(Closed) Dealing with severe cat allergies?

posted 4 years ago in Pets
Post # 1
Member
58 posts
Worker bee
  • Wedding: August 2015

My fiance is horrible allergic to cats and I have two that I adopted before I met him. He doesn’t just have the drippy nose/sneezing kind of allergic, but the respiratory/danger of asthma attack kind of allergic. We are long distance (he’s in the marine corp and based on the opposite side of the country), so this isn’t a big issue most of the time. He’s home on leave for the holidays and I spent a month preparing for his arrival by deep cleaning & vacuuming and even taking one of my cats for a stay at my mother’s house while he’s home. He’s been okay for the most part, but a couple nights he had to leave and go stay at his parents house because he couldn’t breathe anymore 🙁 He’s on prescription allergy medication but it’s not working very well. The military doctor would not even consider giving him allergy shots until he tried these pills first. We tried an air purifier but it just made things worse. 

Has anyone here dealt with severe cat allergies? Do the shots help with asthma induced allergies? He’s asked me what I would do once he’s out and living back at home (a year from now) and if the allergy medication doesn’t help him. I really don’t want to give up my cats, but it could be really dangerous for him if he had an asthma attack. 

Please give me some rays of hope??

Post # 3
Member
2534 posts
Sugar bee
  • Wedding: March 2014

Sorry no rays of hope here. 🙁

Honestly in a situation like that I’d have to give up my cats.
Because if the cats wind up putting him in the hospital or worse, it’s just not worth it.
This is not a case of him not wanting the cats, it’s his health. I think that’s a VERY good reason to consider having a cat-free home (if he’s not allergic, maybe get a dog down the line)

Try the shots, see if they work.
Obviously the pills didn’t.
But also come up with a plan of action for your cats – new homes, adoption, etc. Because it’s better to be prepared for that sort of thing when he does move back home. You don’t have to do it right away, but being prepared is half the battle here and it’s not something you should do at the very last minute.

Post # 4
Member
6021 posts
Bee Keeper
  • Wedding: September 2017

@ap_event:  I suffer from the same kind of reaction as your SO. It really can be dangerous. I went to my moms for christmas and she has 3 animals. I was there no more than 30 minutes and I couldn’t breathe. I had to make a visit to urgent care for a breathing treatment and steroids to help me. And this is after I had taken my allergy meds before going there and had my inhaler. I can’t see living with these cats being possible for your SO based on what you described. It’s scary and super uncomfortable. I agree with CakeyP. This is a very good reason to consider having a cat free home.

When you two decide to move in together this will be a decision you probably will have to make.

Post # 5
Member
784 posts
Busy bee
  • Wedding: May 2014

@ap_event:  is he a candidate for allergy shots?  My future sister in law did those and she is now a happy cat owner

Post # 6
Member
10569 posts
Sugar Beekeeper
  • Wedding: January 2011

Is he seeing an allergist?  I’ve never bothered with the shots, I have too many allergies, but my cat one is severe.  I won’t walk into a house that has a cat because of how bad it is.  I have 2 inhalers, 2 prescription pills, 2 OTC meds, 2 prescription eyedrops, prescription nasal spray and use nasal irrigation.

I do have a less severe dog allergy and my allergist recommended cleaning my sinuses immediately after being around a dog.  I also shower and put my clothes in the laundry.

Air purifiers do help.  Is there a room you can put the purifier and keep the cats out?  At minimum, turn it on a few hours before he comes over and keep the cats out during that time.

Post # 7
Member
1558 posts
Bumble bee
  • Wedding: May 2014

I am one such cat owner with severe allergies. My fiance has a dog and I couldn’t spend the night at his place because it was so rarely vacuumed. When we moved him out of his place and into mine, I had to take outside breaks every 30 minutes due to my allergies. Now the dog’s at our home along with the two cats, and I rarely have severe allergic reactions. 

I do worse at other people’s homes than at my own home. Every cat is different and will affect an allergic person differently.

1) I take Allegra daily, and carry an inhaler (because allergies cause asthmatic reactions in me!). I may restart allergy shots sometime, but it is such a pain to get to the maintenance level shots and you have to go to the office at least once a week. It stinks, so I just medicate.

2) One of my cats gives me a stronger reaction than the other, so I wash him in Allersearch Pet+ (Amazon link) about every month. I also use it on the dog. I can tell the difference almost immediately, really.

