Allergies to Cats

Not entirely sure if this is going in the right spot, but since it is cat related I wanted to put it somewhere in those threads.

I sort of wanted some advice on what I can tell a friend who has an allergy to cats, but loves them so much sometimes. She enjoys interacting and playing with them. Clearly she could never own one, but she does like to visit other people and their cats occasionally.

Are there any tips and tricks for people to enjoy some kitty time even if they have allergies?
Of course this will be dependent on the extent of their allergic reaction as well.

 

Taking an allergy medicine before visiting is her best bet. It won't necessarily prevent a reaction entirely, but it'll keep the symptoms minimal.

She should also pay attention to how she's interacting. For example, it's better to simply pet the kitty than it is to let one up in the face where more fur and dander could fly directly into the face.

 

My mom is in the same position as your friend, she loves cats but is unfortunately allergic to them. I agree with Jessie it would be best if your friend takes some allergy medication before visiting your house and interacting with your cat. I'd also recommend she takes a lint roller to get excess cat hair off her clothes as any leftover cat hair can cause symptoms. My mom also likes to wear an old baggy sweatshirt over her clothes when she interacts with my cat which she can take off afterwards.

 

Oh! The sweatshirt is a very, very good idea! I will let her know that suggestion. Having a "cat suit" on standby could be useful. (Forgive the pun, I couldn't help it.)

Thanks everyone, these are excellent suggestions and thoughts! I'm very glad to be getting to know everyone here with the common love for cats. I'm learning so much, since I'm far from an expert on our little feline friends.

 

Oh hey, the "cat suit" is definitely a great idea (and a great name now, too, hehe). I'd take it slightly different and suggest wearing a jacket or something that zips/buttons instead, though, so you're not rubbing your face directly into the fur as you take it off.

 

No problem, I'm glad our suggestions were of some help to you and your friend. I like Jessi's suggestion of wearing something that zips instead. I thought of a few more little suggestions. Before your friend arrives vacuum the area she'll be in to remove the excess fur. Also make sure she doesn't sit in one of your cats normal perches. I was at a friends house and another friend who was allergic to cats sat in the chair our friend's cat normally sits and she couldn't stop sneezing. Whereas on other occasions she sat in a chair further away and didn't have a problem.

 

Over the counter allergy meds like Claratin and Zyrtec work well.. Using dander reducing sprays also help, Allpet, Nature's Miracle dander remover or Petal clean are sold in pet stores and are harmless to your pet and minimize or eliminate allergy symptoms by removing dander, saliva and other allergens from your pets fur. weekly baths reduce allergen levels on fur by up to 84%, although this may be a major chore if your kitty hates water/baths.

 

Very good point there that should probably go with something you don't have to increase exposure to remove! Nice catch. Also great catch on having them avoid the the cat's frequent perching locations. Thanks for that suggestion. I can imagine how that could make a world of a difference.

And I also didn't know there were things to help remove or limit dander build up. Wao, I will definitely keep all this in mind. It makes me feel a little better about getting another cat but still able to have friends over.

I appreciate everyone's help!

 

You can actually take a pill or I think you can now get a needle every week or so so that her allergies won't be as bad or even bad at all.

I know my neighbour had really bad dog allergies and when his ex wife brought home a dog he just started getting needles for it and he was okay.

 

If she really wanted to own a cat, couldn't she get a sphinx? They don't have hair, so her allergies wouldn't be triggered, right?

Here's a sphinx cat site with photos that are actually kind of cute.

http://sphynx.us.com/

 

My grandma did that, too. She'd just go in for monthly allergy shots and then didn't have to worry about her seasonal allergies or her ones with cats. Probably one of the best things she ever could've done for herself.

 

She can take allergy medicine but that isn't a perminant solution. I have a cat that I am fine around. However I get such bad allergies around my friends cat. He is a long haired cat. While I'm not sure the extent of her allergies I know at least for me my allergies vary from cat to cat.

 

There is some great advice here. I know people who get allergies shots and they own cats. Allergies doesn't stop some people.from owing pets. It depends on the severity of their allergies. Some people are allergic to different types of cat fur. Some cats give them different reactions.

 

It's funny because my parents have cats and I am very allergic to one of them but the other one I am fine around. He can rub against me and I can hold him and I am fine. However, if the one I am allergic to comes within a few feet of me my eyes start getting itchy.
They are both short haired so it is very strange.

 

My brother loves cats and has had three in his long life. All of the cats lived into the early 20's. When he got married, his wife was super allergic to cats and really didn't want anything to do with having one in the house. But, she loved my brother and he had a cat. So, she went to her dermatologist and the doctor gave her some injections that prevented her allergy from acting up. She goes in about once every three months for another cat shot and has never had a problem.

My brother always had his cats sleep in the bed with him, but this was something his wife said wasn't happening. So, instead of sleeping with them, they shut the bedroom door at night and the cat sleeps in the living room in a nice warm cat bed.

 

I've been thinking of doing the very same thing and just close the door. My in laws do sleep with their cat (so gross in my opinion, because sometimes they forget to de worm the poor thing and well you know what happens when a cat eats field mice and the owners fail to de worm it), my Bob does sleep with me, but he does on my feet. My future husband might find that annoying so I'm thinking of closing the door.

 

I had this one cat and I use to close the door at night. She use to reach her paw under the door and bang the door back and forth until I let her in. It was too funny so that didn't last very long. Both my cats sleep with me and I love it. I am glad that my fiance enjoys it as well. @tlspiegel I am glad that your sister in law was very accepting of your brother's love of cats and goes gets shots. That is love!!