I need some suggestions!

[Donnaj4962]

The good news: I have a great new guy in my life!

The bad news: He is allergic to my kitties!

We have been seeing one another for 8 months now, and it wasn't so bad in the summer when the windows were open, but now that the house is closed up for the winter, his eyes get all itchy and sometimes his hands turn red! If he is in the house for a long period of time, he starts to have trouble breathing! I do my best to sweep the furniture before he comes over and then I cover it with a blanket so Tabby and Sasha can lay on the blanket and then when he comes over, I remove the blankets. I also switched from a broom to a Swiffer for the hardwoods and the linoleum. These two things help a lot, but he still has symptoms. He has gone to the doctor and tried all over the counter and even prescription meds and nothing has helped. His next step is to go to an allergist and possibly get shots, which he is planning to do, bless his heart.

A few weeks ago, he asked me if I were going to move in with someone who was allergic to my cats, what would I do? I looked at him and said I would not just get rid of my cats... and he said that was not what he was asking me or would ever expect me to do. He knows how much I love my kitties, and he knows they are family to me. (For the record, he loves animals, had a cat as a child, a dog as an adult, and his folks have a dog, but he has gotten these allergies in the past few years!)

Please know that I AM NOT going to get rid of my furbabies! What I am asking is if there are any other folks who may have this sort of situation also... and if so, how do they deal with it? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

His allergies aren't so bad that he can't be in my house, and we can tell if I haven't cleaned when he comes over..... I just want him to be more comfortable when he is over! I REALLY like this guy!

[lvpets2002]

Well how about you go to his place.. Is that a option?? I for sure would keep my babies..

[Karen]

Do you have carpets? Hardwood or other smooth flooring is better, traps less dander. Do you have a vacuum with a HEPA filter?

When I am at my sister-in-law's house, we move a hard wooden chair into the living room so I can sit with everyone and chat, and still breathe. Otherwise, it doesn't matter how much she vacuums - and she is a meticulous housekeeper - if I sit on one of the upholstered chairs or couches, I am miserable and snuffly. Wooden chair - fine! Not only do her kitties not bother with hard chairs when comfy surfaces are around, but when you wipe one off, the dander is gone - nothing for it to sink into.

Just my two cents!

[Edwina's Secretary]

I am allergic to cats. I have built up a resistance since having the Es. But there are things that help. One is Claritan. I took it daily for a few years. Now I only use it occasionally.

Back to the handwashing. I never touch my face -- especially my eyes -- unless I have washed my hands well.

[Taz_Zoee]

Bruce's brother was allergic to cats. When he married his wife (almost 15 years ago) she had a couple of cats. She was not going to get rid of them, so he had to deal with it. He is fine now. I'm not sure what his reactions were to them in the beginning, but now he doesn't have a single problem.
Maybe if his symptoms are not "that bad" he would become not allergic to them.

Congrats on the new relationship and I hope you can work things out.

[IRescue452]

Develop a love for pleather furniture. Get an air purifier.

[Pinot's Mom]

My husband is allergic to cats. He's one of those people that when you do the patch tests on their skin, he's allergic to EVERYTHING. When we first got together (27 years ago) he used to get terrible attacks. He went to an allergist ages ago and started on the shots - he's fine. We've had cats for at least 20 of the 27 years; no problem. The shots are painless and he'll get to a point where he only gets them once every several weeks. He may even find out there's something else he's reacting to when they test him - allergists are the best option!

[emily_the_spoiled]

You can also try and keep the bedroom a "cat free" area, so that he doesn't have problems at night.

[Moesha]

I don't know what kind of dwelling you live in, so this may not be a viable option for you. My brother in law has severe allergies. He comes in my house and his eyes run a lot because of my kitties. He has this problem in other places as well. In his previous place, they weren't allowed to have pets inside. They adopted some kitties that came up as strays. The kitties did come inside periodically but not to stay for very long. He and my sister have recently moved into my brothers old house. They brought their 2 kitties and have them inside now. In addition they have adopted one that was hanging around there between the time my brother moved out and they moved in. The cats and also the wood stove don't bother his allergies hardly at all. The only thing that they can attribute it to is that my brother had an ultraviolet filter installed in the central heat/cooling system. The say that these filters work very well for allergens and that's the only thing he can figure since now he has 3 cats living inside his house. He comes over here and still has a reaction. I will see if I can find a link to the product online. I know my neighbor sells and installs them.

