allergic to cat dander
November 1, 2007 5:19 PM Subscribe
cat dander
my fiance is allergic to cat dander is there a kind of cat besides hairless that will be ideal for our situation?
my fiance is allergic to cat dander is there a kind of cat besides hairless that will be ideal for our situation?
No. And even hairless cats have dander. It's actually the skin and saliva that are the allergens.
Allergies get worse and worse with exposure over time.
Whoa. Hypoallergenic cats? (Preview)
I don't buy it. But then again, I've had to go to the hospital because of cat allergies. So...
posted by Stewriffic at 5:30 PM on November 1, 2007
Allergies get worse and worse with exposure over time.
Whoa. Hypoallergenic cats? (Preview)
I don't buy it. But then again, I've had to go to the hospital because of cat allergies. So...
posted by Stewriffic at 5:30 PM on November 1, 2007
I've used Allerpet/C with some success. It's a kitty spongebath in a bottle that cuts down on the dander/saliva allergens.
Also, people tend to develop a tolerance to the cat they live with.
If you have an extra $4,000 laying around, you could get on the waitlist for a non-allergen cat.
posted by idiotfactory at 5:32 PM on November 1, 2007
Also, people tend to develop a tolerance to the cat they live with.
If you have an extra $4,000 laying around, you could get on the waitlist for a non-allergen cat.
posted by idiotfactory at 5:32 PM on November 1, 2007
I have a moderate allergy to cat dander — bad enough that the discomfort keeps me away from houses with cats, not so bad that my eyes swell shut or anything.
I lived with an utterly charming hypoallergenic cat for a couple of months (from Allerca, the first hit in IndigoRain's search). My allergies were very, very mild for the first couple of days (my eyes itched a little), and then I had absolutely no problems, even when the cat insisted on sleeping on my head. Both the moderately-allergic-to-cats owner and her moderately-allergic-to-cats sister had a similar experience. They felt it was worth the expense. If I were inclined to get a cat, I would probably find it worth the expense as well.
I've been told that purebred cats are often just as good as the hypoallergenic ones, though (which are not truly hypoallergenic anyway, just carefully bred). I have no idea how true that is, since I don't know much about cats, being allergic to them and all.
posted by adiabat at 5:36 PM on November 1, 2007
I lived with an utterly charming hypoallergenic cat for a couple of months (from Allerca, the first hit in IndigoRain's search). My allergies were very, very mild for the first couple of days (my eyes itched a little), and then I had absolutely no problems, even when the cat insisted on sleeping on my head. Both the moderately-allergic-to-cats owner and her moderately-allergic-to-cats sister had a similar experience. They felt it was worth the expense. If I were inclined to get a cat, I would probably find it worth the expense as well.
I've been told that purebred cats are often just as good as the hypoallergenic ones, though (which are not truly hypoallergenic anyway, just carefully bred). I have no idea how true that is, since I don't know much about cats, being allergic to them and all.
posted by adiabat at 5:36 PM on November 1, 2007
I disagree with a previous post. I was very allergic to cats but over time I have been able to have one in the house. I wash my hands when I touch the cat and I have a HEPA filter vacuum and I vacuum daily to keep the hair and dander down to a minimum. I also wash my bedding (comforter, too) more often to keep the hair and dander down. You can build up a tolerance to cats, but in my case it took months. Keep the cat out of the sleeping area and that should help a lot, too. Good luck.
posted by 45moore45 at 5:49 PM on November 1, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by 45moore45 at 5:49 PM on November 1, 2007 [1 favorite]
In addition to careful handling and vacuuming, if the allergy to cats is mild, bathing two cats monthly worked wonders for me.
posted by nobeagle at 5:57 PM on November 1, 2007
posted by nobeagle at 5:57 PM on November 1, 2007
There was a recent article in "The Scientist" magazine debunking the science behind Allerca and expressing skepticism about the owner's motives. The original article is pay access only, but you can get the gist from this blog post by the article's author, and also from that post you can see that the Siberian cat breed is often recommended for those with allergies - http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/52947/
Good luck! I'm allergic too, but love kitties.
posted by operating thetan at 6:00 PM on November 1, 2007
Good luck! I'm allergic too, but love kitties.
posted by operating thetan at 6:00 PM on November 1, 2007
If you do resort to bathing though, make sure you get a kitten so you can get it used to the ordeal. Before adopting I originally planned on bathing my cats, but I adopted adults and it is quite clear that my old girls would never stand for being dunked in water.
posted by Anonymous at 6:03 PM on November 1, 2007
posted by Anonymous at 6:03 PM on November 1, 2007
Siberians are often said to be less allergenic. I've learned a lot about Siberians lately, almost all from one of the heads of this group: http://www.siberianresearch.org/Siberian-catteries.htm Check out that site for a lot of great info.
