Living with a cat - and cat allergy

Ardent

It's almost 3 AM and I am out of bed coughing like a lunatic, nose running, feeling like I want to die. I have finally put 2 + 2 together and realised that the reason I've been feeling like shít over the past 6 weeks or so is because of our new cat.

We have her maybe 7 months now and she has taken over the house. She's long haired and unfortunately sheds like crazy all the time. We bought a furminator - which is great - but admittedly we are a bit lazy with it.

For some reason this recent warm dry weather has exacerbated things. Love the cat to bits but we can't go on like this. She either has to go, live outside, or we find some way to peacefully co-exist.

Fellow cat owners -
Any tips or advice?? What has worked for you?

potatohouse

try not being lazy+grooming it properly

failing that, generic diphenhydramine + early onset alzheimers

Cherry Blossom

Are you sure it's the cat and not pollen the cat is carrying in from outside. If you have the cat 7 months and you are allergic to the cat you'd have been having the symptoms for all that time and not just the last 6 weeks. Do you normally get hay fever this time of year?

Muahahaha

Have a long haired cat myself and the first summer he shed like hell as we werent grooming him enough, we soon learnt how important that is when the place was covered in cat hair, on the sofa, carpets etc, just everywhere. Visitors to the house would leave with cat hair on their clothes. So then we got a furminator and it has worked out fine since and we get the hairs before he sheds. Gladly neither of us ever had symptoms of a cat allergy as you have.

OP it sounds to me that your allergy has only begun since she began shedding? If so at this stage I would say take her to the vet and get her completely shaved under mild sedation. Its summer now so no worries on her being cold. Then spend a few hours of your partner cleaning the whole gaff of hairs and start afresh. Then in 2 months or so when her hair is longer get into a grooming routine and stick to it. 5 or 6 minutes every 2 days is all it takes though I do hear you about becoming lazy- it happens the best of us.

Hope it works out for you, it would be heart breaking for you to have to get rid so give it every chance first

Overheal

Over the counter allergy meds like Claritin or Allegra will patch your right up short-term. Long term, see an allergist about your individual severity cos that sounds particularly acute!

Graces7

It is not the fur so much as the dander., dead skin cells etc that are shed, Try as well as the grooming wiping the cat with a wet cloth. .

I have had 2 long haired cats for years and never a problem. Then I took in a short hair that needed a home and the allergy started.

also OP, the allergy you describe does not fit the pattern. This would have started 7 months ago had it been the cat? Far too long a gap

We have an intense hay fever season this year. I mean really severe. Far more likely to be that and the timing is right. Spring was late so many things came into flower at once . Badly hit here

Have a look at the long term illness forum and the thread there? Before blaming it all on the cat! And have a word with a pharmacist .

WoollyRedHat

Have you tried talking to the cat, fur what it's worth.

Ardent

Cherry Blossom wrote: »

Are you sure it's the cat and not pollen the cat is carrying in from outside. If you have the cat 7 months and you are allergic to the cat you'd have been having the symptoms for all that time and not just the last 6 weeks. Do you normally get hay fever this time of year?

I have never suffered from hay fever. I have no other allergies.

The cat has recently taken to sleeping on our bed during the day - she's there A LOT lately. Yesterday I was reasonably fine until I went to bed last night. Within minutes my nose started to run, I was coughing like crazy, etc.

That's why I think it's the cat.

Cherry Blossom

I thought I had no allergies until I started messing about with horses then discovered I do actually have mild hay fever.

I would still go to the docs and get allergy tested if I were you before concluding it's definitely the cat.

DEFTLEFTHAND

I have a long haired lad myself, they seem to shed like crazy over the summer.

If you're allergic to him there's not much you can do really other than minimise contact and try and keep him off beds, couches etc.

Cupcake_Crisis

Zirtex or Claritin in the short term and hope you build up a resistance to her. For what it’s worth I’ve found the last few weeks particularly bad for hay fever.

Postgrad10

You need to have rooms that are cat free zones and remember to keep closing doors especially your bedroom. I managed to live with a cat for a few years and I was severely allergic. Cat mainly stayed in the kitchen so I could have peace in the rest of the house. Also build up the amount of histamine in your body. Take them daily , not just when you have symptoms.

Canonfan

Get a decent air purifier

Antar Bolaeisk

Have you considered getting rid of the cat?

Alternatively you can continue suffering, have a constant outlay of cash for anti-histamines, purchase a decent vacuum capable of dealing with animal hair and spend large portions of your day using your new vacuum to keep the build up of animal hair to a minimum. All so you can have a cute killer parading about your house as if it owns the place, scratching your furniture, attempting to trip and kill you when you're not paying attention and delivering mutilated corpses of animals in various places about your home.

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Lollipops23

I have a life-long dog and cat allergy.

Honestly, you can't take antihistamines forever. You'll build up a resistance to most over the counter stuff (I can't take Piraton anymore).

I'm afraid avoidance is the only thing that's worked for me.