Asthma and cat ( aka ted)

[Mrteddycat]

hi has anyone get a tight chest , wheezy etc , asthma , because of there pet ? Been on hols all week, spending a lot of time at home and with Ted the cat , finding myself wheezier than normal . Any ideas , teds staying btw lol. ?

[Bevvy]

How long have you had Ted for? It may well not be him. Certainly where I live the weather has taken a turn for the better and possibly it is pollen that is bothering you…..

[Mrteddycat in reply to Bevvy]

Had ted 5 year , long hair maine coone . Normally give him a hair cut ( try to ) or the vets do it . Still freezing here ( in scotland !)

[Bevvy in reply to Mrteddycat]

I’ve heard of people developing new allergies in adulthood but it’s rare to develop an allergy to own pet after having for such a long time……..

[Mrteddycat in reply to Bevvy]

Maybe give antihistamines a go. Awa to a sunnier clime for a few days in a cpl weeks without ted so ill see how i am.

[Patk1 in reply to Mrteddycat]

I would try antihistamine x

[Mrteddycat in reply to Patk1]

Thanks patk x

[ChrissieMons in reply to Bevvy]

It might be rare, but it happened to me! Sadly, the cat had to be rehomed.

[Homely2 Administrator]

I am not allergic to dogs but pet dander from dogs gives me heavy asthma attacks. So for me a heavy housecleaning regime would be my first move.

[sciencepotato in reply to Homely2]

Apparently that's because dander is pernicious and settles on the lung tissue as my allergist explains

[fraid]

I am allergic to cats, always have been, always have/ worked with them. I notice my asthma is worse now, not sure if the cat but I always use one hand to pet, other touch face etc. Use Cetirizine if bad/ forget regime, she been in fields so pollen on coat, brush her re dander - usual suspect. Dox always say get rid of pet! Nope. Also maybe when away less allergens? Hi Teddy. 😸

[Mrteddycat in reply to fraid]

Ted says hi 😻. Gonna try a balm for allergens u rub around nostrils . Ill try anything lol. Hes needing a haircut badly lol

[fraid in reply to Mrteddycat]

Not sure you should cut cat's hair? Also, I wipe warm damp cloth over Heckerty to damp allergens, she loves it. Make sure you wash hands eyes etc. after touching cat, polish and hoover house madly. Cetirizine. 😷

[fraid in reply to Mrteddycat]

Think you may mean dematting so best let someone else do that or your allergy will rage! 😸

[Mrteddycat in reply to fraid]

Just a trim

[TheBard1 in reply to fraid]

I couldn't agree more: cats bring all kinds of things in on their coats and with the climate going haywire, who knows what they are bringing in. I use pet gloves for grooming (the ones with little rubber teeth on the palms and fingers) & that usually does the trick, but there are some brilliant ideas on this forum which I'll be taking away. Damp cloth sounds really good. And you're right: doctors always say get rid; my response is that my asthma would be much worse because of the stress of doing such an unnecessary thing. Good luck and good breathing.

[Kniterbug]

hi. My biggest allergy is cats. Was triggered when pregnant even though we had cats for years. 45 years on still got it. I stay well away from cats now. Antihistamine really helped me plus asthma treatments. Good luck. I’m glad it’s not dogs I’m allergic too .

[Itswonderful]

Hi Mr teddycat. Sorry to hear you have been struggling and you think it may be your darling Teddy. Personally, I've come to the conclusion that I'm allergic to so many things that even without my darling kitties in my life I would still have allergies. I realise that cats may not be such a big problem for me as for others so this is purely personal. I do my best to mitigate any allergy from them by damp dusting daily. I have hard floors and I have a robot hoover that goes on every day which has been a game changer for me. I have a Bissell crosswave that is a help too. I make sure I take all inhalers as prescribed and the antihistamine etc. I have two hairless kitties and a short hair. Oh and I have used Cat Wipes if needed and the cat actually loves them. They might help ?

[Mrteddycat in reply to Itswonderful]

Hi ya , gonna try wipes daily on ted.

Ted

[Itswonderful in reply to Mrteddycat]

Hope it helps! My cat would purr as soon as she saw them 💖. PS I love Ted😍. And I love his bed too!

[Mrteddycat in reply to Itswonderful]

Looks cock eyed in pic but hes not lol. Love him to bits

[Itswonderful in reply to Mrteddycat]

Not surprised

[Redrose2024 in reply to Mrteddycat]

Your Ted is absolutely gorgeous! Looks very majestic. I used to have a kitten before being diagnosed with asthma 27 years ago but as I got older I developed allergies to both cats and dogs which is sad as I love all animals and had to deny our children the joy of having a pet. I hope you can find something to ease your symptoms.

[ellamental]

I had a cat as a teenager and was fine but once I hit 18 any cat triggered terrible asthma attacks so I have avoided them since. I stayed in a house with two cats at one point and it was terrible. I am not allergic to many things... Christmas trees set me off too 🤷‍♀️ but I can stand outside in a yellow field and be fine. We are all different. I hope you find an answer in antihistamines. My husband had no allergies and had taken ibruprofen many times but once in his 40's his face swelled up and he ended up in hospital. 😬

[Mrteddycat in reply to ellamental]

Cheers for reply ella , ill give antihistamines a try.

