Cat allergy-densensitisation

anniehoo

A friend of mine got a kitten there on the weekend and is already head over heels in love. The thing is she has started sneezing and where the kitten playfully scratched her a welt has come up on her hand. The kitten is only 12 weeks old so the mark it left was tiny.The welt is definitely a reaction of some sort. Shes afraid that she has an allergy to cats that she didnt know about. She doesnt want to give her up but is wondering if theres anyway of getting densensitised to whatever allergen is in the cats dander etc.

Anyone any experience in successfully treating an animal allergy?

lorebringer

Your friends doctor should be able to help - she may be a simple antihistamine.

I lived with someone that was allergic to dogs for a while but because we dusted regularly, brushed the dogs every day (and washed them regularly), changed their bedding quite often and the hoover became our very best friend he was ok with them. It get to him sometimes but he wasn't in bits with it.

The Sweeper

The allergen comes from dander (skin) and the protein in the saliva (which the cats transfer to their fur while grooming - hence you feel like you're allergic to cat fur).

There are a few considerations - if your friend has asthma she needs to be careful because asthmatic reactions to animals can be very serious, and are often most severe 12 hours after initial exposure to the allergen.

Otherwise, if it's just a thing where her nose runs and her eyes itch, there are a few easy things to do.

First, sensitivity to an allergen like pet dander can lessen with continued exposure, so in about four weeks your friend may find she hardly reacts to the kitten at all, and while she may still have a raised, itchy welt on her skin if scratched, that swelling will go down very quickly.

The next thing to do is lessen the exposure to the allergen. Vacuum a lot, use a blanket on the couch where the kitten likes to lie and wash that regularly, dust a good bit, and always wash hands after handling and stroking the cat.

Do not, for instance, go and lie with the kitten on a couch covered in cat hair, let it wash your chin, stroke it, then rub your eyes with your hands, and wonder why your nose is streaming 10 minutes later.

Keep the cat OUT of the bedroom. That room needs to be permanently off limits to the cat - the worst thing you can do, with a pet allergy, is spend eight hours inhaling concentrated pet in your sleep because it's all over your bedclothes.

Pet allergies are very manageable - I'm allergic to pet dander and I live with six cats and a dog. Vacuuming and fur-proof furniture (microsuede) and no pets in the bedroom are the secrets.

In terms of an antihistamine to ward off discomfort, my allergies are worst in my nose and on my chest with asthma - so I use my asthma preventer as I'm supposed to, and have no trouble; I've given up on OTC antihistamines in pill-form, and instead use nasal sprays like beconase, which offer relief from runny nose in 10 minutes. They're simply fantastic.