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AGGGH! #1: Dry Eyes / Slight Congestion for Me
Hi, everybody.
First, my sincere thanks to everyone who replied to the "supplies" thread! Ah, were missing supplies my only problem, now! I have three problems I'd like to throw at people, if you don't mind. I'll throw them into separate messages for the sake of thread clarity. First ... I myself appear to be experiencing some minor symptoms that could either be cold-related or allergy-related ... some congestion, and perhaps slightly drier eyes. They cold be could-related, but they do seem to clear up when I'm not around him. ***However, I've never displayed an allergic reaction to my parents' or sister's shorthairs (at least that I can remember).*** Is it possible that this is a 'new cat' kind of allergic reaction? Is it possible that I will just get acclimated, that it's a momentary thing with his specific dander? I mean, he likes to rest pretty close to me, so I have a feeling if I were allergic to him, then the symptoms would really be bad after that ... My thanks in advance to everybody who answers ... this new cat-daddy is finding himself a l'il overwhelmed at times ... Mike |
#2
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Mike, I am allergic to cats - and presently live with four of them,
and am generally symptom-free. When I got my first two cats after moving out the dorm( having lived with a cat in my parents' home most of my life) I had one of the worst allergic reactions I've ever seen. My doctor said "I don't suppose you'll give them back?" and I flat out said no. For about a month, I took an antihistamine, one of the daily, 24-hour dose ones. After that - I stopped reacting to my own cats. I've done alot of reading on allergies since then. Yes, indeed, you can be allergic to some cats and not others. Cats produce and shed many different proteins, some have one or two, some have many. And allergic persons can be allergic to one, a few, or many of these specific proteins. It can be up to the individual genetics of each person and each cat. However, the whole theory behind allergy treatments is that a constant, low-level exposure will "train" your immune system not to overreact. So, it stands to reason that unless your new cat instigates some life-threatening anaphylactic shock, you may very well just need time and exposure to whatever new allergen he has. Try taking a mild antihistamine, like claritin or reactine or such, for a couple of weeks. Another thing you can try is to treat the kitty - there's a couple of products out there, one called AllerPet and one called OUT! Allergy relief. These are bottles of a "dry wash" - not sure why it's called that, as it's liquid, but maybe that's because you don't quite soak the cat in a tub of it. You moisten a towel and rub it in to dampen the cat. If your cat takes a likeing to grooming this isn't so bad. What I have done with mine is put it in a plant spray bottle and mist it onto their brush, which they love, and then brush them all over, backwards and forwards and all, to work it into their coat. It's mainly distilled water but it contains enzymes which neutralize the common allergens. A final thing that helps is to "treat the environment". Allergies can be cumulative. You may not be allergic to one cat, or one dog, or a pollen at alow exposure, but if you add them up you have an over-stimulated system that reacts. So, if you are mildly allergic to dust and mildew, you may not notice until it's pollen season as well, or until something like a new cat is added to the mix. It helps me alot to keep the dust down, vacuum with a GOOD FILTERED VACUUM, and change bedding often. Chances are, with a little bit of treatment at the start of your new exposure, you will adapt to each other and they symptoms will go away. If not, see if you can find a sympathetic doctor for a stronger prescribed allergy treatment - most of the treatments are safe, side-effect free and far, far less drastic than getting rid of a lovely pet would be. Sorry this is a bit long, but trust me, lots of us have been there, there's lots you can do about it. Good luck, Johanna (four cats, minimal sneezes) Mike Harris wrote in message ... Hi, everybody. First, my sincere thanks to everyone who replied to the "supplies" thread! Ah, were missing supplies my only problem, now! I have three problems I'd like to throw at people, if you don't mind. I'll throw them into separate messages for the sake of thread clarity. First ... I myself appear to be experiencing some minor symptoms that could either be cold-related or allergy-related ... some congestion, and perhaps slightly drier eyes. They cold be could-related, but they do seem to clear up when I'm not around him. ***However, I've never displayed an allergic reaction to my parents' or sister's shorthairs (at least that I can remember).*** Is it possible that this is a 'new cat' kind of allergic reaction? Is it possible that I will just get acclimated, that it's a momentary thing with his specific dander? I mean, he likes to rest pretty close to me, so I have a feeling if I were allergic to him, then the symptoms would really be bad after that ... My thanks in advance to everybody who answers ... this new cat-daddy is finding himself a l'il overwhelmed at times ... Mike |
