Allergic to new kitten despite having had cats my entire life...?

November 3, 2008 3:12 PM

My family purchased a new male Bengal kitten. He is great and everyone adores him. However, I am now experiencing some allergies. My skin is generally itchy after handling him and my chest often feels tight and I begin to cough. I have heard some people can get used to their cats dander. Has anyone had experience with this? If so, how long does it take?

Our new kitten is great. Everyone loves him, but I am slightly allergic. After handling my skin feels itchy - kinda like bugs are walking all around it. Also, my chest is tight, eyes sometimes watery. These are all general annoyances, but are detracting from my enjoyment of the kitten. I have had cats my entire life. Most recently I have lived with two Siamese cats and had no reactions and these cats regularly slept in my bed. So I am confused to why I would be exhibiting any sort of allergies now... Also, Bengals are supposed to be less allergenic.

I am not willing to medicate myself an have already given the kitten a bath and used some allergy wipes on him with minimal success.

Is there any hope for life with our new kitten...?

posted by burlsube to pets & animals (11 comments total)

Allergies change over time. Even if you were not allergic in the past you may be now. Go see an allergist. There are an enormous number of treatments nowadays, many are nearly side effect free. There are also non-drug treatments and more or less mechanical things (air purifiers, etc) but you'll need to be working with an allergist to get anywhere.
posted by chairface at 3:50 PM on November 3, 2008

I had exactly these symptoms both times when we got a new cat after several years of not having had one. I think the symptoms were noticeably less after 3 months and wore off completely by 6 months. There was also the large added advantage of going through this discomfort, in that I was then desensitised to all animal dander, not just my own cat, so could be around friends' pets as well without any symptoms either. As to treatment, I tried not to touch my eyes and just put up with itching, but I did renew my very old prescription for a salbutamol inhaler to make the chest tightness more comfortable.
posted by alicegoldie at 3:52 PM on November 3, 2008

I've had asthma and severe allergies to animal dander all my life (which really sucks, because I adore dogs and cats.) At one point I stayed in the home of relatives for two months, and they had a springer spaniel who spent most of his time indoors. I remember being utterly miserable for the first two weeks - sniffling, sneezing, watery eyes, hives, red puffy face - but from there on, things improved gradually, and I was able to function without too much trouble. It wasn't until I moved out, though, that I felt 100% normal again.

It doesn't sound like your allergies are as severe as mine, so there's a decent chance that things will improve for you as you become acclimated to the kitten. There's hope...hang in there!
posted by velvet winter at 3:55 PM on November 3, 2008

One thing that makes a big difference is making sure you have good air filtration and vacuum the carpets really often.

You can get desensitized, but one important thing is to make sure you are not in a constant state of allergy. If your membranes are constantly inflamed, it makes it harder. In my experience.
posted by gjc at 4:00 PM on November 3, 2008

it took me a couple months to get used to the new cat when we got her. and also we had to kind of step up our vacuming, from none, to some.

i have pretty bad seasonal/mold/dust mite/etc. allergies, plus some other allergy crap, but the cat didn't affect me too much when we got her, and any affect is now gone (or at least mixed in with the seasonal/mold/etc.).
posted by misanthropicsarah at 4:06 PM on November 3, 2008

Mr. Pr0n has cat allergies too. I can't really say how long it will take you to get over your allergies to this kitten, or if you even will, but I certainly can give you some pointers for the time until that happens.

Make a habit of washing your hands after you handle the cat. If you can avoid touching your face while you have cat dander or saliva on your hands, you'll feel MUCH better. Keep the kitty out of your bedroom for the first several months - you spend more time in your bedroom than anywhere else, so it makes sense to make it a cat-free zone.

