"Todd H." wrote in message
...

I'd like some shared experience from allergy or asthma sufferers with
pets.

My question to cat owners is: can you test negative to cat allergies,
yet still find yourself in a situation where the cat is causing you
allergy or asthma problems?

[...]

After reading your post, I wonder about a few things.

1. How recently was the allergy test done? It is really common
for someone who is allergic to one thing to become allergic to several more
over
time. Did he test the person for dust and mold? Some allergists don't.
2. What do you feed your cat?
3. What do you do for a living, and what does the allergy sufferer do?
4. Where do you live and what is the vegetation like around your house?
6. How old is the house and what sort of ventilation system do you have?
Central air, gas heat, etc? (Depending on how long you had the hay products
in the house and how often you clean, the stuff might still be around. Old
houses
have more cracks and crannies where things can lurk, too.)


Unfortunatley though, after all that, several days later the problems
remains for her, and still occurs only inside the house. Even with
HEPA filters going in the bedroom and a fresh filter on the furnace,
and the cat hasn't been in the bedroom for weeks (and rabbits/hay on a
completely separate floor of the house)...her symtoms still go away
while away from the house, and reemerge shortly after coming home.

This is the part that gets me. Could he/she be parking near some vegetation
she is allergic to, or walking through it on the way to the house?


Clarinex isn't helping completely on the sniffles (but is helping
some), and asthma/wheezing symtpoms and use of the asthma inhaler are
becoming increasingly common.

Our next step is to get rid of the kitty for a few days and see if
things improve in the house.

I'm hoping there's some allergy/asthma sufferer who can lend a
datapoint to this ongoing mystery. I'm primarily curious if a cat can
be the culprit here despite the negative skintest for cat allery.

No, the cat is not the source of the allergy if your friend had a skin
test that tested negative for cat and the cat does not go outside.
Incidentally I AM allergic to cats--my strongest allergy, as far
as the skin test indicated--and I live with two. Like your
friend, I use Clarinex (actually in my case Claritin) and like
your friend I have developed asthma and use Advair twice a
day. I do not suffer at all as long as I take my medicine, though
I know everyone is different. It really sounds like your friend may
be allergic to dust or mold.