PLEASE advise- I know it's not about fish

[frshwaterfinatc]

I have a cat, a very large cat. He isn't overweight- he's just very tall and long. He's about 3' long when he stretches out head to back feet. He purrs and you think it's a Harley coming up the street. he's a tuxedo cat. Not the most common feline! So he carries the S gene that causes vivid, clean, black and pure white markings.

I LOVE Kirby, my cat. But I have recently developed a SEVERE allergic reaction! I get his fur on my skin and I break out in a rash. I get a hair in my eye and get a BLISTER on my eyeball that burns like heck! I sneeze, cough, and gag. I almost threw up last night when a coughing fit got out of hand.

This is the same cat I've lived with for months. We brush him, he stays indoors, he eats the same food. We even bought a allergy "shampoo" that you rub into his fur and then it stops dander from floating off into the air.


I used to despise cats for their snootiness. But Kirby loves people and loves to cuddle. He never turns you down. He even likes to be carried, and he sits next to me on his rear like a little person when I watch TV- smashed between me and the arm of the chair.

NOTHING has worked. I can't live with this. But I want my cat. Does anyone have any help, please. Just tell me any idea you have and I'll try it.

 

[Menagerie]

You need to see a spealist, but one that understands the bond between people and their pets. My allergies are not that severe, but my allergist still blames everything on my three cats and two birds (I didn't tell him about my gerbils). My sister used to have a great allergist that recognized the bond between people and their pets, but his partner did not and once told my mother that he would not treat my sister while there were animals in the house.
Also try www.felineadvice.com (a sister site of AA.com) and see if anyone over there has dealt with with type of problem.

 

[Toirtis]

An allergist is your only hope, here....its sounds like you have had a spontaneously occurring reaction, not dissimilar to the sort a lot of health workers have had to latex, or aquarists to bloodworms, even after years of non-reactive exposure. The trick is to see a specialist ASAP.....your reactions are not anaphylactic yet, but could become so.

 

[frshwaterfinatc]

What's anaphylactic? It could get worse?? 8O

 

[Menagerie]

Yes, it could get worse!!

 

[Menagerie]

Another possibility with your wedding day looming on the horizon, the allgeric reactions could be worsened by stress. Still best to go see an allergist ASAP. I was getting bizzare itchy finger tips, in which my finger tips would swell, become warm and itch like mad! The third time I had it, I called my doctor and got an appointment right away. Of course, my itchy fingers and swelling had all but stopped by the time I got to my doctors and it was declared a medical mystery Gee, thanks.

 

[frshwaterfinatc]

It can't cause me to become athsmatic or pneumonic, though, right? Gosh, I had no idea it could get worse. I'm glad it hasn't!

I've always viewed allergists as kind of a farse because my aunt, who apparently is the very definition of hypochondriac, sees her allergist quite often. Her allergist has advised her not to eat meat on Thursdays, because she's allergic on that day. And also has advised never to inhale fumes from a beauty salon unless she's the one getting a perm/dye. But surely a cat allergy is not all in my head! 8O Thanks for the idea... neevr would have considered if you hadn't given it a little more credibility for me.

 

[frshwaterfinatc]

Oh, wow. That's what usually happens to me. And then you begin to wonder if maybe it was some crazy idea in your head! I swear when I eat cantaloupe or pecans my throat itches and swells. But if anyone asks me about it it seems to dissipate and I can't describe the feeling that fleeting! LOL!

 

[Toirtis]

It can't cause me to become athsmatic or pneumonic, though, right?

No....untreated anaphylaxis is merely deadly most of the time.

Her allergist has advised her not to eat meat on Thursdays, because she's allergic on that day. And also has advised never to inhale fumes from a beauty salon unless she's the one getting a perm/dye.

That isn't an allergist, that is a complete quack.

 

[Menagerie]

Your Aunt's allergist sounds like a witch-doctor! I have seen two allergists that I can remember. While still living at home on LI, I went in weekly for allergy shots and that improved my life a lot! Now that I'm up here, my new allergist insisted upon me taking a medical test to see if I still suffered from asthma (as I did when I was younger). You could say I failed that test and now take preventative asthma meds in the morning and night. Just like with any medical condition, there are usually ways to control it. The most obvious way is to stay away from all cats. Do you allow Kirby to sleep in your room? I finally got my cats out of my room (and all the dust bunnies) and it has made a difference. They still sit in my lap while I am on the computer or the couch and it helps to wash my hands after handling them.