Here's some of what I've found out:
1. Cats produce several allergens. Fel d1 is one of them, and it's the one that some Siberians produce much less of. That one is exclusive to cats. Some other ones are common to cats, dogs, horses, and hamsters. That one isn't lower in Siberians. So, someone who has a severe allergy to dogs, e.g., is likely to still react to that allergen in Siberians.
2. Some Siberians produce normal levels of Fel d1 while others produce much less. There's a lab test that can be done on cats to show their levels, but few breeders are testing and fewer still are releasing their results. The test isn’t reliable on kittens, but you can test a kitten's sire and dam and it's a good predictor. Below a certain level, almost no one reacts. You can visit as an alternate test, but make sure you spend plenty of time with both the sire and dam.
3. The type of allergic reaction someone has can predict whether Siberians will moderate it well. Siberians moderate Type 1 allergies better than Type 4 ones. Here are symptoms of each type: Type 1: runny nose sneezing sore throat itchy, irritated eyes wheezing and breathing difficulties tonsillitis, conjunctivitis, asthma Type 4: swelling itchy rashes flaking dry skin weeping sores eczema, dermatitis.
posted by daisyace at 6:04 PM on November 1, 2007 [1 favorite]
Here's some of what I've found out:
1. Cats produce several allergens. Fel d1 is one of them, and it's the one that some Siberians produce much less of. That one is exclusive to cats. Some other ones are common to cats, dogs, horses, and hamsters. That one isn't lower in Siberians. So, someone who has a severe allergy to dogs, e.g., is likely to still react to that allergen in Siberians.
2. Some Siberians produce normal levels of Fel d1 while others produce much less. There's a lab test that can be done on cats to show their levels, but few breeders are testing and fewer still are releasing their results. The test isn’t reliable on kittens, but you can test a kitten's sire and dam and it's a good predictor. Below a certain level, almost no one reacts. You can visit as an alternate test, but make sure you spend plenty of time with both the sire and dam.
3. The type of allergic reaction someone has can predict whether Siberians will moderate it well. Siberians moderate Type 1 allergies better than Type 4 ones. Here are symptoms of each type: Type 1: runny nose sneezing sore throat itchy, irritated eyes wheezing and breathing difficulties tonsillitis, conjunctivitis, asthma Type 4: swelling itchy rashes flaking dry skin weeping sores eczema, dermatitis.
posted by daisyace at 6:04 PM on November 1, 2007 [1 favorite]
Yes, actually. Unfortunately they're very expensive and there is a long waiting list.
posted by ikkyu2 at 6:34 PM on November 1, 2007
posted by ikkyu2 at 6:34 PM on November 1, 2007
My wife and I have Siberians; they don't trouble her mild (runny-nose type) allergies.
If you can hang out at the breeder's for a bit, that should be a good test.
posted by sebastienbailard at 10:01 PM on November 1, 2007
If you can hang out at the breeder's for a bit, that should be a good test.
posted by sebastienbailard at 10:01 PM on November 1, 2007
I am allergic to cats, but grew up with lots of them, and currently have one shorthaired tabby. I would never try to bathe her, but I've found that she'll tolerate wipes like these. I also regularly use the Furminator on her to minimize shedding. She loves loves loves it.
posted by candyland at 8:14 AM on November 2, 2007
posted by candyland at 8:14 AM on November 2, 2007
45moore was exactly my experience - I was allergic, got a cat anyway, was very careful about keeping things cleaned, keeping her brushed, etc. and I built up a tolerance for her after 6 months or so. OTHER cats still make me miserable, but not my sweet little Mona.
posted by agregoli at 8:15 AM on November 2, 2007
posted by agregoli at 8:15 AM on November 2, 2007
I am also allergic to cats but not to mine (i'm not a great housekeeper); people who are allergic to cats and visit my house are amazed to find that I have two cats. I chalk this up to what I feed them; they usually eat Wellness brand cat food which is organic. In the book "The New Natural Cat" by Anitra Frazier, she says that what your cat eats can affect the people who live with the cats, and if you feed them well you won't suffer allergies. It seems to be working so far.
posted by kenzi23 at 3:39 PM on November 2, 2007
posted by kenzi23 at 3:39 PM on November 2, 2007
Like kenzi23 I'm allergic to cats, and also have taken some of the advice of finicky cat person and professional groomer Anitra Frazier. Thanks to Frazier's advice I've never been allergic to my own cats--my only intervention being to feed them a good quality (dry) food. (She advises you change your diet too, but coffee and eggs remain a part of mine.)
I tried a raw food diet (both bought and homemade) with my first cat for a while... but that was a bit time consuming and expensive both... and difficult to justify given that my own diet isn't all that to begin with.
posted by red canoe at 9:39 PM on January 1, 2008
I tried a raw food diet (both bought and homemade) with my first cat for a while... but that was a bit time consuming and expensive both... and difficult to justify given that my own diet isn't all that to begin with.
posted by red canoe at 9:39 PM on January 1, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by IndigoRain at 5:26 PM on November 1, 2007