#3
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Mike, I am allergic to cats - and presently live with four of them,
and am generally symptom-free. When I got my first two cats after moving out the dorm( having lived with a cat in my parents' home most of my life) I had one of the worst allergic reactions I've ever seen. My doctor said "I don't suppose you'll give them back?" and I flat out said no. For about a month, I took an antihistamine, one of the daily, 24-hour dose ones. After that - I stopped reacting to my own cats. I've done alot of reading on allergies since then. Yes, indeed, you can be allergic to some cats and not others. Cats produce and shed many different proteins, some have one or two, some have many. And allergic persons can be allergic to one, a few, or many of these specific proteins. It can be up to the individual genetics of each person and each cat. However, the whole theory behind allergy treatments is that a constant, low-level exposure will "train" your immune system not to overreact. So, it stands to reason that unless your new cat instigates some life-threatening anaphylactic shock, you may very well just need time and exposure to whatever new allergen he has. Try taking a mild antihistamine, like claritin or reactine or such, for a couple of weeks. Another thing you can try is to treat the kitty - there's a couple of products out there, one called AllerPet and one called OUT! Allergy relief. These are bottles of a "dry wash" - not sure why it's called that, as it's liquid, but maybe that's because you don't quite soak the cat in a tub of it. You moisten a towel and rub it in to dampen the cat. If your cat takes a likeing to grooming this isn't so bad. What I have done with mine is put it in a plant spray bottle and mist it onto their brush, which they love, and then brush them all over, backwards and forwards and all, to work it into their coat. It's mainly distilled water but it contains enzymes which neutralize the common allergens. A final thing that helps is to "treat the environment". Allergies can be cumulative. You may not be allergic to one cat, or one dog, or a pollen at alow exposure, but if you add them up you have an over-stimulated system that reacts. So, if you are mildly allergic to dust and mildew, you may not notice until it's pollen season as well, or until something like a new cat is added to the mix. It helps me alot to keep the dust down, vacuum with a GOOD FILTERED VACUUM, and change bedding often. Chances are, with a little bit of treatment at the start of your new exposure, you will adapt to each other and they symptoms will go away. If not, see if you can find a sympathetic doctor for a stronger prescribed allergy treatment - most of the treatments are safe, side-effect free and far, far less drastic than getting rid of a lovely pet would be. Sorry this is a bit long, but trust me, lots of us have been there, there's lots you can do about it. Good luck, Johanna (four cats, minimal sneezes) Mike Harris wrote in message ... Hi, everybody. First, my sincere thanks to everyone who replied to the "supplies" thread! Ah, were missing supplies my only problem, now! I have three problems I'd like to throw at people, if you don't mind. I'll throw them into separate messages for the sake of thread clarity. First ... I myself appear to be experiencing some minor symptoms that could either be cold-related or allergy-related ... some congestion, and perhaps slightly drier eyes. They cold be could-related, but they do seem to clear up when I'm not around him. ***However, I've never displayed an allergic reaction to my parents' or sister's shorthairs (at least that I can remember).*** Is it possible that this is a 'new cat' kind of allergic reaction? Is it possible that I will just get acclimated, that it's a momentary thing with his specific dander? I mean, he likes to rest pretty close to me, so I have a feeling if I were allergic to him, then the symptoms would really be bad after that ... My thanks in advance to everybody who answers ... this new cat-daddy is finding himself a l'il overwhelmed at times ... Mike |
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