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would like to know if there is anybody out there that has actually experienced cat allergies say to indoor/outdoor cats if so what could some symptoms and time frame be i have read some dialogue on it--
A hypoallergenic cat is a cat which is less likely to provoke an allergic reaction in humans. Although the topic is controversial, with many studies showing statistically significant results,[12] owners' experience and recent clinical studies suggest that Siberian cats, Russian Blue cats, Devon Rex and Cornish Rex cats, Abyssinian cats, and several other breeds, especially females are likely to have low levels of Fel d 1, the main allergenic protein.[13]
I'm allergic to cats and dogs (not as much), and I have both . As someone mentioned above, the cats each bothered me a little when they first moved in, and then it faded away. I volunteer at a shelter, but do much more with the dogs due to my cat allergy. Having ten or so cats in one room, no matter how clean it's kept, is a little much for me. After a half hour at most, my nose itches, I get stuffy and may sneeze. And if I've touched my eyes, they may itch. I have noticed I'm more allergic to Siamese cats than to other breeds or mixes, but this is particular to me. It wouldn't be true for everyone.
How quickly the reaction comes would depend on the concentration of dander,and how allergic the person is.
I've always had allergies, cats included. I had a cat as a child. I got shots for all my allergies until I was in college. Then I got too busy with college life and forgot to get my shots.
Decades later, most of my allergies have disappeared. I've had as many as 8 cats at one time! I do believe they can subside with time. This is especially true with children.
It took me over a year to show allergy symptoms to our family cat as a child. We were one of those awful families that rehomed a cat because of allergies. (In my mother's defense, she continued to take full financial responsibility for the kenneled cat until a suitable new owner was found.). I still cannot be in the same room with a cat for more than 30,minutes or so without my eyes turning red and my nose running like a faucet. Then my stomach fills with mucus and my gastrointestinal symptoms flare. And there's no sleeping for me or anyone else in the household because I cough all night. This has happened whenever I've been indoors with a cat for the last 35 years, and I'm too much of a wimp to deal, so I limit my interactions with felines to the great outdoors, and I wash my hands immediately after petting cats.
I hope you are one of the people whose allergies abate as you age, or better yet, that you find you're not allergic at all. If you have continuing allergy symptoms, I hope you can find an allergist who is willing to give cat allergy shots. (Maybe if you tell them you already have a cat they'll be more likely to cooperate. The ones I'very seen have told me I just need to avoid exposure.)
Indoor/outdoor animals bring in pollen on their fur so if you have any allergies to pollen you may be getting a reaction from that rather than the animal. The fastest and easiest way to find out is to be allergy tested to animal dander.
I read an interesting tidbit that probably doesn't apply today but in homes with very young children that had animals that roamed or least spent time outside, those children had significantly less allergies than children that grew up in a house without pets.
Forgot to mention the fear of the dreaded Toxoplasmosis
That's not an allergen. It's also an unlikely problem with indoor-only cats.
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