 

[QTOFFER]

WOW, that's a big cat! I have moderately bad allergies to tree pollen and cats and very bad allergies to mold spores and rabbits, so I know where you're coming from.

See you doctor and try some of the prescription allergy meds like Zyrtec, Clarinex, and Allegra. The doctor should be able to provide you with a month's supply of free samples. They take a few days to become fully effective and you may have to try several brands before you find the one that works best for you. I've been taking Zyrtec every day for two years and I no longer feel like scratching out my eyes!

Another thing to keep in mind is that cat allergies are usually caused by dried saliva. Obviously, minimizing your contact with the cat is the only sure-fire way to avoid a reaction. Bathing the cat frequently will help, but he likely will not be very pleased with this solution. You could try wearing long-sleeved shirts around the cat, showering after playing with him, or even wearing a paper dust mask around him.

DO NOT let the cat into your bedroom for any reason - you spend 1/3 of your life asleep and there is absolutely no need to be exposed to allergens while you're doing it. You could also get an air purifuer. I recently purchased a Cloud-9 HEPA air purifier for my bedroom to help with my seasonal tree pollen-related asthma. It was expensive, but it really worked.

 

[frshwaterfinatc]

Toirtis, you can't be serious... 8O But even as I take more and more precautions, it gets worse and worse. I can't even turn the fan on because I'm afraid fur from somewhere will fly into the air and get into my eyes. In the past week this has happened and my contacts fell out twice.

Kirby doesn't sleep in my bed, and he's not allowed on it, either- I don't want to wake up with eye blisters from fur getting rubbed into my eyes off the sheets! Poor kitty!
I vacuum often (wearing a bandana around my face) and wash my hands if I touch him, usually drying them off with a paper towel so I don't get remnants of fur on the handtowels and accidentally rub fur into my eyes when I dry my face off at night.

And in all this I long so badly to hold my cat! It's torture!

 

[Toirtis]

Toirtis, you can't be serious... 8O

Quite serious, I am afraid.

But even as I take more and more precautions, it gets worse and worse.

This is common with this sort of reaction....reactions worsen with each subsequent exposure.

 

[Menagerie]

I really feel for you. The best thing is to see a doctor--SOON.

 

[frshwaterfinatc]

I recently purchased a Cloud-9 HEPA air purifier for my bedroom to help with my seasonal tree pollen-related asthma. It was expensive, but it really worked.

That sounds like a very good idea- how expenisve, if you don't mind my asking?

Also, wearing a paper mask would suffice for now, I think- maybe I should get a full face mask and put plastic screens in holes so I can see, ha. I just don't know why this is happening all the sudden.

Thanks for the advice- I'm open to more, as well!! Like miracles...

 

[frshwaterfinatc]

Quite serious, I am afraid.

REALLY?? What happens? My cat could really KILL me?

 

[Menagerie]

I believe your airways close up. There's lots of info out there--Google it. Trevor is finally done and I can go home and pack. Best of luck with Kirby and all your wedding plans!

 

[frshwaterfinatc]

You too! Good luck, be safe! Congratulations!

 

[QTOFFER]

The Cloud-9 unit complete with filters was $399 both online and at Bed Bath&Beyond. I get the replacement pre/carbon filters online - costs about $50 a year and the $120 HEPA filter gets changed every five years. I did alot of research and this unit is the only true HEPA out there. It's construction and design is alot like the biological safety cabinets that they use in microbiology labs. The quiet motor changes the air in my 12 x 18 bedroom six times an hour!
This would be best for the bedroom, but you could also get some of the cheaper air purifiers for other rooms just to pull the cat hair out of the air.

Your reaction sounds way more severe than mine. People who have extremely severe allergic reactions are at risk for a life-threatening anaphylactic episode. Basically, your immune system is completely overreacting to something that it perceives to be a dire threat (your cat's saliva), but is actually quite harmless. Doctors can treat the condition with drugs that help bring your immune system out of its unnecessarily high alert status. They also often prescribe an epi-pen, an easy-to-administer self-injectible dose of epinephrine that can save your life if you have an anaphylactic attack. Definitely go see a doctor.

 

[frshwaterfinatc]

Oh, thank you so much. I had no idea.


THANK YOU! 8O