Allergies and Cats

You also might want to chat w/ Dr. Karen Marshall about the issue. She might have some solutions or help for you. Allergies & asthma are her specialty. She lives & practices in the Noblesville/Carmel/Fishers area.

Awwwww! Kitties! One of my favorite subjects. LOL. I've heard the Siberian is a great breed. the only cats that are actually hypoallergenic are the Sphynx (hairless) and ~ now I can't remember the name, but it's about $6000 per cat. The breed was recently developed just for the purpose of being anti-allergenic. Another breed that tends to be very low on the allergen scale is the Ragdoll. There are a few very good Ragdoll breeders here in town. Although Ragdolls are long haired (and gorgeous!), they are also low in dander and allergens. They also have the reputation of being very loving and docile kitties. They got the name Ragdoll because they actually go a little bit limp when they are being handled. Not all wiggly and resistant like a lot of kitties can be. :-D

Allergies are such a miserable thing. I have a suggestion about how to handle allergic reactions through diet that might help you. I'm gong to send you a private message with that information, and you can take it or leave it.

Good luck!

I am a cat lover, so I understand wanting a nice cuddly cat for the house. My aunt is also a cat lover, and extremely allergic. She gets shots to combat her allergies so she can have cats. That's a little extreme for me. I think, if it were me, I'd stay away from cats. If you want a small pet, what about a small dog? I know that Siberian cats are long haired cats, which means A LOT of clean up. My husband had a long haired cat and we had to vacuum the whole house AT LEAST once a day to clean up the cat hair. It stuck to EVERYTHING! The worst was the bedding. Our comforter was just coated in cat hair. I would inhale it at night. Yuck! Personally, I'd never have a long hair cat in the house, just because of the clean up. Good luck with your decision!

Oh, and you're a belly dancer? How cool! :D

Do you really want a cat? I mean really or are you just looking into getting one to please your little one? Please don't think I'm accusing you of anything, but as you said you need to be nearly 100% sure. There are other fuzzy pets that are hypoallergenic. If you truly want a cat, then you can look into breed specific rescue shelters. They will be less expensive.

Good luck to you.

I also agree. My family is allergic also. My son and husband love cats but we just got a dog and now lo and behold they are dog lovers! I wouldn't put anyone's health in danger for a pet. Allergies can go from mild to severe very quickly and then you're faced with giving away another cat.

My husband is allergic and I had a cat when I met him. she loves the outdoors and spends most of her time out side. We still have her and they get along great and he barely notices when she is in the house. Just a thought. Depending on where you live there are risk for the kitty but there generally smart enough to stay away from trouble. We live in a small suburb and have had lucy for five years. I didn't let her go outside till she was six months old and only alittle at a time at first so that she deffinetly new her home. Theres always all kinds of signs for free kittens. Good luck with what ever you decide.

I have cats and love them. But before going to a breeder check around as alot of shelters do have pure bred cats too. My Mother-in-law has a siberian. She showed up at her door one day.

Please don't waist your money! I'm also allergic to cats and have not found one that didn't make me sick. It's the dander in the cats saliva that you are allergic to. Cats clean themselves a lot so you will still be allergic to them.

Hi R., I have cat allergies but didn't know it until I adopted my Seamese kitty. I tried a friend's air purifier, and my allergies are totally gone. Good thing, too, I fell in love with this kitty! I put two purifiers in my home and they run 24 hours a day. Here is a website with information on the air purifiers: www.EcoQuestIntl.com/GoGreenNow. I'll be happy to loan you one to try for a week and see if it helps. If you have questions, don't hesitate to call! M., ###-###-#### (Avon)

I agree with the other 2 poster before me. . .It seems like a cat might not be the best fit for your house.
On the other hand if this is really something you want to do, I've heard that Siamese cats tend to be better for people with allergies. I agree with going to a rescue or shelter though.

Good luck!
E.

I think that you need to look long and hard as to why you want a cat. Your first sentence "everyone in my family is allergic to cats..." Are you really sure you want to position your entire family in jeopardy for a cat? Coughing and wheezing is nothing to laugh at... I wouldn't put anything above the health and welfare of my family, particularly my children.
Best of Luck to you

Hi, R. --

Was your cat an indoor-outdoor cat, or strictly indoors? If your cat were going outdoors, it could be that the allergy problems were related to allergens coming in from outside vs. just from the cat itself. It's the animal's dander that's usually an issue... but the dander is impacted by the elements that the animal is coming in contact with.

So, even if you get a "hypoallergenic" cat, you'd also probably need to ensure that the cat was not bringing in elements that your daughter was allergic to.

Another thing I often wonder about is how many reactions in humans to cats are actually related to the really nasty stuff we expose our animals to by default, such as the overly-chemical kitty litters we use. Just the dust from that stuff can be enough to do you in. I am not speaking from up on on a pedestal about this, since 3 of my 5 cats refuse to use different litter and will express their frustration at new litter by peeing outside the box. However, my other 2 cats use compressed sawdust pellets rather than clumping litter and it's not only cheaper and non-dusty, but it keeps stink to a minimum and works like a dream without all the chemicals.

SO... I'd take careful stock of EVERY element that had been part of your cat's routine and life to assess whether THAT was causally connected to your daughter's issues. That way, when you get a new cat, you can be sure that it's the CAT she's got problems with, not the other environmental factors.

I hope this helps! I am such a die-hard cat person that I like to exhaust all possible alternatives when it comes to pairing people and cats!:)

Take care,
H.

I'm allergic to all kinds of animals but cats are the worst. I'm allergic to their dander, fur, and saliva!! If your child has severe cat allergies your best bet is to stay away from cats!! You don't want her developing asthma because you like cats.