Rinsing the cat with warm water will remove more allergens than a bath with shampoo. Treating him with a product called Allerpet might help, too.
posted by freshwater_pr0n at 4:11 PM on November 3, 2008

I've heard that some people (or maybe it's everyone) are actually allergic to the proteins in the cat's spit. It gets all over the place because of the licking. Mind you, this is unsourced, random internet dude information, take with a ton of salt.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 4:11 PM on November 3, 2008

Sure, you should be able to reduce your allergic reaction over time, just limit your exposure to allergen as much as possible at first. Allergy shots work by gradually increasing your exposure to allergen over time, so follow the same protocol.

As the wikipedia page outlines, almost everyone is allergic to a protein in cat's saliva. Usual advice to destroy allergens in your environment, vacuum up everything you can, get a HEPA filter, wash your bedding in hot water, regularly bathe the cat.

Also, don't take a ridiculous position like I am not willing to medicate myself, as the effects upon your body of an antihistamine or herb are of any greater magnitude than repeatedly exposing your body to something you allergic to (eg your immune system is mounting a response to something it perceives as a threat, think that has a metabolic cost?)

There are several H1-receptor agonists for you to try, as well as quercetin, butterbar, stinging needle, mangosteen which all exhibit various antihistamine qualities.
posted by zentrification at 5:24 PM on November 3, 2008

I've never been able to adjust to cats (any cat), but I have had luck with a dog.

One suggestion though: have someone *else* wash the cat, at least until you feel a little better overall. And someone else should do the vacuuming too; both activities will increase your own exposure (although things will be better afterwards).

Also-- is this cat indoor or out? Are your floors wood or not? I personally have much less of a reaction to outdoor cats in an all wood-floor house. Do what you can to move in the direction of fewer things that trap dander.

There are also plenty of action-at-a-distance kitten toys. Laser pointers are great for this. So's a long stick with something to bat at attached to the end. Fun cat-fishing even for the allergic!
posted by nat at 6:54 PM on November 3, 2008

I'm allergic to a minority of cats, but not all of them. (My family has one 'semi-long-hair' cat that is both affectionate as heck and hugely allergy-inducing. Go figure.) I've found that it takes a while to work up to maximum comfort level.

Things that help: constant hand-washing; frequent vacuuming; frequent bedding and pillow changes; air filtration (I am a big fan of DIY high-volume air filters constructed from box fans, 3M 20x20" furnace filters, and duct tape); keeping my sleeping space off-limits to the cat at first; brushing/Furminating the cat frequently; Claritin and occasionally Benadryl (at night).

I add the last despite your no-meds criteria because I'm with zentrification; that's a really harsh, seemingly irrational, restriction, and one that I think will likely set you up for failure. If OTC allergy meds are out, definitely talk to an allergist; there are lots of options available. But in my experience even if I vacuum and change sheets like crazy and run filters and basically do everything else that I can think of, it's never 100% and, although it's better, I'm still sneezing at kitty; but all that plus a Claritin and we can be friends again. I just think it's really unfortunate to rule out so casually such a huge range of options that could radically improve both your and your cat's lives.

Things that have not helped: various herbal remedies; attempts at bathing the cat. (We were never really successful at the whole bathing thing — it went badly for all involved, I don't think the cat has ever forgiven me. Sometimes I will dampen his fur a little before trying the Furminator or a brush, this at least keeps the dander down during the brushing, and he doesn't seem to mind since it doesn't soak him completely.)

Even when I've had weeks to get acclimated to him, and have done everything right including being on Claritin, I still have to be careful not to go cat-to-eyes, and if he scratches me (even just a tiny bit), it turns into a big red welt if it's not cleaned immediately. However, it's all a small price to pay when he's curled up on my lap (or foot, or leg, or head, or...).
posted by Kadin2048 at 9:18 PM on November 3, 2008

I used to have very strong allergic reactions to cats that triggered my asthma (couldn't sleep through the night, had to frequently go outdoors to get away from the dander). After about 2 months my asthma symptoms cleared. After 6 months or so itchy eyes, etc also cleared. So give it a little time to see if you build up an immunity.
posted by Faithos at 10:23 AM on November 4, 2008