Boyfriend allergic to my cats

[Anonymous]

My boyfriend seems to be allergic to my cats. Anyone have tips on how to clean my house and my cats so that my boyfriend can come over without getting congested/ having a reaction? I did hire a house cleaner just in case I was doing a poor job cleaning, but he still gets congested even after they clean. Any ideas?

[Anonymous]

He should get allergy shots if he wants to remain in the relationship.

[Anonymous]

There's nothing you can do other than get rid of your cats.

[Anonymous]

OP, unfortunately, nothing you do will change the fact that he's allergic to your cats. I had to break up with someone over his pet cat. Unfortunately there's no other way around it.

[Anonymous]

I had a cat and literally scrubbed the walls, washed all curtains, had the sofa cleaned before a friend came to stay. she lasted 30 minutes and went to a hotel. If someone is really allergic to cats there isn't anything you can do cleaning wise.

[Anonymous]

I'm 21:08. A coworker said she wanted to set me up with a great guy, friend of the family, and oh, he's allergic to cats. I said don't even bother- it will never work out.

[Anonymous]

Damn. This doesn't make me hopeful. I'll talk to him about allergy shots and see if he's receptive. He's not into medicine though and I don't think he will like that idea. I never would have gotten involved with someone who was allergic to cats, but he apparently didn't know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's nothing you can do other than get rid of your cats.

This. My BF said it's him or the cats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's nothing you can do other than get rid of your cats.

This. My BF said it's him or the cats.

Obvi BF has to go!

[Anonymous]

Time to move on. As someone allergic. Nothing you do will help. Once cats have been in your place you would have to burn everything to get rid of the cat issue.

The minute I walk in a house I can instantly tell if they have a cat. There is just that smell.

Get a new boy friend who enjoys cats.

[Anonymous]

Get a dog

[Anonymous]

Shots are not that effective for animal allergies. It's either the cats or the boyfriend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Shots are not that effective for animal allergies. It's either the cats or the boyfriend.

I disagree with this PP, sort of. My DH is hugely allergic to every mammal (besides humans). To the point where he has an itching attack and asthma attack if he's around a poodle for 5 min. We've tested every animal and ended up with birds. Anyways, he took shots for dogs...took a couple of years but we now have a dog. We are smart about it, though--the dog doesn't go into his home office, or upstairs (where the bedrooms are). That way DH has "safe zones" in the house to retreat to if he needs to, and also he's not constantly exposed when at home. Meanwhile I have a Roomba and I use it often.

Cats, though, are tricky because I think about 1/3 of the population is allergic to them (not so with dogs and other animals). How many cats, how old, etc? If it gets serious, I'd think about rehoming your cats for his sake (I don't mean a shelter, I mean finding a home for them). Also, if he is allergic to other animals maybe he could get shots for a dog--meaning, for something easier, and you could get a dog in the future.

I want to say, I've been married to my DH for almost 20 years, and he is a great guy and I'm so lucky. He was engaged before to a woman with a dog, and it was hell for him. One of his legs used to become itchy/inflamed every now and then. It turned out there was a dog hair stuck in the seam that dry cleaners didn't get out. She would not have any boundaries with the dog, and the dog slept in her bed. Obviously, it didn't work out, for that and other reasons.

When we were dating, I remember thinking, "wow, if I marry him, I'll never have a dog!" And over time, I became ok with that, but I'm a big animal person, so it was something to sit with. Anyways, I'm just saying, OP, if he's the right guy for you, I hope you put him first.

[Anonymous]

You have to decide who you want in your life more - the cat or the boyfriend

[Anonymous]

My allergic-to-cats BF married me! The cats aren't allowed in the sleeping area. Obviously, his allergies must be relatively mild but he always mentions that he breathes so much better when we are on vacation. Married 9 years now and one of the cats is 16 and still kicking.