[Twisterdog]

I am terribly allergic to cats. Decades of working in shelters and a boarding kennel has not lessened the reaction in the least. I cannot go to my sister-in-law's house, because she has several cats. I can tell if someone owns a cat by standing beside them for a minute, behind them in line at a store, etc.

I could never live in a house with cats. It's just not physically possible. I am not even sure I could live in a house where cats had formerly lived, without completely replacing the carpet, painting, etc.

I would just go to his house to visit, instead of him coming to yours. As far as moving in together, if his allergies are less severe, some of the above suggestions might work. Maybe the cats could stay in one level of the house, or in certain rooms only?

[Medusa]

Having cleaned houses for years, I can tell you that Hepa filters don't do much good, at least according to the people that I cleaned for. Plus I always had cat hair and dander on me no matter what and I'd bring that into their homes as well. An air purifier might be your best bet but your boyfriend must be careful of taking OTC meds for allergies. When my son became ill a year ago and experienced temporary paralysis, one of the drs. told him that OTC meds can cause such things. He showed my son a list of them and it was as long as his arm. He was researching Claritin at the time my son went to the emergency room. To take those meds on a daily basis is a dangerous thing. I sure hope you find a solution. This must be tough for you.

[Donnaj4962]

Thank you all for your suggestions and kind words. He usually comes to my house, simply because I like to cook and he loves my cooking! If we go out to dinner, then we usually end up at his house after.

I have hardwood floors in the lovong room and carpet in the bedrooms and dining room. Linoleum in the kitchen and bathroom. I try my best to keep it clean, especially when I know that he is coming over. I hope to be able to buy an air purifier when I get my tax check back, and he plans to get a doctor appointment to see an allergist asap.

I really like this guy, and I will do all that I can to make this work..... well, short of getting rid of my furbabies! And he would never ask me todo that, and would never expect that. We know that we have some options available to us that can work.

Thanks again!

[Cataholic]

The furnace person that I have do service HIGHLY recommended the HEPA filters. He doesn't sell them, so, it wasn't any incentive on his end. Further, my BIL who is a HVAC contractor swears by them. I just added one to my furnace. They both suggested I change them out much more frequently then usual...every 3 weeks, initially. And, to lose them totally in the summer, as it will restrict my air flow and freeze up my AC.

There are also stand alone air filtration systems out there, including hospital grade ones, that are a long term option.

I have 2 sister in laws and one niece that regualarly take claritin, other OTC drugs, etc. They are all 3 alive and well, without any issues from taking them.

Finally, I would suggest he get allergy testing as you might not be dealing with just cat allergies...it might be many other things, and those, too, should be addressed.

Final finally- some might remember my 4 year old was dx'd with allergies, and prescribed drugs. After a heinous 2 hour allergist appointment, complete with allergy test, Jonah was dx'd as having NO NONE ZIP allergies. None.

[finn's mom]

My ex was allergic to cats, and when we got our cat, Lock, we fed him a raw diet (which my vet said would cut back a little on the allergic reaction, as most are allergic to the dander...which is in part related to the ph of the saliva...which is in part related to the chemicals in their food...I hope I got that right, haha). We also added this supplement to his meat and water that helped level out his ph. I wish I could remember the name of it, but it's been a long time.

Chris took allergy meds when he needed to and always washed his hands. It worked out well and he was even able to cuddle with Lock. But, as soon as he'd walk into a different house with cats, he'd be miserable. I really think the food we fed Lock made a difference.

[Donnaj4962]

I think I am going to look into the hepa filters for the furnace! I rent, so I will check with my landlord to be certain it is okay. I will pay for them myself, so I would think she would be okay with it.

I also want to look into an air purifier, but that will have to wait until I get my tax refund.

My sweetie just bears through it all when he is over, and for now, I do my best to limit the dander. For the record, he has outdoor allergies also, and if he is around indoor/outdoor cats, he has more serious issues (saw that happen this summer and fall). The longer he is in the house, the worse it seems to be. Poor guy, but God bless him for sticking through it! He also has some issues if he is at his parents house for a period of time and around their dog! So it isn't just cat dander.