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Oh I also want to add, allergies to the pet can change over time. I an barely allergic to baby animals compared to adults. I can kind of tolerate kittens but I cant do cats at all. I have no reaction to puppies (unless the lick a place with broken skin) but some to adult dogs from just petting them. And even more so for pet rodents (hamsters, guinnea pigs). I have no allergy to them as babies but once they mature, I am actually deathly allergic.
For those of us who love cats (and other animals), getting allergy shots doesn't seem to be a big deal. (I am lucky that I am not allergic, but if I were, I would just get the shots.) But again, this isn't necessarily a decision I'd make for kids.
Well, there is a difference between allergies and ALLERGIES and A L L E R G I E S ! ! ! .
While shots usually help with allergies and ALLERGIES, people with A L L E R G I E S ! ! ! are not so lucky. A relative has cat A L L E R G I E S ! ! ! . While his family did not have a cat if a classmate had a cat at his home and my relative sat next to the student in the lunch room he would start sneezing and his eyes would sometimes swell shut.
As a child he was forced to go through several years of weekly shots at the doctors office, even though his family did not have a cat or any other pets and he still has a cat allergy. Those years of getting the shots was a huge inconvenience to the entire family, one parent had to get off of work early one day a week, drive him the doctor's office wait for him to have the shot and then wait the next hour (to make sure that he did not have a reaction to the shot). I am not sure if they had a co-pay or if the insurance paid for everything but even without that just the weekly drive to & from the doctor's office ended up costing them money.
Now, I know that his situation is not typical. But, frankly, to say that if you were allergic to animals you would just "get the shots" and that getting allergy shots "doesn't seem like a big deal" really downplays the problems that people with severe allergies, like my relative, have with that medical issue.
Last edited by germaine2626; 12-01-2016 at 07:01 PM..
I totally understand that some people love their pets more than people but these are still animals not human beings.
I can't begin to imagine a world where I would consider subjecting my child(ren) to frequent shots and/or medication of any kind just so we can have a certain animal at home. It's all well and good when an adult makes that choice for themselves but to make it for a child is something that i can't understand especially in a situation where the allergen causing item is easily removed.
Allergies even when not potentially life threatening like anaphylaxis or asthmatic attack is horrible. I have what seems to year round allergies with constant sneezing, runny nose, itchy and red eyes and headaches. It's horrible and sometimes doesn't respond to medication.
I totally understand that some people love their pets more than people but these are still animals not human beings.
I can't begin to imagine a world where I would consider subjecting my child(ren) to frequent shots just so we can have a certain animal at home. It's all well and good when an adult makes that choice for themselves but to make it for a child is something that i can't understand especially in a situation where the allergen causing item is easily removed.
Amen to that.
As much as I speak about other people meddling in other people's parenting business and sometimes even having CPS involved, insomuch that I've said that only in cases of hideous abuse should one be able to do such, I'd nonetheless say that I think a person who has children and pets and does anything to make their child feel like the pet of the house is as important as they are if not more, that is blatant child abuse and I'd be 100% in favor of them losing their children completely.
No dog, no cat, no hamster, no ferret, no goldfish, whatever, ranks even 1 billionth of a per cent as much as a child, PERIOD, game set match. That is not "one person's opinion," that's a fundamental right and wrong and beyond debate period. If you have children in the house, you get a pet that fits in well with that household and doesn't cause the children any grief. To make a child have to suffer significant discomfort on account of a pet and feel like the pet matters as much as they do or even more, it's sick and flat-out child abuse.
Well, there is a difference between allergies and ALLERGIES and A L L E R G I E S ! ! ! .
While shots usually help with allergies and ALLERGIES, people with A L L E R G I E S ! ! ! are not so lucky. A relative has cat A L L E R G I E S ! ! ! . While his family did not have a cat if a classmate had a cat at his home and my relative sat next to the student in the lunch room he would start sneezing and his eyes would sometimes swell shut.
As a child he was forced to go through several years of weekly shots at the doctors office, even though his family did not have a cat or any other pets and he still has a cat allergy. Those years of getting the shots was a huge inconvenience to the entire family, one parent had to get off of work early one day a week, drive him the doctor's office wait for him to have the shot and then wait the next hour (to make sure that he did not have a reaction to the shot). I am not sure if they had a co-pay or if the insurance paid for everything but even without that just the weekly drive to & from the doctor's office ended up costing them money.
