Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, the story is my boyfriend (who is proposing at the end of this year) is allergic to my kitten, Chessie. He loves her to death; we found her together. He's even the one who encouraged me to keep her. Only problem is that he's allergic to cats (he has never suggested getting rid of her). Recently, (it's been about 3-4 months that I've had her) he's been having allergic reactions like headaches, sore throat, stuffy nose, etc. when he comes to visit. I keep telling him that once we live together, his immune system will get used to the stress, and he won't be as allergic to her dander. I try to clean and do laundry to get it out of the carpet and furniture. I'm thinking of getting an Ionic breeze (or asking for one for Christmas...I am still in college). I was just wondering if anyone can think of any suggestions to ease my poor man's pain.

Bea

My former long term boyfriend was very allergic to my to cats. He went to an allergist and they put him on Claritin (prescription allergy pills) and it worked wonderfully. All symptoms gone. He eventually got to the point where he was able to get off the Claritin and just use a prescription nose spray occasionally.

Try all the cleaning and purifying you want, but since you are talking long term, do yourselves a favor and get your fiancee to an allergist. He'll probably need a prescription and may eventually be able to taper down to a nose spray or nothing like my former boyfriend did... And, he was VERY allergic when he started the meds.
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey

A surprisingly large number of people , allergic to cats, have them. Good for the two of you for not giving up. I know several people take allergy meds that keep symptoms under control and hopefully you will hear from them...
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PHTessie

Welcome to the allergy club. All six of us (hubby, me, and four kids) have asthma and allergies. We currently own 3 cats and are fostering 16 and we have other pets as well.
Your fiance's immune system may or may not adjust to the kitten. And even if it does, there will be other allergens that will trigger him. It's one of those things--allergic people tend to develop allergies. Allergies will shift without notice. It's very annoying. However, there are some basic steps that will help.
First--bathe the kitten. Many people are allergic to the saliva, not the dander. Bathing the kit gets the saliva off the fur. You can follow up with the pet wipes to keep the kit clean without needing to constantly bathe the kit.
Second--get rid of the carpet. Nothing triggers allergies/asthma like carpetting. It's filthy stuff. If the carpet came with your home, there's no telling what's in it. Your fiance might not even be reacting to the kitten, but to the carpet. (This is the single best thing that allergic people can do.)
Other things--don't let the kitten into the room where you sleep. Once you marry this man, you'll need to do this anyway, so you might as well start now.
Wash hands frequently to get the allergens off them. Don't rub eyes or nose until hands have been washed. (talk about giving yourself a direct dose of allergen!)
If you have forced air heat make sure that the furnace filters are replaced frequently. Have the dust, dirt and dander vacuumed out of the air ducts, too.
If this isn't your house, when you go house shopping look for hot water heat and hardwood floors. Both are wonderful for keeping allergens to a minimum.
Good luck!

Claritin is a wonderful drug - you can get the generic version at Sam's Club for about $16 for 300 tabs. He'll want to take it before he gets to your place - spiking and dropping histimine levels will leave him fatigued, so take it before seeing kitty to keep histimine levels even.

When I still lived in an apartment and had no say in the carpeting question, I got a carpet cleaner. It was about 125.00 for the smallest upright on the market at the time and a great investment. I cleaned carpet usually 2x a month. I also used a hepa air cleaner in the bedroom since we spend so much of our lives sleeping.

If he is allergy prone - check out what else gives him a slight reaction and get rid of it. Allergens are like building blocks, they just keeping adding up - your body reacts not just to individual allergens but the cumlative effect of all allergens in the environment. In my case, it was fabric softener so I switched to dryer sheets. Dryer sheets don't prevent my cat allergy (I have 3 furballs) but using them means my body is fighting one less thing.

Tammy is right, in time he might become used to kitty and the allergies diminish - and for those of us who aren't so lucky, with a few adjustments on the housework, life with kitty is very possible.

Best of luck!

He'll want to take it before he gets to your place

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Exactly, good point. My former boyfried took it 30 minutes to an hour before visiting... For a while, the cats actually lived with him while I was away at extended training for work. He then took the Claritin as prescribed and eventually his symptoms tapered (over a year or so).

I used to keep Benedryl in my medicine cabinet for visiting friends who were allergic. I'd meet them at the door with a pill and a glass of water.

I have heard that Claritin can now be bought over the counter, as mentioned in the previous post. If you don't have a Sam's Club Membership for the generic Claritin, I'd bet it's sister company Walmart would have a generic for less money...

It seemed the Claritin worked better for my former BF than the Benedryl. Benedryl made him (and other that took it) sleepier.

However, a trip to the allergist is still a good idea -- it'll let your boyfriend know what he is allergic to -- maybe more than just cats.
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey

I agree he should go to an allergist. They will test to see if he is allergic to dander or the saliva. Also, will do tests to see what else he is allergic to. Going to the allegist was the best thing I ever did. I have not had a sinus infection in three years. Before I went I would get at least three a year.
I decided to go the shot route. Which can be a pain but in the long wrong will be wonderful. I also take allegra every night. I'm not allergic to cats or dogs just everything else!
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Jaime owned by
Mya the dog
and the cats:Crash, Moxie, Gabby and sometimes Tucker

Thanks for the advice everyone! We're saving up money now to go to an allergist. In the meantime, I'm going to follow the suggestions everyone made.

Bea

great! and good luck
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PHTessie