cat allergy - not giving my baby up!!

[shirleyp01]

I can so sympathise with you, i started with sneezing, coughing and got a fuzzy head, and my eyes always looked read and sore.  Thought i had a cold, which went on and on.  I finally realised that i was allergic to cat hair, went to the doctors who told me the best way was to get rid of the cats, they had both been with us for 5 years at this point (dont think so).
I use a nazal spray which controls my allergies to the cat hair,  my beautiful girls have been with us for 15 years and i would not be without them, they bring such joy to ours lives.
We lost our beautiful Abigail in November last year and it has been hell without her.
Why do we suddenly become allergic to something after such a long time.

[alisonandarchie]

I have been see a consultant with a similar condition for the last two years. I have a very blocked nose basically. I do know I have developed polyps which are under control with various sparys.

This week I underwent allergy tests and was terrified I would be allergic to my furries. There was also the possibility of dustmite and mould spores. After one of the tests I came up in a massive itchy limp and to my relief found I ws allergic to spring and summer pollens and that was all

I would try and push for a test

Son's GF is allergic to my furries and before a visit I spray the house with Bio Life a non chemical spray which she says really helps.

[Bluemoon]

I've got an Air Purifier - they are really good! It really clears the air of any fur and dander and purifies the room for you 

[Purdy Bear]

Theres a few things you can do:


1.  Demand an allergy test, as it could well be dust mites as that will effect you at night as described. It could also be something like a grass allergy as cats lay in that a lot, bring stuff in and bobs your uncle  your sneeze.  You can get testing kits for the local Pharmacy if the Dr wont do it,  if that comes up positive then go see the Dr again and stick in under his/her nose.

2.  If it is the grass try wiping your cat down with a damp cloth when they come in to rid them of the pollen.

3.  Nettle and any food high in vitamin c are good for natural antihistamin properties. You can use nettle tea (I do) or it in tablet form, but you must be careful introducing it as some get a reaction to that.

4.  Keep going back to your Dr, become the bain of their lives and you will get what you want. Do not believe them when they say they can't get in contact with the consultant that is hobwash,  demand to see the specialist.   They may say you have to wait for 6 months for an appointment this is also hobwash, if your symptoms are severe once you get your date, ring the consultants secretary as they can often bring the date forward a little.  My specialist saw me in his lunch hour 4 days after I rang him.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I believe you can insist on a referral if in England, however you are also entitled to a second opinion , so if your GP continues to be such  idiot ask where you can get one.

I think it was Otrivine spray that I was put on by the doctor cos was so bunged up I couldnt swallow but although it cleared me, as soon as it was stopped I was worse than before, so please be careful.

[catkim]

Thanks for all the great advice. I will going back to the doc this week. I am considering a private ENT doctor just so I know if it is or isnt polyps. At least then I can rule it out if it isnt.

[emmmy_lou]

I suffer from a blocked / snotty nose all the time and its due to a deviated septum ie one side of my nasal passage is much smaller than the other, so easily gets blocked.

It used to drive me mad as I was constantly trying to blow it to clear it. I thought maybe I had an allergy too til I went on holiday for a few days and realised the problem was still there. Have you been away anywhere in the 5 years and seen an improvement while you have been away from Minnie?

[Skiddaw]

I think your GP should stop being so ridiculous and refer you to ENT.

OH had exactly the same symtoms as you- no sense of smell or taste, permanently blocked nose, broken sleep because he snored and couldn't breathe etc- and it proved to be nasal polyps (which we'd already guessed as it runs in his family- or blocks in his family I suppose  ). It grew gradually worse over the course of the years. GP prescribed nasal sprays which made little difference and OH tried to manage it himself. Eventually, he developed recurring strep throat and at that point agreed to an ENT referral (he'd been anti prior to that as brother had been through it and eventually had to have surgery which OH didn't fancy at all). Anyway, ENT consultant was brilliant- prescribed a combination of steroid nose drops and a steroid nasal spray which OH took in combination for some months, which got rid of the polyps, and now OH keeps them from returning with a different nasal spray which he takes daily. He recovered some of his sense of smell & taste and he very rarely gets blocked up now.

Neither ENT consultant or GP blamed it on the cat....

[catkim]

Tiggys mum - thanks so much for taking the time to reply in such details. Its really appriciated and I sound so similar to you. I will get onto it tomorrow. And I will try the trick with the doc   

[catkim]

Thanks for the reply. I am the same as you - no sense of smell or taste and the docs wont do anything because they say IF it is a cat allergy I wont do anything about it so it's wasting their time.

