Cat Allergy

[Pooh31]

We have 2 cats and I think my daughter has an allery to them. Whenever she holds them her eyes water up and she starts sneezing. It started about a month ago and she has been doing her best to stay away from them. Any ideas on what we can do for her, we dont want to get rid of the cats, we have had one of them for 2 years and the other for 1 year. This is my first time having cats so I'm not sure what to do. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[ITS ME]

We have 2 cats and I think my daughter has an allery to them. Whenever she holds them her eyes water up and she starts sneezing. It started about a month ago and she has been doing her best to stay away from them. Any ideas on what we can do for her, we dont want to get rid of the cats, we have had one of them for 2 years and the other for 1 year. This is my first time having cats so I'm not sure what to do. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

My best friend used to have cats until her sister moved and tookk the cats with her. I have 5 cats and they never seemed to bother her, until her house became "cat free". She went to an allergy doctor and now take prescription medicine (dont know what, though -sorry), but they did allergy testing on her and then prescribed medicine and she is fine around my cats, and she is usually at my house daily for hours on end.

I hope you can find something for her to help her out.

 

[itsbob]

Daughters health and well being, or cats..

Yep, keep the cats..

 

[Pooh31]

Daughters health and well being, or cats..

Yep, keep the cats..

I was not saying that Bob..I was asking if there was anything that could help her out, of course if there is not then I will have to get rid of the cats. I would not put a cat over my kid and that is the way that you take it. We rescused both cats and it would be hard to just give them away. Stop trying to make it sound like I am putting my cat over my daughter.

 

[RoseRed]

Perhaps she might outgrow the allergy. :shrug:

 

[Pooh31]

My best friend used to have cats until her sister moved and tookk the cats with her. I have 5 cats and they never seemed to bother her, until her house became "cat free". She went to an allergy doctor and now take prescription medicine (dont know what, though -sorry), but they did allergy testing on her and then prescribed medicine and she is fine around my cats, and she is usually at my house daily for hours on end.

I hope you can find something for her to help her out.

TYVM I will have to see if I can make her an appointment with an allergist. She helped me rescue and raise these cats.

 

[justme83]

I've had a horrible cat allergy for most of my life. It started off like your daughter with the sneezing and watery eyes and instead of growing out if it it got worse as I got older. It got to the point of whenever I was in the same house as a cat my face would swell up with hives and I would have trouble breathing (not pretty...looked like Sloth off of the goonies). Now I take prescription Zyrtec everyday and can be around them for short times with no problem. There's no way an allergic person could live in the same house.

 

[greyhound]

Cats are not allergic to Ritz crackers.

 

[RoseRed]

Cats are not allergic to Ritz crackers.

Neither are BBQ mice.

 

[greyhound]

Neither are BBQ mice.

Store bought or the wild variety?

 

[Micki]

You don't need an allergist to tell you your daughter is allergic to cats but you do need one to find out what else she is allergic to. Get rid of the cats!! It's their dander that is in the carpet and upholstery and beds and very hard to get rid off. I ended up with bronchitis every few months from just having one cat in the house. Dr. Simlote in the Park is a great allergy doctor and very good with kids.

 

[teverheart2002]

My sil is allergic to cats also, but has a long haired that she rescued. She bathes the cat on a regular basis to keep the dander down. I would definitely see what the doctor says, maybe try Zyrtec, try bathing the cats, and see if she might improve. Best of luck.

"Allergens are airborne and survive for months or even years by themselves, hence remove anything that can trap and hold the allergens (carpet, rugs, pillows) and clean regularly and thoroughly with HEPA filters and Air purifier systems. Furthermore, regularly brushing the cat will reduce the amount of loose fur (and its attached saliva) in the air. Regularly bathing will reduce allergens by 85%, not only is it beneficial for you but also for the cat's skin and hair; including a reduction in hair-balls. A cat's saliva is not a substitution for a soap and water bath, though it may be "clean" it is not healthy to rely on that as it's bathing source." - Cat allergy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Top Ten Steps for Reducing Allergies to Cats - Good site for 10 steps for reducing allergies

 

[Mousebaby]

I took drastic steps to get my house ready for a cat. My son was highly allergic but he insisted he wanted a cat. The doc told me several things I could try to help him with his allergy. I did almost all of them and we now have 6 cats and he's fine!

1. Got rid of every strip of carpeting in my house and replaced with hardwood and vinyl. The only carpet I have now is in my room.

2. I got 2 of the huge Ionic breeze machines, one for upstairs and one for downstairs. I clean them weekly.

3. Replaced my ac intake filters with HEPA filters. I got the kind that you just clean out once a month and replace. They are more expensive but worth it in the long run.

4. I clean, clean, clean and clean the floors constantly to make sure I keep the hair/dander at a minimum. I also dust almost daily especially in his room.

5. All of my cats are bathed once a month without fail! I have a schedule for it and I stick to it.

6. Last but not least I have him on Claritin, the Zyrtec did not seem to help him much.

7. His mattress is covered in a vinyl cover and I wash all of his bed clothes religously!


It can be done with a little less paranoya (sp?) But I don't want to risk making him sick and causing him to lose his best friends!

Good Luck!

 

[Pooh31]

I took drastic steps to get my house ready for a cat. My son was highly allergic but he insisted he wanted a cat. The doc told me several things I could try to help him with his allergy. I did almost all of them and we now have 6 cats and he's fine!

1. Got rid of every strip of carpeting in my house and replaced with hardwood and vinyl. The only carpet I have now is in my room.

2. I got 2 of the huge Ionic breeze machines, one for upstairs and one for downstairs. I clean them weekly.

3. Replaced my ac intake filters with HEPA filters. I got the kind that you just clean out once a month and replace. They are more expensive but worth it in the long run.

4. I clean, clean, clean and clean the floors constantly to make sure I keep the hair/dander at a minimum. I also dust almost daily especially in his room.

5. All of my cats are bathed once a month without fail! I have a schedule for it and I stick to it.

6. Last but not least I have him on Claritin, the Zyrtec did not seem to help him much.

7. His mattress is covered in a vinyl cover and I wash all of his bed clothes religously!


It can be done with a little less paranoya (sp?) But I don't want to risk making him sick and causing him to lose his best friends!

Good Luck!

Thank you very much
We have hardwood floors, and I Ionic breeze machine.
I do clean the floors everyday and try to keep the cats away from her,although its a little hard cause she loves to hold them. They gave her some clartain and it seems to be working.
Thank you for the ideas.

 

[lil_daisy]

When she does hold them, have daughter wash her hands before touching her face.

Allergy pillow covering!

toss curtains in the dryer to get the hair off once a week- washing isn't necessary that often- toss in on the fluff cycle.

designate a sleeping space for the cat - away from girls' room. Hubby made a wood stand with a shelf andstapled our carpet remnant to it- man made scratching post. I put a laundry basket on it, old baby sblankets which the cat adored and an old torn flannel sheet to snuggle in- kitty LOVES it! right next to computer and heat vent with a window view of birdfeeder!

kitty paradise

If that doesn't work- make kitty sleep in basement with a litter pan or garage- bedding accommodations to suit.