ok, I have 2 short-hair cats. I'm not allergic to them. Tonight I brought home a cat with long fur, and my nose is going crazy ... itchy, runny, and my eyes are puffing up. Anyone heard of having an allergy to cats with long fur? Or is it possible I'm allergic to the Hartz bath the previous owner bathed him in? (Never had a prob w/ that in the past either.) He's very playful and all, and I'd like to keep him, but I can't deal with allergies ... suggestions? The house is already well-cleaned and filtered because my daughter is somewhat allergic to the dander.

11/28/2005 9:47:26 PM

11/28/2005 9:49:12 PM

It may be something in his hair bothering you. Like he went and rolled in something that youre allergic to. It's a possibility...

11/28/2005 9:49:31 PM

Hmm, well, the fur difference probably isn't it. Fur length in my experience has little to do with it seeing as people are allergic to the dander and/or saliva, not the actual fur. Does this cat shed more than your others? Groom itself more often perhaps? Also, fur length has little to do with how much they actually shed. You can have a short coatedcat that sheds like mad or a long coated cat that never sheds. I am technically allergic to cats myself, however I've noticed that I'm not allergic to all cats. Some cats set me off and I'm miserable, and some can sleep on my head and I'm fine. Depends on the cat. Also, many people develop a resistance to their pets. So perhaps you have a cat allergy but your previous cats just haven't triggered it.

posted by Lutra

[Edited on November 28, 2005 at 9:53 PM. Reason : whoops]

11/28/2005 9:52:26 PM

Humandrive is correct. I am allergic to cats. This is the smallest of the allergen therefore filters, or keeping them in toher room etc does not help. The saliva, hair etc all will cause a reaction. My only explanation to your issue is the fact that allergens work on a threshold process...meaning the allegens need to reach a certain point before causing a reaction. So 2 may just be your limit. I also agree with the fact that there is a difference in cat types and length of hair, but thats me. I have a great test for you if you want to get tested to see if you are allergic to cats or anything else

11/28/2005 10:16:19 PM

my boyfriend is allergic to my two long haired cats but not the short haired one... but it's not too bad because he does develop a tolerance to them after a while.

11/28/2005 10:19:41 PM

^^I'm curious about this test. I have a problem in the dorms.

11/28/2005 10:21:30 PM

I don't see that this one really sheds. My other two shed like crazy - and I know at least one grooms often because he coughs up a lot of hairballs We used to have three cats, and I grew up with cats, and my neighbor's cat (also long hair) doesn't bother me. I've just been miserable since about an hour after I brought him home.

I'd hate to think it's him. He's very sweet - he wants to constantly be petted and held, and he played pretty well with my other male cat last night. The female one doesn't like him - he's about 5 months old and already as big as she is - but that may go away with time. His fur feels like satin, it's so soft.

Do you think if it's the cat the symptoms will go away while I'm at school today? So far I've been good about washing my hands and arms up to my elbow as well as my face every time after I've been in contact with him and it hasn't helped. I even changed my shirt last night. (meaning, I had on a nightshirt then changed it because I went in the bathroom) But, I'll be gone from the house for over 8 hours.


BTW, I have no idea what that photo is supposed to mean. On another note, I did google this before I posted it, and I got mixed results.


\/ I was on allegra before, and it worked pretty well for outdoor stuff. Right now I've taken TWO 10mg loratadine (generic OTC claritin) and I'm waiting for it to kick in so I can go back to sleep. What I read did say allergies are more often to saliva than dander, so it makes me wonder if it's something he ate - he's on crappy food. I just got him so i haven't had a chance to switch him over. I'm in a room where he's never been and I'm starting to feel better except for my mouth being sore from hanging open all night because I can't breathe through my nose and I feel like I'm getting a sinus headache from all the blowing. Ugh. I'm not sure what I'm going to do if it's an allergy to the cat - it's not really fair to rehome him again and I don't like the idea of being permanently on meds.

[Edited on November 29, 2005 at 6:24 AM. Reason : :/]

11/29/2005 6:10:50 AM

It may get better as you get more used to him, but what about taking allergy meds, is that an option? I have 3 dogs, 2 cats, and a rabbit and I am allergic to dogs and rabbits (not to mention horses, mice, rats, gerbils, hamsters, dust, and pollen) but I usually take zyrtec (benadryl right now b/c I'm pregnant) and it does the trick. How often does he groom himself? If he "washes" himself a lot, then I'd be willing to bet that his saliva is triggering your reaction. Hope it gets better soon!

11/29/2005 6:15:54 AM

I was taught in companion animal classes that most people are actually allergic to a protein in the cat's saliva that gets rubbed all over the fur during cleaning - not the actual hair of the cat. Thus long vs. short haired shouldn't matter but so much - perhaps how much saliva it takes to thoroughly clean it?

I'm not allergic to any animals, but I do find that I'm occassionally "temporarily" allergic to new cats, sometimes dogs or horses. I figure that my immune system is just doing its job and creating new antibodies against something in the cat. It'll take me a few days to get over the watery and itchy eyes and a runny nose. About the time I realize I have the symptoms I start washing my hands and face thoroughly, constantly. It usually clears it up within a day or so. Hope it clears up for you!

[Edited on November 29, 2005 at 6:28 AM. Reason : .]

11/29/2005 6:27:10 AM

^^^^ the test is a blood test in which you need to get 2ml of serum and we test it. It is sensitive and specific as skin prick with less discomfort. ask your doctor for ImmunoCAP.

11/29/2005 8:57:48 AM

i've found that allegra doesn't do much for animal allergies. my husband is allergic to cats (and we have one) so he takes zyrtec. as long as he takes it, he is just fine. he says he definitely has different reactions to long and short hair cats. long hair cats drive his allergies crazy. probably just due to more/different type of dander due to the oils and other crap in the hair.

[Edited on November 29, 2005 at 9:11 AM. Reason : er]

11/29/2005 9:10:54 AM

one more time

it's not the hair you're allergic to and the only reason someone would have a different reaction to short haired versus long haired cats is simply because the long haired cat has more hair to lick.

you're allergic to a protein in the cat's saliva. the cat licks himself to groom himself and if he's got longer hair, then he's got to do that much more licking.

11/29/2005 1:43:27 PM

I'm allergic to some cats and not others (the same symptoms you descirbed)... I was told it was because they all have different chemistry. I actually have less problems with my allergies around some long haired cats.
Don't get rid of the cat... just take some allergy medicine. I'm poor, but I'm too obsessed with my animals and rescuing animals to let allergies get in the way

11/29/2005 6:19:12 PM