3) While he’s gone, WASH EVERYTHING that can be washed. Make your bedroom a cat-free zone and vacuum the matress, perhaps put an allergen wrap on it, one that normally is for dust-mites if the cats have been on it for years (something like these).

4) Vacuum every soft surface DAILY for at least a month to get rid of stubborn dander. Carpet is the WORST culprit for sucking in allergens, it’s stubborn and it’s difficult to get rid of, so daily cleaning is a must.

5) Keep in mind that cleaning also disturbs the dander and kicks it into the air, so try to make sure that there’s at least an hour with the air purifier on after you clean before your fiance comes in. I have a cleaning service once a week for this reason, if I did the deep cleaning myself, I’d have an asthma attack halfway through and it would never get done.

There’s hope!

It does take a lot of work to get your apartment to a state of clean from the dander buildup, and the change to keeping your bedroom cat-free can be a bit stressful. Washing cats isn’t easy, but try it for a few months, and keep a heating pad nearby for them to sit on afterwards, and give them a special treat afterwards, they’ll soon protest less and you’ll have allergen-free and clean kitties!

If you have the option, move to a place with hardwood floors or tile floors. Otherwise, refrain from hanging a lot of fabrics or keeping lots of cushions that can suck up allergens.

 

I hope this helps! From one allergy-ridden pet owner to another!

Post # 8
Member
58 posts
Worker bee
  • Wedding: August 2015

@CakeyP:  

@stardustintheeyes:  

@Polygon:  

@AB Bride:  

@nadnuk:  

 

Thank you so much for your replies, especially nadnuk for all the helpful links!!

He has not seen an allergist yet. Since he is in the military he’s pretty restricted on the doctors he is able to see and isn’t able to schedule appointments with outside doctors very easily because of his rigid–and sometimes unexpected–work schedule. Though I do know he’s going to try and see if a better medication will help him.

I have kept my bedroom cat-free for the past 6 months and try to keep my bedding clean. Unfortunately my house (which I own) does have carpeting in 80% of it 🙁 I use a carpet cleaner and vacuum with a Dyson. I purchased slipcovers for my couches so I can clean them easier (they are a microfiber which holds onto hair and gunk like no other). I haven’t vacuumed since he’s been home because he doesn’t want me to kick up the allergens in the air.

One of my cats could very easily go to live with my mother. My other cat is more timid and my mother’s cats attack her, so she will be harder to find a home for. I do not want to relinquish her to the humane society since older cats are harder to adopt out and that’s where I got her in the first place. I will absolutely try the cleaning tips and other recommendations given so far! My fiance loves animals and would never tell me to get rid of my cats for just any reason, but we are both concerned about his well being. Perhaps this is an excellent excuse for me to justify the expense of ripping out all the nasty carpeting in my house!!

Post # 9
Member
1332 posts
Bumble bee
  • Wedding: September 2013

Get wood floors, I have the same type of allergies and medication does not help at all.  I can “pill up” or even take a double dose but if the person has a cat and carpet I last about three hours before my air ways start to close up.  Please with wood floors are alot better, but I have to be careful not to sit on any fabric furniture or touch blankets becasue no matter how hard and long you clean the dander is everywhere.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you might have to give up your cats.  I know that cats can literally kill me and having one is just not in the cards for me at all.  We are probably going to get a dog (there are about 7 breeds I am not allergic too) when we buy a house.

Post # 10
Member
277 posts
Helper bee
  • Wedding: October 2015

@ap_event:  Do you have a family member that could take them for the time being? You really need to get the cats away from him unfortunately. Even allergy shots take a long time to work. I know it sucks but at least you could find the cats a good home. TBH the cats probably wouldn’t even care as long as they stayed together

Post # 11
Member
503 posts
Busy bee
  • Wedding: July 2014

nfortunately when it comes to allergies you need to do what’s best. I think you need to find a new home for them. My fiance has allergies to cats as well but not has bad as our fiance. We had two cats and found new homes for them. I have two dogs now and just  keep them off the bed but will be buying a dog bed for them soon. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. 

 

Post # 12
Member
1218 posts
Bumble bee
  • Wedding: July 2013

@ap_event:  Honestly, as someone with bad cat allergies, I would advise considering re-housing them. I don’t get breathing problems, but I get itchy eyes and skin rashes from just being in the same house as a cat, and you feel absolutely miserable the whole time. Allergy medicines don’t really help. Darling Husband gets breathing problems around cats and it’s really scary.

 

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