So, my doctor told me years ago that I am allergic to cats. However, she also told me that my allergies will react differently to different types of cats. For instance, I had one cat I was suppose to cat sit for... my throat immediately closed up when I walked up to it... needless to say I couldn't take care of it.
I have a long haired cat.... no problems what so ever, unless he somehow breaks my skin.
I've always been more allergic to short haired cats.
.... the point of this post is to see if anyone else has experiences like this or knows where to find research.
My roommate got a cat a few months ago that I am highly allergic to... I can't breathe in my house... I told her the first week she had it, she was going to give it to her boyfriend, then it had kittens and things have only gotten worse for me. She doesn't understand how I can have one cat that I am highly allergic to and one that barely, if at all, effects me. And I can't find the proof.... but I want to show her that I am not just being discriminatory against the cat. (even if she would just keep it in her room 24/7 I'd be fine, but she lets it out)

7/26/2007 6:21:28 PM

I'm allergic to the Calico cat at my parents house, but not to our tabby cat here, don't know why though

7/26/2007 7:18:02 PM

I've been told it can depend on the cat's dander as to how it will affects your allergies. I'm allergic to some cats and not others and that's what my doctor told me when i talked to him about it.

7/26/2007 7:47:06 PM

I've got the same deal as Aegri and you, plus I have asthma so it's a double whammy. I take Zyrtec for my allergies and it does a killer job.

7/26/2007 7:51:35 PM

i have more problems with shorthairs than longhairs, but i don't have problems with all shorthairs.


yeah, that doesn't help you at all. :-/

7/26/2007 8:39:20 PM

There is a lot that goes into allergies.

For one, different color cats will have different dander. Light color cats seem to produce less dander than dark colored ones.

How clean the cats are kept is a big thing too. If the cat is washed regularly, it'll give off much less dander.

If you do not let it in the bedroom, that will make a big difference too.

7/26/2007 9:14:42 PM

yea... I think having other people with similar problems might help a bit. I also did some research and it said that sometimes you become immune to your own cats. And I agree that it is the dander, just none of the research on-line says anything about different levels of allergies for different types of cats.
thanks anyhow.

7/26/2007 9:18:20 PM

Same here too, as a wee lad, the cat dander and my sister's room (that had her guinea pig) made my eyes water and sinus get stopped up, now its selective as to which cat it is. My stepsister's house with 4 cats doesn't bother me at all, but a random friend's cat can mess me up. On a scale of 1 to fucked up, I've only had my throat swell once a few years ago.

If you want to find out, it sounds like you might have already, the doctor can run a full allergy test. Basically it looks like a semi-circle protractor with a bunch of miniature pricks all around it, each containing some enzyme or trait from different things; seafood, milk, dogs, peanut butter, condoms, whatever. Things might have changed since its been a while since I had that.

[Edited on July 26, 2007 at 9:22 PM. Reason : .]

7/26/2007 9:21:35 PM

I've noticed how this is true too. Some cats I'm allergic to (i.e. my roommate's DEMON cat), but all the cats I've ever owned or my mom's ever had, I've never been allergic to. It's realllly weird.

7/31/2007 6:06:47 AM

i had a cat when i was a kid that i was not allergic to

i guess i developed my allergies later on because every cat i've been around since then causes my breathing to become heavy and i hate the feeling

but what i hate more is people who don't understand my allergies and are inconsiderate

7/31/2007 10:30:22 AM

cat allergies are attributed to the protein found mostly in their saliva, a little in the skin but not most people are reacting to the saliva. this is a very common misconception. as far as varying degrees of allergies with different cats, that has to do with how much the cat grooms himself. each cat is different and therefore you react differently.

7/31/2007 10:37:23 AM

if I was allergic to a cat, could I bathe the cat occasionally to keep me from reacting to the cat?

7/31/2007 11:32:20 AM

that would probably help, but is the cat going to lick itself all over right after the bath to dry off? you should have it professionally bathed and dried probably. also, regular grooming (brushing especially) will help b/c the cat wouldn't have to lick as much to remove excess hair. if you're highly allergic i would let someone else do the brushing though.

also, making sure the cat is always up to date on some sort of flea preventative (frontline or whatever), will help too. even if your cat is indoors, fleas can find it and one little flea can create a mess of a reaction (for the cat) and cause it to lick and scratch and stuff.

[Edited on July 31, 2007 at 11:43 AM. Reason : ]

7/31/2007 11:42:10 AM

I have the same problem. I am not as allergic to my parents cat as I am others. I can go home and probably last a day before I start to feel any effects: I get itchy, break out into hives, start to tear up and have trouble breathing but my throat never closes up. I've never, thankfully, been that allergic.

Other cats I walk in a feel it right away. Went to see a friend of my bf in the Outer Banks, and another in mountains...both times right away I started having problems.

My best friend's cat back home, may she RIP, I was never allergic to. I could cuddle with this cat, and she would sleep right near my face and I never had problems. She's the only one though.

I've heard that this relation can be attributed to indoor vs outdoor cats. My parents cat is strictly indoor, and so was the one I had no reaction to. All outdoor cats and long haired I have had reactions to.

Quote :

"I also did some research and it said that sometimes you become immune to your own cats."

exactly what happened to my dad. they had their cat as a kitten and he's not allergic to her. and he's like I am about cats. Or he just grew out of it. I used to not be allergic, but it started creeping up as I got older. Around the same age as my dad was when he first discovered his allergy. I HOPE that I'll outgrow it as well. I've always wanted a cat, much more a dog person, but I still have wanted a cat.

[Edited on July 31, 2007 at 11:56 AM. Reason : ]

7/31/2007 11:44:16 AM

My allergies aren't severe at all, but my cat likes to curl up beside my head or on my back at night and sleep. I tend to wake up in the morning with an itchy back and stuffy headed.

7/31/2007 11:50:40 AM

^^it all goes back to the amount of licking. the time spent outdoors or whether it's long-haired is secondary to the amount of licking.

if a cat spends more time outside, it spends more time cleaning itself...therefore more saliva, more allergies.

if the cat has more hair, it might spend more time licking...you get the picture hopefully.

7/31/2007 11:52:47 AM

a-ha...makes sense

7/31/2007 11:56:59 AM

I have the same problem. I am fine with my Siamese/Tabby short hair, but my b/f's persian would make me break in hives, and I couldn't breath.

I always figured it was the hair since persian hair is really fine and everywhere.

7/31/2007 1:01:20 PM

Cat allergies are caused by a protein they secrete through their skin, and yes, their saliva. Some cats have more of this protein than others; some cats have little to none of it. I don't think it has anything to do with indoor/outdoor or anything else, although the anecdotal evidence of longhaired cats causing fewer reactions than shorthaired ones is borne out by the extra hair keeping the protein locked in rather than floating in the air.

Good luck. I love cats and would get one of those allerca cats if they weren't a) 10 grand and b) sterile.

7/31/2007 11:13:09 PM

I learned in one of my classes that it could be the dander from the cat that you may be allergic to. But mainly most of the allergens from a cat that cause problems with humans is from a protein in their saliva. SO if you have a cat that grooms is self excessively then this could be the root of your problem. There are a lot of breeds that are low-alergen breeds that may be a little pricier but will pay off in the end. The sphinx isnt so cute but at lease you can breathe.

8/8/2007 5:14:05 PM