The truth about cat allergies (male, sleeping, main, medication)
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My 2 grown children grew up with cats from day one but after being away at college for 4 months, they came home and suffered terribly with cat allergies. I've heard others say the same thing. now when they visit we greet them at the door with allergy pills and a big smile.
Too bad it's not text. I despise it when a video automatically loads and starts to play. Not all of us have unlimited services. So what was the truth for those of us with limited Gigs and slow connections?
My 2 grown children grew up with cats from day one but after being away at college for 4 months, they came home and suffered terribly with cat allergies. I've heard others say the same thing. now when they visit we greet them at the door with allergy pills and a big smile.
Some cats bother me - some don't. My aunt used to have a cat that tore me up when we would visit! I have four cats and hardly any trouble. One will give me a bit of problems now and again but she hardly ever chooses to sleep in our bed.
I do suffer from terrible (other) allergies and my father was deathly allergic to cats - I always assumed I couldn't' have one as a kid. I never thought I could have 4 including my long haired Siberian - but we are a happy cat family
no idea what it said: I tried to play it, but got no sound (yes I checked the sound levels on both my computer and the video). What I have found with friends and a husband who have had cat allergies, is that constant exposure tends to mitigate the reaction. Basically, suffer through at first with antihistamines for a while and then you build a tolerance to that/those specific cats. You may have trouble with other cats, but at least the ones in your own house are usually ok. Of course there are always people who are deathly allergic and shouldn't try this, but I've seen a number of friends acclimate to their own cats, and my husband who is allergic with asthma has no trouble with our own - heck, he'll even bury his face in their sides and enjoys it when one of them sleeps on top of his head on his pillow! The only pet he grew up with was a goat - so he came to cats as an adult.
Too bad it's not text. I despise it when a video automatically loads and starts to play. Not all of us have unlimited services. So what was the truth for those of us with limited Gigs and slow connections?
What was in the video, in no particular order: it was brief
If you get your first cat when you're an adult, 85% increase risk of allergies.
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Keep cats out of your bedroom.
Allergy shots or medication.
Bathe cat often.
Air purifiers/ HEPA filters. (They didn't say "with" HEPA filters)?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Females, long haired, and light colored cats may give off fewer allergens.
Allergen is in the saliva, skin glands and urinary tract.
What was in the video, in no particular order: it was brief
If you get your first cat when you're an adult, 85% increase risk of allergies.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Keep cats out of your bedroom.
Allergy shots or medication.
Bathe cat often.
Air purifiers/ HEPA filters. (They didn't say "with" HEPA filters)?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Females, long haired, and light colored cats may give off fewer allergens.
Allergen is in the saliva, skin glands and urinary tract.
Interesting. I did all these things for a while. Except bathe the cat; I really don't think that's a good idea for a lot of reasons. I think Amber has been bathed once in her whole life.
Anyway, I've never tested positive for cat allergy, not even after I got a cat. Now granted the last test was over 10 years ago, so I suppose in theory it could have changed. But I kept Amber out of the bedroom and used HEPA filters because of...dust mite allergy. Cats play a role in dust mite allergies; dust mites live on your cats! Not only that, there are "indoor" and "outdoor" dust mites, and "outdoor" dust mites live on cats even if they never go outside. Crazy huh? I'm allergic to both but if I remember right more allergic to "outdoor" mites. I do a some other things for that allergy, encased my mattress and pillows, wash the sheets in hot water, etc. It's a year-round thing, and how I feel ebbs and flows a bit. I did shots for a while (that being the third time, with a couple of courses back when I was a kid) but stopped. Dust and dust mites has been a constant allergy over that time, and the shots have never really done much that I know of for that one. (I did test positive for pollens in my youth and did not test positive for those in my more recent test.) I'm also allergic to molds. I take OTC Zyrtec equivalent, the best acting thing there's ever been as far as I'm concerned, though unlike the other modern ones it has a bit of drowsy effect. But that's the tradeoff for it working so well; Claritin and Allegra were pretty useless.
It's pretty funny to hear that light colored and long haired may give off fewer allergens. Amber is fairly dark colored and short haired, though she is female. I've often wondered if longer haired cats affect me more because of one house I visit (has a longer haired cat; the two cats are both female and light colored) and because of the shelter. Now in the shelter it could be the male cats I guess. Maybe it's all back to the dust mites though. The shelter would have a high concentration, and so might the house I visit.
I still have a HEPA filter running all the time in the main room of my house, and I run one in the bedroom on high in early evening, then kick it to low. And I keep the bedroom closed during the day. But while sleeping I now leave the door open. Amber really only comes in to visit while we're still awake. Once asleep, she often never comes back and I don't see her until morning. Or else I sleep VERY soundly some nights and don't feel her jump up.
Anyway, if you're allergic to dust mites, even if you're not allergic to cats, they will likely still affect you.
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I think Amber has been bathed once in her whole life.
