My child is severely allergic to our cats; seeking foster care/new home(s)

[Anonymous]

Despite our best efforts to manage allergens from our cats, our 3 yr old child is severely asthmatic and allergic just being around them, and we have determined the next step is to find a loving foster home or new homes for our kitties because we've had several trips to the emergency room and this is a known trigger. I love the cats dearly, they are gray & white and black & white tuxedo cats that have lived with me for over 10 years and moved across the country with me several times so I don't take this lightly, but I have to put my son's health first. I am NOT seeking medical advice or allergen management advice, we have taken every measure possible and are working with one of the country's top allergists and pediatricians, and this is our next step. I am seeking advice on finding a caring, loving foster home in the MD/DC area and/or new permanent home and reaching out to see if there is someone out there who possibly recently lost a pet or is looking to take a one or two into their home. Also if there's a better discussion board for this where cat lovers hang out, tips would be welcome. In the meantime, I'm also seeking information on who out there bathes cats professionally, as I've been told this can help keep allergens down, but haven't tried that yet. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Can't help since I am allergic but I just wanted to say good for you.

My parents insisted on keeping our cats even though I was severely allergic and asthmatic. It basically meant that I didn't realize till I got to college that I didn't HAVE to wheeze and have a runny nose every day. Good for you for placing your kids health about the cats.

[Anonymous]

We'll take the child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can't help since I am allergic but I just wanted to say good for you.

My parents insisted on keeping our cats even though I was severely allergic and asthmatic. It basically meant that I didn't realize till I got to college that I didn't HAVE to wheeze and have a runny nose every day. Good for you for placing your kids health about the cats.

OP: Thank you for this thoughtful reply, as much as I like animals I don't want to be one of those people that puts pets over their kids' health, but as he has many allergies, it takes a while to narrow down which are the worst triggers and how much they are each contributing. Better to find out now if this helps him than to wait until college!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We'll take the child.

NO, you won't. I'm here looking for foster placement for cats because of an allergy. Are you here trolling for other people's kids? Go away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We'll take the child.

NO, you won't. I'm here looking for foster placement for cats because of an allergy. Are you here trolling for other people's kids? Go away.

Geez, OP, NP here but clearly this was a joke (note the emoticon?)
Sometimes I wonder if cat people have any sense of humor





(that was a joke)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We'll take the child.

NO, you won't. I'm here looking for foster placement for cats because of an allergy. Are you here trolling for other people's kids? Go away.

Geez, OP, NP here but clearly this was a joke (note the emoticon?)
Sometimes I wonder if cat people have any sense of humor

(that was a joke)

1. I am not a "cat person." I took 2 strays in 10 year ago and have been caring for them since then. I don't drool over cat calendars or circulate grumpy cat pictures. 2. You are clearly not a parent or a "people person," because if you were, would know that your "joke" is not funny. Or maybe you're just a clueless asshole? Note the emoticon.

[Anonymous]

OP: try Homeward Trails.

http://www.homewardtrails.org/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We'll take the child.

NO, you won't. I'm here looking for foster placement for cats because of an allergy. Are you here trolling for other people's kids? Go away.

Geez, OP, NP here but clearly this was a joke (note the emoticon?)
Sometimes I wonder if cat people have any sense of humor

(that was a joke)

1. I am not a "cat person." I took 2 strays in 10 year ago and have been caring for them since then. I don't drool over cat calendars or circulate grumpy cat pictures. 2. You are clearly not a parent or a "people person," because if you were, would know that your "joke" is not funny. Or maybe you're just a clueless asshole? Note the emoticon.

Good lord! Can't you even tell when someone's joking? All worked up about nothing!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We'll take the child.

NO, you won't. I'm here looking for foster placement for cats because of an allergy. Are you here trolling for other people's kids? Go away.

Geez, OP, NP here but clearly this was a joke (note the emoticon?)
Sometimes I wonder if cat people have any sense of humor

(that was a joke)

1. I am not a "cat person." I took 2 strays in 10 year ago and have been caring for them since then. I don't drool over cat calendars or circulate grumpy cat pictures. 2. You are clearly not a parent or a "people person," because if you were, would know that your "joke" is not funny. Or maybe you're just a clueless asshole? Note the emoticon.

Good lord! Can't you even tell when someone's joking? All worked up about nothing!

Op seems uptight and crazy. And a little clueless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We'll take the child.

NO, you won't. I'm here looking for foster placement for cats because of an allergy. Are you here trolling for other people's kids? Go away.

Geez, OP, NP here but clearly this was a joke (note the emoticon?)
Sometimes I wonder if cat people have any sense of humor

(that was a joke)

1. I am not a "cat person." I took 2 strays in 10 year ago and have been caring for them since then. I don't drool over cat calendars or circulate grumpy cat pictures. 2. You are clearly not a parent or a "people person," because if you were, would know that your "joke" is not funny. Or maybe you're just a clueless asshole? Note the emoticon.

Good lord! Can't you even tell when someone's joking? All worked up about nothing!

Op seems uptight and crazy. And a little clueless.

+10000

[Anonymous]

I am sorry to hear that you have to give away the cats and looks like you have made that decision already.
Fairfax County Animal Shelter is good at placing pets. You can contact them, or Homeward Trails as someone suggested above. Just mention to them that the cats need to be adopted as a bonded pair. I imagine they are attached to each other. Poor guys.
I am just thankful that you are willing to take the effort of placing them somewhere rather than putting them down.

[Anonymous]

OP, I don't have a specific suggestion for you, but I am going to guess this isn't easy for you, so the jokes may not have landed well. As for the cats, it would be better for the cats if you do a private placement for them, simply because older cats are hard to place. I would fear taking them to a shelter might result in them being killed, so please pick your shelter very carefully.

I am a supporter of Friends of Homeless Animals. They are mostly dog focused, but they do foster cats. I have took a friend's mother's unplaceable cat there many years ago, and they were very generous.

Good luck in a tough situation, but you are making the right choice (and I am a cat person, though not a crazy cat person).

[Anonymous]

Good decision. I am severely cat and dog allergic and my parents kept our dog. They never even took me to an allergist. I spent my childhood on Chlor-trimeton and Benadryl, shackled to a tissue box.

Aside from so many years of my life that I can't remember, being in a constant allergic response has had irreparable negative impact on me. The shape of my face is forever altered by the giant nasal polyps that grew from constant irritation of my nose. My metabolism and endocrine systems are all messed up. I have depression and memory problems in my 40's.

Allergies are not just an "inconvenience". I hope you move swiftly to remove them.

[Anonymous]

Good for you. My husband's mother kept the cat and took her child in for weekly allergy shots until he went to college. She would even bitch at him about taking him to get the shots were an inconvenience. She still talks about that cat though and how she can feel it's presence surrounding her. Weirdo.