# New member (with moderate-to-severe cat allergy!)



## MisterPaul (Oct 16, 2013)

First post here. Hope to be welcomed despite my cat dander allergy.

I am a healthy non-smoking male, age 42, who exercises regularly, eats healthy, abstains from all alcohol and drugs, with minimal allergies. Excited to have a new girlfriend but have experienced moderate to severe allergic reaction to her cat. Last year, before I even met her, she has taken into her home a small abandoned, sickly, and skinny indoor cat, and nursed it back to health with a shiny fur coat. I completely understand the love she has developed for her pet, as it has become a part of her. Just looking at her online photos with her cat almost makes me sneeze and my eyes water! haha In order to make this new relationship work, I am willing to compromise but not if I need to regularly ingest drugs into my system.

I'm not keen on taking Claritin or Allegra because of the potential side effects (dizziness, upset stomach, etc.), and want to avoid Benadryl, Afrin, and OTC antihistamines if possible. Heard of incorporating raw honey or non-processed bee pollen into my diet as the most natural remedies, or investing in an air purifier with a HEPA filter for my girlfriend's bedroom. 

Are my options limited? Open to your advice and further suggestions. What do you do for your spouse, friends, or relatives who visit and have allergic reactions? Thanks!


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## Jetlaya67 (Sep 26, 2012)

Welcome to the forum. My son is really allergic to cats and dogs, however he has developed an immunity to our cats (and dogs when we have had them in the past). His fiancée is the same way, she is not allergic to her pets but not ours. There is a good chance that you will develop an immunity to your girlfriends cat eventually. I guess it does not sound fun in the meantime but you can try just dealing with the kitty and hope you get used to him that way. There may be a homeopathic remedy at the health store you could try. My husband is allergic to a number of plants and pollen and we are land surveyors so he spends a lot of time outside. He used to be miserable in the spring, summer and fall. He also did not care much for allergy medicine so he started using a nasal irrigator, morning and night to clear his sinuses. That helped immensely. It is rare now for him to have to take anything for allergies. Another thing to try is some kind of dander reducer. I have never used them but some people swear by them. There are shampoo (maybe not with a cat, unless the cat is used to baths) and liquid or wipes so the pet can be wiped down and cut down on dander. If you get really serious with this girl you may want to consider allergy shots for a more permanent solution if the other suggestions don't work. Please let us know what happens, hope this helps.


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## Astarael (Feb 20, 2013)

Honey typically helps with seasonal/local allergies because of the bees pollenating and all that jazz. I've honestly never had any problems with taking claritin (For seasonal allergies though, not really dander). You could try lots of air purifiers. Showers. Try keeping blankets in your home that the kitty has laid on and keeping them around so maybe your body can adjust. 

Netti pots are awesome, they help clear that kind of stuff out.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

My son had terrible cat allergies. When he came to visit I gave him a bottle of Zyrtec. I know your reluctance to OTC remedies, but the Zyrtec worked great with no side effects and helped him eventually work up an immunity to the cats, so much so that he rescued a cat and kept him indoors after that.

You can help with this by using kitty wipes on your cat daily. Petsmart carries them for allergy control. They help by eliminating the dander on the fur which is the major cause of the allergic reaction.


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## NebraskaCat (Jan 15, 2013)

In addition to the air purifier with HEPA filter, invest the little extra for similarly protective furnace filters.


