Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I think I am developing an allergy to cats. I have never had allergies before in my life!

I am fine when I am not at home, but when I get home, my eyes start burning. When i lay down at night, and a heap of cats comes to snggle up on me, my eyes burn, water, my nose runs, and I start sneezing. I wake up in the morning just miserable.

Not having cats in my home is simply not an option. There are so many kitties out there that need a place to go. When they come here looking for help, I must bring them in. I have 15 cats in my home right now. They bring more joy into my life than any misery owie eyes could cause, I'm sure. But it still sucks.

Anybody else ever been through this? I got some OTC allergy medicine. It seems to help some. Is it gonna keep getting worse? Any suggestions??

(sigh.....)
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Cats; Mustard, Frodo, Ted, Eddie Poe, Puck, Ted, Todd, Fessig, Marla, Bill, Darlene, and mama cat.

Snakes; Mickey, Fido, Dead, Samson, Delalah, Jack Straw, Phobia, Tuesday, Tweeker, Elizard, Cmaeo, and babies.

Ferret; Cricket.

Dog; Stryder

etc..........

Welcome to Club Sniffles! Yes, you can develop allergies later in life; and chances are you've been slightly allergic to cats for a long time but didn't know it, it just took 15 of them to send you into overload.

The allergen you're reacting to is a protien or enyzme (I forget which) in cat spit. Males produce more than females, unneutered males produce the most. Also dark colored cats produce more than light colored cats. It's a sticky little bugger which adheres to fur, bedding, whatever the cats are on.

I recommend you talk with your doctor about which drugs to take and when. Bouncing your histimine levels up and down can actually make you feel worse, so they might set you up on a steady intake of allergy meds rather then waiting until you start to sniffle. OTC Claritin is a great drug - look for the generic version, Loratadine 10 mg, you'll save a bundle. But if this isn't the best choice for you, there are other prescription drugs and nasal sprays (zyrtec was great for my animal allergies) which will do wonders. And if your eyes are really bad, there are drops, both prescription and OTC - ask your doctor.

To remove the allergens, use machine wash bedding only and clean weekly. If you can, remove the carpeting in your bedroom since you sleep with furballs. When I was an apartment dweller and had no say in my flooring, I bought a small carpet cleaner and ran it every two weeks. The Bissell carpet cleanser formula actually worked better then the allergen reducing formula for me (?!) I also ran a HEPA air filter in the bedroom 24/7. Look for a model that produces little ozone and price out replacement filters before you make your final selection.

Cat washing also works, but with 15 of them...my 3 girls are grey, grey and black so I bathe two of them. (The third would murder me without a thought before I could dunk her)

Allergies build on one another - you could have a slight reaction to something which raise your histimine levels but you don't notice until the next allergen is added in, sending you over the top. In my case, one turned out to be many laundry soaps. Switching to All Free and Clear made a noticable difference in my sniffles. What else beyond cats might be irritating you?

There are several of us here with cat allergies and a thousand and one tips and tricks for keeping it all in control. You just need to be willing to keep trying things until you find a routine that works for you.

Best of luck,
Elizabeth

Thank'y! Very informative post.

I do wash my bedding once a week, and try to run the steam cleaner on my carpets at least every couple weeks. (I do have 15, no, wait, now it's 16 cats in my house!)

I do not have insurance for myself, and spend way too much money on vet bills for me to go running off to the doctor's office! I am sure we'll work this out.

You post did give me some hope. Am I correct in reading that it's a possibility that when spring (=other allergens) are done, these allergies may subside?

I did get some of the generic Claratin. (Jeez, that stuff's expensive!) It does seem to be helping some. I'm over 40 years old, and have never suffered an allergy to anything in my life. Never saw this comming.
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Cats; Mustard, Frodo, Ted, Eddie Poe, Puck, Ted, Todd, Fessig, Marla, Bill, Darlene, and mama cat.

Snakes; Mickey, Fido, Dead, Samson, Delalah, Jack Straw, Phobia, Tuesday, Tweeker, Elizard, Cmaeo, and babies.

Ferret; Cricket.

Dog; Stryder

etc..........

You post did give me some hope. Am I correct in reading that it's a possibility that when spring (=other allergens) are done, these allergies may subside?
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If you only had one cat, I'd say sure why not?, but you're dealing in large volumes of cat dander. Did your symptoms just start as the weather began to break? Allergies to tree pollen are super common. Do you get the sniffles in fall to?

I get generic Claritin/Loratadine 10mg from Sam's Club. Even with the recent price increase, it's only $17 for a 300 day supply. Other wholesale clubs may have similar deals. If you live in a rural area, look for Alavert. It's the same drug, but before I used Sam's Club, sometimes Alavert was the cheapest option. Just keep your eye out.

Also look into better filters for your heating/cooling system. There are filters made now for trapping allergens. 3M is pretty much the gold standard, but there are other companies that make comparable filters for less money, just read the labels carefully. A few years ago I scored several dirt cheap at a store that specialized in buying up over runs, over stocks and the like. It's worth keeping your eye out for, but you'll have better luck finding such a deal August-Dec.

Even if you decide to tough out the allergies to save a little cash on the meds, keep in mind untreated allergies can lead to ear/sinus infections and bronchitis. And once you get that first sinus infection, its easy to get them over and over again. Our sinuses seem to like to harbor the bacteria.

Purrs,
Elizabeth

Thank you again. You've been very informative.
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Cats; Mustard, Frodo, Ted, Eddie Poe, Puck, Ted, Todd, Fessig, Marla, Bill, Darlene, and mama cat.

Snakes; Mickey, Fido, Dead, Samson, Delalah, Jack Straw, Phobia, Tuesday, Tweeker, Elizard, Cmaeo, and babies.

Ferret; Cricket.

Dog; Stryder

etc..........

If you have insurance that will cover it go to an allergist. It could be the cats or it could be dust, or it could be an allergy to pollen or something. Anyway I'm sure an allergist can help you. Either with shots or medication.

Let us know what happens.
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Jaime owned by
Mya the dog
and the cats:Crash, Gabby and Tucker