That's ridiculous - I would be inclined to go back and insist on all the help they can provide to ascertain first of all whether it is actually a cat allergy.  Another possibility is house dust mites.  I am allergic to them and because they are in the house and furniture (esp the bed) it would be very easy to confuse it with a cat allergy.  You can get products to spray on the bed and soft furnishings to help with house dust mites and also vacuuming your mattress regularly will help.

Good luck and I hope you find a solution.

Thanks! I know - they docs are driving me mad. I have been going to them for 5 years now with the same problem. They just suggest sprays, drops etc. I dont want to take steroids long term if there is no reason for doing so!

[Tiggy's Mum]

Thanks for the reply. I am the same as you - no sense of smell or taste and the docs wont do anything because they say IF it is a cat allergy I wont do anything about it so it's wasting their time. They asked me to sniff steroid drops for 6 month (I did it for 3) but it made no difference and dried my gums up which was horrible. They say the wont send me to ENT clinic because they will send me away if I haven't done the steroids. But I think I have worked it out that yes, being away from her makes me better. I will get some of the wipe on product. I so want it to be an allergy to something else but I don't think it is   

 I think I should go back to the docs to see if they can suggest meds to keep it manageable although I hate the idea of taking a medicine everyday.

It's horrible isn't it  I even found it difficult to eat and drink as you need to breathe through your nose when doing so! Sleeping was a pain as you mouth breathe so wake up tired and with a hideously dry mouth! Even talking for any length of time was exhausting as you run out of breath 

I think the steroid drops are 'too little, too late' when it's got to the stage you're at. The only time steroid drops work for me is when I have cleared all inflammation with a course of oral steroids - prednisolone, but Dr's are reluctant to prescribe them. Once I have taken a weeks course of oral steroids I get my sense of smell and taste back and can breathe - it's bliss! I then take daily steroid drops to keep it at bay, my last steroid course was August last year and I still have full smell/taste and can breathe clearly *touch wood*

A bit naughty but how about suggesting to the Dr that you would consider rehoming her in order to get an ENT referral? I know our causes of inflammation are probably different but when I went to see the ENT consultant they started me on the road to recovery with different medications and other solutions than the regular Dr's had offered.  Inbetween ENT visits my Dr's had prescribed various steroid drops/sprays but none of them really sustained things - until the ENT prescribed Betnesol nose drops and these have been the key to maintaining my clear breathing.

Another thing I find very helpful is a Neilmed Sinus Rinse, sounds awful but it's second nature and I do it every morning now. Also the breathe right strips help too (although I don't need them at the moment as *touch wood again* everything is OK). Loratidine anti-histamine is a one a day tablet that might help, it's available over the counter from any chemist.

Another thing that can bring almost instant relief from congestion, although it won't bring your smell back, is the nasal decongestant sprays such as Otrivine. I know Tesco and Asda do their own version for about a £1 and it's literally magical stuff, although you can't use it for more than a week at a time it can at least bring you occasional relief 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Did you see Tiggys Mums reply cos she is the other one I knew about and she slipped this in when I was typing 

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Thanks for the reply. I am the same as you - no sense of smell or taste and the docs wont do anything because they say IF it is a cat allergy I wont do anything about it so it's wasting their time.

That's ridiculous - I would be inclined to go back and insist on all the help they can provide to ascertain first of all whether it is actually a cat allergy.  Another possibility is house dust mites.  I am allergic to them and because they are in the house and furniture (esp the bed) it would be very easy to confuse it with a cat allergy.  You can get products to spray on the bed and soft furnishings to help with house dust mites and also vacuuming your mattress regularly will help.

Good luck and I hope you find a solution.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I suffered with no smell or taste for many years didnt have a cat...........and after a problem with one of my ears was given sudafed when it was psuedoephedrine and like magic my senses of taste and smell came back.

What a shock it was too, had lost it for so long I had to work out what some smells werre!

I have now been taking this for about 20 years or more, have 3 cats, used to have four and all are long haired.

Afraid doctors just blame the cats and are so short sighted but there is another person on Purrs with long standing sinus probs too, think she has a resolution to her problems too now but has taken a long time.

So change the title cos people will not read as it is!

[catkim]

Thanks Gill - have amended it now!



Yes, have done the raised pillow thing. I was told that menopause can bring allergies on even if you have no history of it before.