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

I am severely allergic to dogs (and my Mom and both of my sisters have dogs, in addition to several friends), so I had to do something about it. I've been getting allergy shots for nearly 4 years and it has helped tremendously. They are drug-free, safe for children and pregnant women, etc. You actually get a shot of a serum made of the allergens that you are allergic to, so you start with a very small dose and gradually work up to higher doses, so it increases your tolerance to the allergens. Now, my allergies were to the point that if I spent more than an hour in someone's house who had dogs, I had to use a portable nebulizer to breathe. I had to carry around an EpiPen (still do actually because I'm also deathly allergic to horses). I would also get blisters on my face if they managed to give me kisses, and my eyes would almost swell shut. So, yeah, it was really bad, and way past the point of just being uncomfortable. I had to go to the ER several times.  Now, I can spend the night at my Mom's house without problems at all! I do have to use my inhaler on ocassion, but very rarely. I haven't used by nebulizer for years. I do use Zyrtec daily (and I notice a big difference if I miss a day). I take the generic version, FYI, WAY cheaper. The only side effect I have is that it makes me slightly drowsy, so I take it before bedtime. My insurance pays for 100% of my allergy shots. And if you have less severe allergies, you could probably be done with them in a year or so. It is definitely a committment though. I had to go EVERY week for almost a year until I go up to my maintenance dose. Now I just go once a month.

Honey will only help with outdoor seasonal allergies, and it needs to be locally farmed honey (though there is still a lot of debate over this in the medical community). 

The other things I can recommend are HEPA filters, and dusting/vacuumming VERY regularly. Make sure you wash your hands very well after being around the kitty too.

Good luck! Allergies suck!


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## CatMonkeys (Sep 27, 2012)

I used to have pretty bad allergies to cats, but wanted to get some anyway. After about a month of having my two cats, I noticed my allergy symptoms became greatly reduced. A year later, I still have minor reactions occasionally (maybe 1-2 times a month), but I seem to have built up an immunity. Your allergies may not disappear completely (or at all), but it is not uncommon for your body to build up some kind of immunity if you are around the cat regularly.

I also keep a sheet over the sofa that I can take off and wash every few days, so there isn't too much cat dander around, as well as washing my bed sheets more frequently. My allergist recommended not vacuuming too often (once every few days or weekly) because vacuuming stirs up dust and dander and it can make your allergies worse if you constantly have dander in the air (it's not all sucked up by the vacuum).


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

There's a lot of great suggestions here so far! I'll add a few 

This may be a touchy subject with your girlfriend, but one of the easiest and best things you can do to reduce your reactions is to not sleep with the cat. Having dander in your pillow is a major trigger, so if you can completely avoid it while you're sleeping it would really help. Also, keep your pillow clean by washing it regularly and look into one of the low allergen pillows.

HEPA filter, vaccum, furnace filters are all great ideas, but they won't help much if the apartment is carpeted and the furniture is cloth. Those things hold onto the dander more, releasing it when agitated. Hard floors, leather furniture, ect are the easiest way to reduce allergens. If there's no option to look at furniture that is easier to get rid of the hair and dander from she could set towels down in the most frequented napping spots and change them once a week. That will seriously cut down on the amount of dander floating around.

Keep the kitties nails trimmed...and consider getting him used to a dremel rather than clippers. Clippers leave pointy edges, but with a dremel you can actually file the nail to make it dull. It doesn't seem like a big deal, but for someone with allergies getting scratched can be excruciating.

As far as drugs go...if you haven't tried them you can't say they won't work for you. many people take claritin, ect without any side effects, so give it a try. If you're not at the moving in stage yet then you honestly can't expect her to make tons of changes in her home without you trying to meet her halfway. I get being cautious about it, but if she's going to be getting hepa filters and completely cleaning her place before you come over every time, not to mention locking her kitty out of her bedroom...take the drugs.

If you are sleeping over, but not moving in, then I'd suggest keeping an extra pillow in your trunk. Seriously, cat dander on the pillow is a big deal if you have allergies.

The best thing she could do to reduce the allergens kitty is producing would be to feed him the best possible diet. Many cats have grain allergies and if their skin is irritated because of allergies then the cat will produce more skin flakes ect themselves. A grain free wet food diet, or a raw diet if she's looking for the best and is open minded, would seriously reduce the level of allergens kitty is throwing off.

Ok, one last tip. You can get filters to put in the air vents, those would be another way of reducing any airborne allergens and would help a lot. If you can't find those then go to a fabric store and buy cotton batting in a 1/2 inch width and cut it to size. Seriously, it's the exact same stuff, but waay cheaper from the fabric store. lol


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