Now, I know that his situation is not typical. But, frankly, to say that if you were allergic to animals you would just "get the shots" and that getting allergy shots "doesn't seem like a big deal" really downplays the problems that people with severe allergies, like my relative, have with that medical issue.
The other thing about allergies is that it means your immune system is constantly reacting which causes inflammation throughout the body. If you have one severe allergy, you're likely to develop more.
Didn't read all the pages but did anyone suggest to see an allergologist and do a skin test?
We had a cat before we had a kid. All was well then few years later kid started having allergy like symptoms. Went to a doctor, she did not give us any information, did a blood test and then a laundry list of allergies found. Told us to get rid of the cat (her words!). The whole year was a pure nightmare of us trying to rehome a cat (unsuccessfully) while thinking we are killing our kid, tears every night. Then I met a mom at a park, she mentioned skin test and gave us a doctor's name. Lo and behold, turns out the kid barely has any animal allergy and is mildly allergic to grass/weeds. So at most we give him medicine when it's a pollen season. He keeps away from the cat mostly though and we also have pet-free bedrooms. IMHO a good doctor could also help in OP's situation. Don't just take advice from Internet.
Of course, if allergy is strong then I agree with above, it's not fair to subject the kids to allergen. But if it's a case like ours - well, friggin' grass is everywhere, so what do you do? Get the facts right first. Good luck!
I totally understand that some people love their pets more than people but these are still animals not human beings.
I can't begin to imagine a world where I would consider subjecting my child(ren) to frequent shots and/or medication of any kind just so we can have a certain animal at home.
Agree 100%.
As soon as I discovered my child was allergic to cats, I put a no animals in house rule in place. We've had a few family members who can't seem to travel anywhere without their dog taken aback when I've asked them to leave them home, or in the car.
I have seasonal allergies myself, and I'm miserable when they act up. Why would I want to subject my child to that just to have a certain pet?
If you really want to know for sure whether or not they have an allergy to cats, you should get a test done by an allergist. While your pedi can give you a very good educated guess, the test would give you some solid answers. The skin test isn't bad. They just do a very small skin prick with needles that have certain allergens on them (we did this with my son when he was 2; he did fine with the test). Then you wait for 20 minutes or so and see what allergen causes a reaction (red, itchy, bump, etc.) That will give you a much clearer picture of not only what they're allergic to but also how severe it is. Severe would be large red, itchy bump. Not so severe might be a little red without a bump, maybe a bit itchy.
I have had allergies and asthma since I was a child. Thankfully, I have grown out of most of them, but I am still severely allergic to cats. The skin tests that I've had over time confirm that again and again, as does my reaction when I get around them.
OP, I'm glad you used "rehome" in a later post instead of the "get rid of" you used in your first post. Whenever I see the words "get rid of" used with FAMILY PETS to whom people were supposed to have made a life-long commitment, I just cringe. (And I imagine your kids would feel pretty awful if you used the "get rid of" language around them. Yes, the language we use about things like this MATTERS -- it helps shape our perceptions.)
If you'd gotten the kittens from your local Humane Society (or similar), they would probably take them back and you wouldn't be out much money. Breeders, I have no idea. (And why BUY a kitty from a breeder when there are so many kitties available at shelters? Sorry, I just don't get that at all -- I don't want to beat you up over it, it's just disappointing.)
More to your issue, I have a friend who really wanted a cat even though she's allergic. She and her husband got one, and the friend simply gets periodic allergy shots. They've had the cat for more than 10 years now (might be closer to 15 years!) and the allergies have not been a problem.
Honestly, though, I would NOT necessarily suggest that you start your kids on allergy shots etc. As another poster suggested, if things don't get better soon (e.g., after your kids are over their colds and you can tell more clearly if they DO have allergies), you should try to re-home the kittens sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, many people DO only want kittens, even though adult cats often make better pets.
Yeah, just "get rid of" living, breathing creatures that you supposedly made a life-long commitment to. What a horrible way to think about pets.
For those of us who love cats (and other animals), getting allergy shots doesn't seem to be a big deal. (I am lucky that I am not allergic, but if I were, I would just get the shots.) But again, this isn't necessarily a decision I'd make for kids.
This ^^^
People who consider companion animals as disposable are DISGUSTING. I have zero respect for people like the poster you quoted. I'm also generally against adopting animals out to families with children. The internet is rife with stories of animals being tortured by children because parents rarely take the time to teach their children the difference between a stuffed animal and a living breathing LIFE. And when the inevitable happens, the kid gets bitten/scratched, all of a sudden it's the animals fault for hurting sneauflakke rather than the other way around.
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