[catkim]

Thanks for the reply. I am the same as you - no sense of smell or taste and the docs wont do anything because they say IF it is a cat allergy I wont do anything about it so it's wasting their time. They asked me to sniff steroid drops for 6 month (I did it for 3) but it made no difference and dried my gums up which was horrible. They say the wont send me to ENT clinic because they will send me away if I haven't done the steroids. But I think I have worked it out that yes, being away from her makes me better. I will get some of the wipe on product. I so want it to be an allergy to something else but I don't think it is   

 I think I should go back to the docs to see if they can suggest meds to keep it manageable although I hate the idea of taking a medicine everyday.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I just wondered if there was anything latent in the house that was causing this and not Minnie at all as you have had her so long.

To me having terrible sinus problems, it sounds that its not Minnie as you would be bad all the time not just after lying down at night.

Just a thought, try putting the head end of your bed up on telephone directories or simliar and see if that helps at all.

I am so pleased that you have no intention of giving her up.............that is very much appreciated on this forum and would suggest ammending the title of the post to reflect this and get more input.

Say something like Cat Allergy? No intention of giving her up.

To do this you go back to your first post, use modify to change the title then make a new post and that will bringthe new title automatically 

[Tiggy's Mum]

  to Purrs

Are you absolutely sure it's Minnie you've become allergies to? If it is then there are things that can help and I'll come onto those but think it's worth exploring whether it is a cat allergy.

About six years ago I started to be constantly bunged up with the most annoying streaming nose, particularly in the mornings. I mentioned it to the Dr when I was there about something else and without any tests he declared I was having a reaction to pollen birch  The congestion worsened over the years and got to the stage where I lost my sense of smell, sounds trifling but it's soul destroying not being able to smell. Anyway, I mentioned this to other Dr's whilst there for other stuff and the comments ranged from steam inhalation to 'tough', until one day a Dr actually listened to me and looked up my nose and discovered I had nasal polyps - after a failed operation I have now discovered a combo of meds that keeps things in check and no more bunged up or streaming nose!

The point to my little essay is that it's worth exploring if there might be another cause/trigger as whilst people can suddenly become allergic to cats/dogs it could be something else. What are your symptoms like when you go away on holiday? Do they ease off when you're not in your own home and/or around Minnie?

If it is a cat allergy then petalcleanse, a product you wipe over cats coats (once a week I think) is supposed to be good, also antihistamines - the newer types are one a day and non-drowsy, nasal sprays, keeping Minnie out of the bedroom would help but I know the battle you have with that one as I have the same - wouldn't even attempt it 

You can become desensitised to allergies too but as it;s been going on for 5 years that sounds unlikely to happen after all this time  When I first got my two as kittens my asthma was really bad (repeated hospitalisations  ) and took several months to calm down. Also strangely I am allergic to one of my cats but not the other - if I inadvertently rub my eyes after stroking one of them my eye goes all jelly-fied and very itchy, I have no such reaction with his brother!

[catkim]

We have moved twice in the last 5 years! And will be moving again in June (back to our old house). Why??

I take allergy tablets but they don't seem to have any effect any more. Its bad during the night and up until about midday. Then it gets better as the day goes on and starts again at night. Thats why I am now sleeping in another room. I have resigned myself to putting up with it because there is no way I am getting rid of her but I am a snotty mess these days and in my job I have to look presentable - not a red eyed snivelling mess! I am so fed up.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

What are you taking or currently doing to try and help this?

I know there is something you can rub across her coat that may help but hope someone will be along to remember what it is..........Petalcleanse?

You say this started 5 years ago..........this wasnt on moving into a new house was it?

[catkim]

Hi

I have introduced myself on the newbie thread. I did have 4 cats but now down to one, Minnie. I love my cats soooo much. Minnie was horribly abused as a tiny kitten (She was often kicked across the room) and I stole her off the owners and refused to give her back. She is now almost 18 and very nervous, timid and even hisses at the kids who are now 14 and 16 so not noisy little kids anymore. She adores me and my husband and has always slept on the bed/pillows/our chests/backs and under the covers. We love her so much. About 5 years ago I started to become allergic to them . I have put up with it and struggled on but now it is truly awful. I am totally blocked up the whole time and have now started sleeping in the spare room in a single bed. I miss my husband!! I can't lock her out of the bedroom. I have tired but she just doesn't 'get' it after so long. Also, she wails.

I need advice about any possible ideas or maybe I am just looking for a few kind words to cheer me up. I can't contemplate giving her away at her age (18) but I also can't go on feeling this ill. I look terrible all the time, constantly blowing my eyes, sniffing, coughing. Help!!!