Cat Chat Feline Forum

I have had cats for most of my life with no problem. Recently I adopted an 8 year old cat from a rescue centre and I am really allergic to him, streaming eyes and sneezing etc. This is really distressing as he is a very affectionate cat always wanting to be close to me but this results in the above symptoms.
I have another cat and have had many in the past with no allergic reaction. I would really appreciate some advice.

Have you tried an antihistamine? Also don't touch your face after you've stroked your cat, make sure you wash your hands first. You can also buy something called Petal Cleanse which helps with allergies.

Some coats bother me too. You can shave them. Or get a Furnimater. It desheds very well.

How recently did you get the cat? When I got my Pip I was very sneezy, not a problem I'd ever had much with other cats. After three or four weeks it seemed to pass, I just used my hayfever medication until then...

Hello and thanks. Yes I am taking antihistamine and washing my hands. Where can I buy this "petal Cleanse"? I just can't understand why this one cat is causing this when no other cat ever has.

Just seen the reply about something called a furminator! never heard of that either. Where can I buy it? Thanks.

Hi Carol. Every cat is biologically different, so our immune system treats them all differently. The immune response that causes allergic symptoms results from a reaction to a certain molecule or molecules (probably a protein) produced by the cat (most likely a constituent of its skin cells). Something about that molecule will be subtly different from those in other cats you have lived with.

Carol wrote:Hello and thanks. Yes I am taking antihistamine and washing my hands. Where can I buy this "petal Cleanse"? I just can't understand why this one cat is causing this when no other cat ever has.

Hi Carol, I don't know if this will be applicable to you, but I found that I am much more allergic to white/light coloured cats than I am to blacks or dark torties. I was dreadfully allergic to my Siamese cats back in my 20s and when I decided to have cats again in my 40s after many years I stocked up on antihistamines, only to find I was not at all allergic to Lily or Poppy (both black). I only started to experience cat allergy again when I got Gypsy, and after about 6 months I was OK with her. I think others have noticed the same thing, although that may have been on another forum I used to take part in.

Hopefully you'll become aclimatised to your new puss after a while.

I think you can buy Petal Cleanse at Pets At Home but lots of places online stock it which might be cheaper.

Carol, you can get Petal Cleanse on Ebay and a few other places. Just type it into your google search bar and various options come up.

I'm also allergic to cats and same as Lyn I find I react more to some than to others. Whenever I adopt a new cat (I've got 6) I see how I go and if need be take some antihistamines. Also not sure what you're taking now, but the two main types of antihistamines you can buy over the counter are either Loratadine or Citrizine based (ie that's their active ingredient). If the one you're using isn't working try the other one. Tesco have them as an own brand and they're really cheap.

Good luck!

Thanks to everyone who answered my message about my allergy to my new cat. He is ginger with white underneath by the way. I have ordered some Petal Cleanse on-line as Pets at Home don't sell it. I really hope it works and/or I get over it in time as I can't cuddle him any more and he doesn't understand why which is heartbreaking.

Carol wrote:Just seen the reply about something called a furminator! never heard of that either. Where can I buy it? Thanks.

I bought mine at amazon.com
It helped me
Jill

I got the equivalent of a Furminator from the VetUK website. Much cheaper, even if paying £1.99 postage, and it works just as well as the original thing. Looks exactly the same as well.