this post was submitted on 07 Oct 2024
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Had a cat that I was somehow allergic(?) to. Just constant itchy red eyes. Eventually coughing and wheezing. Never been allergic to a damn thing in my life, including other cats. Never understood it. Shed go all around my face and I would be fine, then suddenly she'd just be about the place and my eyes would get so bloody I swear blood was actually leaking out of them. Had to return her. Loved her to bits in those few weeks. ๐ญ
I'm allergic to cats, but I developed an immunity to my own for the most part. When brush them I do it outside because that could trigger symptoms if it's done indoors. but for the most part after I adopt a new cat it settles down after a while. It sucks though in the mean time, I don't blame anyone for not being able to put up with the exposure period. Also some cats trigger worse symptoms and some don't! I go to different friend's homes and their cats don't make me break out in hives but a a few other friend's cats cause issues right always, I have to take an antihistamine when I go over.
I likely think there was something she would emit, some sort of fur particulate or something else because she loved sitting on my lap and just being right in my face and I was fine. Only literally being in the house with her would mess me up, and after like half an hour outside I'd be okay again.
This lack of direct correlation made me think I was just sick for the longest time until I connected the dots that time outside made me feel immediately better.
She was an odd cat. Fur was unreal silky, extremely impressive even for a cat, and also quite long, and the previous owner said how they've never really had to trim it or do anything to her coat at all because she maintained it herself really well. I've a gut feeling it's connected to that.
Most people are allergic to cat saliva, not the hair (some are allergic to the hair too though). If the cat was maintaining herself well, she was likely licking herself a lot, which could have contributed to your allergic reaction. There are sprays/washes you can buy to reduce the affect, and I think maybe even a specialized food (probably very expensive). But, I mean, that's a lot for effort. If you had the cat for a few weeks and it was unbearable, it's not worth you suffering. Allergies can be hell, they make you miserable. But in the future if you feel the pull to adopt or get a cat, the stuff I mentioned might help. Or even fostering, you might come upon a cat you get along with well allergy wise and can adopt it once living with it for a while and find a match. But there are other pets which are equally nice, rabbits, rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, chinchillas, dogs, ferrets. Or others alternatives like snakes iguanas tarantulas and so on.
It's actually easy to tell whether you'll have a reaction by going to the store or humane society and asking to hold them for 5 to 10 minutes.
Well I've been around cats all my life, pretty much since very early childhood and I've never had any reaction really. I've not been allergic to anything in my life period.
A few months before I adopted the cat, I was at my gf's friend's house and she had a cat there that I held and played with and petted.
Just before I adopted the cat I did end up adopting I went to see and converse with the folks I was adopting from and I def was around the cat for over half an hour.
While I had the cat she'd lick me all the time, never any issues. The effects would start maybe a day or two after we got her. It didn't even fully stop until at least a day later.
So in my case I guess not. Thanks for the advice though. I was thinking of looking into adopting a Siamese cat at some point. Ofc I'd try to do a lot more due diligence allergy wise, but I really don't know what I could've even done realistically. I don't think I could stand having to give a pet back because of any health issues on my behalf again. Thanks
You are very right. Looking back my comment was a bit ignorant. I remember learning now it can take a few exposures before someone has an allergic reaction to something, whether it's an antibiotic or a cat or a fruit etc. It would be horrible to become attached to a pet and then have to give them back or rehome them because of allergies.