Cat question

[Anonymous]

My son has been asking for a cat for years and I finally want to surprise him with one for Christmas. However, I need to find one that's not going to completely shut my lungs down....cat allergy. Any recommendations other than medication, which I plan to do..

[Anonymous]

Furminator and short-haired cat, obviously. Maybe there is a more hypoallergenic breed? I have a regular domestic shorthair I adopted and he gives me slight allergy trouble but he's so worth it. Just make sure you really can handle it or it sounds like a recipe for disaster.

[Anonymous]

I am not sure if there are any hypoallergenic type cats, but there are hairless ones like Sphynx cats. I don't think the hairlessness will help with allergies, though, because I think the allergy is related to cat saliva or something. Hairlessness will help keep your house cleaner, though.

You could do allergy shots. Years ago, a friend of mine had major cat allergies and moved in with a boyfriend who had two cats. She went with allergy shots and said she got to the point that she was fine around the cats, but I think it took many months. Alas, her sacrifice for love was not worth it because they eventually broke up.

[Anonymous]

My daughter is allergic to cats. She is fine as long as she washes her hands after handling him. I vacuum regularly to keep cat hair off the floors and furniture. We don't let the cat into her room at all.

[Anonymous]

op, if you have a reasonably large house and yard, why don't you think about getting the kind of dog that's known for cat-like behavior - the jindo, for instance? They're absolutely wonderful dogs, and amazingly like cats.

Cat allergies are funny things - sometimes they're manageable, and sometimes you end up having to give the cat away because they're so bad. You don't want to put your family through that.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PPs - this is very hard to predict/manage. There really are no hypoallergenic cat breeds which function similar to those dog breeds which are slightly more allergy friendly. We have 3 cats (I'm allergic) and I also find some of the cats bother me more than others. I think this is going to be hard to predict or save yourself from, no matter how hard you try.

I LOVE animals and dearly love our cats. They are very special and I would never give them away. That said, we need to be without cats. When they pass away, we will not get any more. (I may have started a slogan of "pet free by 2023!"). I say it from the most sensitive place in my heart - it is wonderful that you want to do this for your child, and that you also want to provide a loving home for a cat. But don't do it. Get a dog your allergies can handle, or nothing. I know it is hard, but it's not worth suffering for years.

[Anonymous]

I do think you can train a cat to respect proper boundaries. Its all about being consistent, feeding them the right food, making sure they take long naps, and giving them toys to take out their hunting instincts on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do think you can train a cat to respect proper boundaries. Its all about being consistent, feeding them the right food, making sure they take long naps, and giving them toys to take out their hunting instincts on.

As a long-time cat owner (4 cats over 20 years), I have to disagree. They may respect the boundaries in your presence but they will do what they damn please when you're not home. I never catch my cats on the kitchen table but I know they go there at night because sometimes I come down in the morning and things that were on the table are now on the floor. But they don't do it in my presence because they know it's forbidden.

I love cats. But OP, I would not get one unless you are certain you can deal with the resulting allergies for the next 15 to 20 years. And if you do get one -- get two so they can entertain each other! One more thing -- definitely get a shorthair. We've always had shorthairs and they still shed like crazy. We clean about three times more than we used to (which is probably a good thing). I can't imagine how much worse it would be with a longhaired cat. My friend has one and her place, despite frequent cleaning, is awful.

[Anonymous]

My DH has cat allergies but can adjust to a specific cat. It takes about two months of meds and misery on his part though. It may not be the best health decision for him.

We have protective covers on our pillows and mattresses, but don't vacuum and groom nearly as much as would be good.

A quick google came up with breeds that are less likely to produce an allergic reaction. More time consuming and expensive to buy a cat of a particular breed, but that may be the solution you need.

[Anonymous]

You could also look at a hairless breed, but they don't eliminate allergies as it's often the dander or oils that people are allergic to, and not the hair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do think you can train a cat to respect proper boundaries. Its all about being consistent, feeding them the right food, making sure they take long naps, and giving them toys to take out their hunting instincts on.

As a long-time cat owner (4 cats over 20 years), I have to disagree. They may respect the boundaries in your presence but they will do what they damn please when you're not home. I never catch my cats on the kitchen table but I know they go there at night because sometimes I come down in the morning and things that were on the table are now on the floor. But they don't do it in my presence because they know it's forbidden.

I love cats. But OP, I would not get one unless you are certain you can deal with the resulting allergies for the next 15 to 20 years. And if you do get one -- get two so they can entertain each other! One more thing -- definitely get a shorthair. We've always had shorthairs and they still shed like crazy. We clean about three times more than we used to (which is probably a good thing). I can't imagine how much worse it would be with a longhaired cat. My friend has one and her place, despite frequent cleaning, is awful.

Lol, I've owned cats a lot longer than that.

[Anonymous]

Do you know anyone that has a cat? How are your allergies when visit their home? If it bothers you to visit homes with cat, it will be even worse to have one in your home.

I've known one person whose allergies were only affected by gray cats. And, another was fine being in a room/home with a cat as long she didn't pet the cat.

[Anonymous]

Why are you going to make yourself suffer and take medication, for a cat, just because your child wants one?