[Hidden]

Have you had allergy tests done? I thought I was allergic to cats for years. Had tests done and it turned out I wasn’t allergic to cats. Other allergens were affecting me.

[Mrteddycat in reply to Hidden]

No but ive nurse next week , can they do tests like these ?

[Hidden in reply to Mrteddycat]

I’m not sure. I Canada I had to see an allergy specialist. But, it’s definitely worth it.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador]

It seems a sudden allergy is possible but also seems like there may be another explanation if it's suddenly started during the week you're off work and at home more. Could there be other triggers? You may find it useful to download the Kleenex pollen app which tells you exactly what pollens are active near you.

I once thought I'd developed a cat allergy but it was actually being around fresh paint that was a trigger. If you've been doing DIY or cleaning it may be related to that. I'm not allergic to dust mites but a doctor pointed out to me that dust is still an irritant and can be a trigger, even if you're not allergic.

[strongmouse]

Yes I developed an allergy to both dog and cat dander. Have had pets years ago with no problem.

Now I can't be in the same room as I can feel my chest tightening.

I did discover that there is a spray called Petal Cleanse which you can spray on the animal (do a patch test first) which neutralises the dander. My son asked us to look after his dog while he was away on holiday and it worked. You can ask your GP for a skin test to see if you are sensitive.

allergybestbuys.co.uk/produ...

If you are allergic to cat dander you will need to hoover and clean all soft furnishings as well to get rid of any. Probably best to keep the cat out of the bedroom.

[Mrteddycat in reply to strongmouse]

Thanks mouse, yea was gonna try petal cleanse, wife wdnt dream of not letting teddy in the bedroom . He’s got his own bedroom lol, but comes thru during the night to stand all over us sit on us and sing like a motorbike ! Its difficult

[Mrteddycat in reply to strongmouse]

Got bumps back of tongue just now but run down. Maybe the inhaler?

[Birthday60]

yep - hadn’t realised how my cat had impacted on my health / when we were on holiday I was much better but didn’t link it. When she died I gave myself 6 months - unbelievable improvement!! So no more cat. I knew I was allergic to guinea pigs and certain dogs, when I was referred to a consultant recently the first questions he had were over my exposure to smoking and pets… he commented that it frustrated him when he was presented with asthmatics who not only smoked but had multiple cats/dogs - upset him that he couldn’t get them to try to help themselves

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to Birthday60]

It shouldn't be a blanket rule that asthma =no pets though. I would be very unimpressed with a consultant who made assumptions that pets were automatically a trigger for all asthmatics and blamed me for having them, or told me to get rid of them without further investigation.

Clearly you are allergic to several animals, but not everyone with asthma is (or allergic to all animals even if they are allergic to some of them), and it is a big deal to have to find a new home for pets, as I'm sure you know since you waited until it happened naturally.

This is something a consultant should be sensitive to and careful with. It could also be someone's career or livelihood that is potentially at stake, and they'd really need to know if they actually have to give it up - another sensitive topic. And some people do want to make changes but they can only do so much when others around them eg family won't play ball - it's not necessarily always up to them.

I have severe and poorly controlled asthma with no pets and minimal exposure to animals in general. I'm not allergic to any of them that I'm aware of from experience and testing, and the one time I thought I was being triggered by cats it turned out to be something else entirely (fresh paint).

[Pipsqueak77 in reply to Lysistrata]

Hi

Totally agree Lysistrata….

I wouldn’t be very impressed with a consultant who assumed that every asthmatic that walked through his door had allergies.

I am classed as a severe asthmatic, take all the usual meds and biologic and I am not allergic to anything, animal or otherwise!

Mrteddycat I hope it all works out for you and Ted.. don’t just assume you have developed an allergy to cats. It could be any number of things that have upset your asthma. Persevere and like Lysistrata it will hopefully be something else entirely.

Take care 😊👍

[Birthday60 in reply to Lysistrata]

He had already established that I had allergic asthma and was corrdcg to be frustrated when or dad enter with allergic asthmatics insisting on keeping pets they had been diagnosed ax allergic to. The other thing he wanted to check wax if I had a compost heap in my garden !!

[Itswonderful]

to add to previous reply, I also have air fresheners in the house as well as humidifiers. Again, I'm aware that this is not for everyone but it helps me

[fallon12]

Hi, Yes I’ve had to give our cat away. All started ok till around the 3rd week of our beautiful Millie. I was ok even got allergie test 2 weeks before cat. Then I ended up in A & E week after week . Took allergy tablets kept my distance and didn’t stop cleaning. But in the end we had to give Millie away. We were all heart broken. I do have severe asthma but when I tested negative for being allergic to cats and dogs I was delighted and in denial that things could go wrong. I hope your coping ok and I hope you can keep Ted .