My DD is allergic to cats. Lots of sneezing itchy eyes, etc. My parents recently got a cat. It is suppose to not be at allergy inducing but it is. My mom watches her when I work, so not letting her over will not work. I'm looking for something that can help. Maybe something homeopathic or like that. She does take zyrtek which helps but not 100%. Mom has stated to give the cat a bath before she comes over and the house is cleaned regularly, hardwood floors. Thank you in advance!
I have to admit that I think I'd go get allergy testing and ask the allergist to give her shots.
It will take a while, but shots will really help her in the long run. Also, it may get a lot worse the more she is exposed to the cat. Then you'll HAVE to do something.
Good luck!
Dawn
wow! that sucks!
cat dander is REALLY pervasive, and the allergy to it is miserable. you may have to get your daughter the allergy shots (which have their own set of problems.)
or you may have to find another care provider, i'm sorry to say. it would be great if there were a really good homeopathic fix for this. there would be widespread rejoicing. but very few cures work for cat allergies.
khairete
S.
I agree with Suz!! Allergies to cats are horrible and the dander is everywhere. I can go into someones house and never actually see and cat to know one lives there. Less than 5 minutes in, my body reacts. If I am exposed for a couple of hours I can feel the effects for 2 days after. It does not go away when I leave. It has to leave my body. I take daily allergy meds (Allegra) and have tried them all. I also take Benadryl when I know I will be exposed.
I would tell your mom that she needs to get rid of the cat. If she cares about her grandchild then she will.
That is tough. A cat allergy is a bid harder to manage than others because, as my doctor explained it to me, cat dander gets every where and is sticky. If you don't have a cat and your neighbor does and it happens to come into your home once a month...it is just like you having an indoor cat because the dander is there.
So, while bathing the cat and cleaning regularly helps it certainly does not remove the allergens completely. Did your Mom know daughter was allergic when she got the cat even though she knew your daughter was there often? If so, that is a shame. Can your mom watch your daughter at your home instead? BTW...your mom could carry some dander to your home too?
My daughter takes Zyrtec in the am and Singulair in the pm. She also has to use a nasal spray and/or eye drops when her something triggers her...plants, pets, and cigarette smoke are the worst. She was briefly exposed to some cigarette smoke at our neice's birthday party and has been coughing since...breathing treatments for over two weeks now and we had to get an antibotic and steriod last week. She's on the mend now.
My husband and dd are really allergic to cats. The allergist said the best thing is to stay away from it. My husband's allergies trigger asthma and my dh breaks into hives if she gets too exposed.
Baths do help with cats, but unfortunately, the cat dander gets everywhere, it's impossible to get rid of it. They say it takes 6 months after a cat leaves to really get most of the dander out of the air and materials.
When I was in practice there was a product called Allerpet. It came in a black and white bottle and is meant to be used to protect humans from pet dander. You would rub it into the animals fur. A lot of people used it and it worked. But lord knows that was 11 years ago and I am not sure if it still exists. hope this helps
eta: I just looked it up on amazon and it had great reviews! Looks like people still love it.
Is this the only thing she takes allergy meds for? If so, I would find someone else to watch her. Making your child take a medication to be around a cat is not right. How old is she? You don't know how these medications really affect you in the long run, especially with small children (especially Zyrtec which is known to make behavior problems in children).
Like everyone else says, cat dander is really hard to deal with. I just moved into a house that previous owners had a cat and thought that getting new carpet, cleaning the entire house and walls, and getting the air vents cleaned would be enough...but I don't think it was. My allergies are worse than ever.
I hate to say it, but either the cat goes your your daughter does.
Sometimes people are just sensitive to a specific cat's dander more so than others. My brother is allergic to my parents' flame point siamese mix even after growing up with short haired and long haired cats and never having any problems. At any rate, is there any way your mom could watch your daughter at your house instead of hers? I realize there's probably a reason it's done at her house (whether it be convenience for your mom or whatever), but see if she'd be willing to come to your house?? Other than that, see about buying allergen quality air filters for your parents' house to help cut down some and suggest that the cat be banned from one room so your daughter can take naps in relatively cat-free zone.
I'm allergic to cats and I'm more allergic to the Rex cats (with minimal fur) than the ones with lots of fluffy fur (Persian, etc). I'm not sure bathing will help much (and I suspect the cat won't like it), and it's really hard to clean away the allergen. Keeping the cat out of the bedroom where your daughter naps would be a must. I do think most people get desensitized naturally, at least to some level, if they have to live with a cat. If it was me, however, I'd see if your mom would be willing to give the cat away or else look for child care elsewhere, if at all possible. Also, although most people are allergic to a certain allergen which they use for allergy testing, it's possible to be allergic to other cat allergen(s) as well - I am, so I don't show up as positive in allergy tests, and it took me a while to figure it out (I had a cat when I became allergic).
My grandma is severely allergic to cats... as in her lungs will literally shut down when she is around them.
She used to go in once a month for a shot... I can't remember what it's called, but she said that it helped a LOT!
Also... Most people aren't allergic to the fur itself, but the dander on the fur... This link has some good cat-care and house-cleaning tips for keeping the dander down. :)
Is the cat kept out of the bedrooms where your daughter naps? My son is allergic to cats and we have a cat. She is kept out of all the bedrooms. We have hardwood floors and I swiffer under furniture once a week and vacuum once a week. Make sure the heater vents/air returns are vacuumed as well. Zyrtec is also what my son has along with an inhaler since it's allergy/cold induced asthma.
You need to take DD to an allergy specialist. My DH is allergic to cats, even though he lived with cats at various times throughout his life. He gets allergic asthma, itchy eyes and skin and runny nose. Allergy medicine helps with the symptoms and he has an inhaler that he uses... BUT he is MISERABLE when he is around cats. It's that kind of being miserable that kind of sneaks up on you, not the being outright sick kind: the quality of his sleep suffers (possibly due to the meds), he is grumpy, tired, headachey, even depressed.
You could talk to a doctor about getting DD desensitized (allergy shots, DH wishes he had gotten them as a kid... he got them for dust but not cats...) or at least get her on prescription meds and last but not least think about finding a different caregiver for her.
If the Zyrtek isn't working, try Allegra or Claratin. We have different medications for different people in our house. If the allergy is severe, then you may need to investigate allergy shots. My aunt has become so allergic to various trees and is so miserable all the time that she is taking shots so she can step out her front door. If your mom doesn't vacuum the furniture, then just sitting on the couch can be misery for your daughter. It's really hard because the allergy isn't the cat per se, but the dander. Which is everywhere.
