Allergy question

[meezcrazi]

A month ago I fostered a kitten from the vet clinic with the intent to adopt her. She had come in with a wound and needed surgery.
I have an allergy to cats but I already have one cat and found I can get used to them. But after two weeks with this little one I was just getting worse. I was using medicine, an air purifier and cleaning. She was staying in the bathroom and because of her wound only coming out to play for a couple hours at a time.
But the allergies got so bad she ended up having to go back. I felt horrible taking her back but someone else had expressed interest in her because she had such a sweet personality.
Now someone recently said perhaps the allergy was so bad because she was wearing the ecollar and couldn't clean her coat.
I'd like to try again to find my other cat a companion. But don't want to go through heartbreak for them or me.
This kitten was a very short haired cat and my current cat is med/long cottining hair.
Is there a difference with the allergies between coats?

[Taz_Zoee]

Luckily I do not have allergies. But yes, I believe there is a difference between long/medium and short haired cats. The allergies come from the dander in the fur so the longer the hair the more dander (I'm guessing on this, I'm not an expert. But it sounds right, LOL) or the more difficult it is for the cat to groom it out on their own.
My cats are short haired. I lived with a roommate years ago with Taz and she was allergic to her moms and sisters cats but Taz and I lived with her for over a year and she was fine. He even slept on her headboard at night and she had no problems. Bruce's brother is allergic to his other brothers cats (one is medium hair), but he isn't as bad when he's here.
We have plenty of long haired kitties here on PT, perhaps those will see this and weigh in. :)
I say give it a try. You will know if it's not going to work within two weeks, as this last kitten showed you. You'll never know if you don't try.

[catmandu]

You could always see about a Devon Rex or a Sphynx Cat, they are a lot of fun, and very warm hearted Cats to boot.
:love::love::love:

[Karen]

Actually, longer, denser-furred cats can be better for people with allergies because the dense fur keeps the dander closer to the skin. Of course, if the fur is long enough to be brushed, you'd have to wear a mask when brushing! And it makes perfect sense that, because of the e-collar, she could not groom herself, so there was far more dander on her than there normally would be. I am sure that she grew in charm as well as size during her two weeks with you, and she'll be fine.

[aTailOf2Kitties]

my father in law is allergic to cats. If he knows he is going to be around them for a good bit (when his daughter visits she brings hers for several days) he gets an allergy shot. He's OK being around my two for a few hours but longer terms he gets the shot, as needed.

[meezcrazi]

thank you everyone!!