication.
 

mystik spiral

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My brother was allergic to cats, and when he met my SIL she had a cat. After they moved in together, it took my brother just a couple of months before Gracey didn't bother him anymore. People CAN get used to the cats...

I would also suggest that your son get tested for allergies. I have a 7YO niece who used to have the worst eczema... my sister got her tested for allergies, and found out she was highly allergic to peanuts and dogs. Well, PB sandwiches were her favorite lunch, and their dog used to sleep in her room at night! They didn't get rid of the dog, they just moved him to a different area at night. My niece's eczema is 100% better now than it used to be.

Some other things you can do to help: vacuum and lint roll regularly, anywhere that the cats spend time. Wash pet beds, sheets, tablecloths (also anywhere the cats spend time) regularly. Make sure you have a clean filter in your air system - you may have to change it more regularly than in the past. Have your son invest in some Zyrtec.
I'm not a big fan of taking unnecessary medications, but if someone who was allergic to cats was going to live with me, I would require they take allergy meds before I EVER got rid of my cat.
 
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9357m

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Thank you all for the answers. I'm not doing many of those things currently, but will put it in place and see what happens.
 
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