cat allergy question...
So, for the past couple of days, I have been kitten-sitting 3 cute little kitties that my ex got for my kids. (the plan is that the cats live at his house, but he is having his toilet replaced....open plumbing + 3 curious kittens = disaster )
So the cats are staying with me and of course, I have fallen in love with these crazy little guys and want to keep them (he wants me to keep them, too. Its a well laid out plan of his...)
Problem is, I seem to have some kind of cat allergy. I don't sneeze or break out in hives or anything. I just wake up with sinus problems and bad migraines....not fun. I've researched a little online and it seems that some people are allergic to the litter. I wondered if that could be the cause of my headaches. I have no other allergies and live with dogs plus a variety of other animals with no problems whatsoever.
I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced an allergy like this and how did you cope. What kind of litter do you use? I know there are the natural ones. Would that help....?
I have cat allergies so I have to take an allergy pill every other day or so. it's gotten much better than before when i had to take a pill twice a day. I mostly get sinus problems (sneezing, congestion) but if I go too long without my pill then I will start getting itchy.
OMG, those kittens are absolutely precious!
I hope your allergies get better. As far as litter, we've used many different kinds; Yesterday's News, Feline Pine, and finally settled on World's Best Cat Litter. It's the only one she "liked," LOL!
If you're that allergic and it's bothering you, I would recommend keeping your bedroom a kitty-free zone if you can and making sure you change your sheets often and vacuum, vacuum, vacuum. Also, I've heard that bathing them can help if it happens to be a dander thing. If you start when they're young they can actually learn to enjoy it.
Good luck and give those little cuties some lovies. :)>>>
I am allergic to cats and lived with one (no one "owns" a cat) for 11 years. My vet said, "It sounds dumb but the best way to deal with it is to live with one." After the first year or so, I would only itch if I touched my eyes after petting him, or if he scratched me, which he only did about 2 times, both because he was frightened and was "taking off" from my lap.
I guess that's where I got the habit of washing my hands a LOT, like every hour or so.
Don't let an allergy stop you unless it's the kind where you go into anaphylactic shock or stop breathing from asthma. Cats are the coolest, and they say that stroking a cat lowers your heart rate and bloodpressure.
Thanks for the advice everyone! I am going to go get some different litter today and see if that helps.
Cats are the coolest, and they say that stroking a cat lowers your heart rate and bloodpressure.
These cats are super cool. They are the friendliest kittens I have ever met. Usually kittens run away and hide, but these little guys seem to love the kids and follow them everywhere. As soon as you touch them they start purring....aww...
the news tonight said it is a really bad allergy season going on right now. i wonder if maybe it is environmental vs. kitten? or a combination of the two?
Perhaps. I don't really have seasonal allergies that I know of. It has been damp and rainy here for the past week and that does tend to give me more of the sniffles...its not really the sinus problems that kill me. Its the migraines. I haven't had them at all since going vegan and I just don't think I can deal with a painful headache everyday.
OMG, those kittens are absolutely precious!
If you're that allergic and it's bothering you, I would recommend keeping your bedroom a kitty-free zone if you can and making sure you change your sheets often and vacuum, vacuum, vacuum. Also, I've heard that bathing them can help if it happens to be a dander thing. If you start when they're young they can actually learn to enjoy it.
Good luck and give those little cuties some lovies. :)>>>
Good idea. Right now the litter box is upstairs in my son's room (trust me, he never sleeps in there anyway....) because that's where the kittens were staying at first to be away from the dogs. I plan to move the box to the basement and get an air filter for the bedroom. Hopefullly that will help!
I might try to give them a bath, too. Last night the little girl came and sat on the tub while I was taking a bath. She seemed very intrigued. When I was done she was showing of her balancing routine and totally slipped and fell in. :)>>>
She didn't freak out or anything. She just kinda look around at all the water like, "What just happened!"
I picked her up and dried her off and she was totally fine with it...so maybe....
I might try to give them a bath, too. Last night the little girl came and sat on the tub while I was taking a bath. She seemed very intrigued. When I was done she was showing of her balancing routine and totally slipped and fell in. :)>>>
She didn't freak out or anything. She just kinda look around at all the water like, "What just happened!"
I picked her up and dried her off and she was totally fine with it...so maybe....
Oh, yeah, I forgot that! Popular to contrary belief, you CAN bathe a cat every month or six weeks with no ill effects, and they get used to it. It's so hot here in the summer that my beloved Saul would show up in the bathroom everytime I bathed...I wouldn't wash him with soap every time but I did oftn give him a good wetting to help him cool off...that was before AC here. Bathing him helped him cast his coat in season and cut down on the hair all over the furniture, too.
Do comb or brush the cats regularly too...you can get one of those rubber gloves with stipples all over it to help pick up the hair. Wear those thin rubber gloves to comb them if you're real sensitive.
...that was before AC here.
I saw AC in the paragraph, and I was like ooohh, yg is talking about me. haha Uhhhh :o
:blankstare:
you could also try a shed blade (its a comb that removes shedding hair....
I luv my new furminator http://www.furminator.com/ ....Salem didn't lose as much fur as the animals in the ad did, but he won't sit still fur long enough.
K^2