The Doctor says I should re-home the Kitty.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

**changed the title to make it clear that it is my doctor who says to rehome the kitty, it is not because I want to.

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I just had a consultation with an allergy and asthma specialist. Even though I don't have an allergic reaction to cats, the doctor says that research shows that people who suffer from asthma shouldn't have cats because the dander is so fine and gets deep inside our lungs. He thinks my asthma symptoms, which have worsened over the past couple of years, would decrease significantly if I re-home Penelope the Kitty and has noted that this has often been the case with his asthma patients. He may have a point, but I love my kitty so much and don't want to see her go. He said there are things I can do like bath her twice a week (which she would never tolerate) and keep her out of my room while I sleep, but these solutions wouldn't fix the issue 100%.

 

I told him that Winston has allergies and I suspect he is allergice to the cat. If that is the case, and I will know on Monday when we go for the testing, and if so, then I will consider finding her a new home. He commented on the fact that I would consider rehoming her for my dog's sake but not for myself. *sigh*.

 

This is quite a conundrum. Do cats have as difficult a time being up-rooted and rehomed as dogs do? I feel like Kitty would survive such a transition with much more ease than the doodles would. I do have a friend who I know would be interested but I'm not completely convinced she would provide Penelope with the best home. She is out most of the time, and would probably not let her sleep in her room at night, and Penelope is a very social and affectionate kitty. I don't think she'd be happy being alone so much. But I don't know, people say cats are fine on their own and at least if I give her to a friend I can see her.

 

She's such a happy-go-lucky cat and has an "any human will do" sort of attitude. Whenever there are people over rather than hiding under the bed, she is out and about leaping into people's laps and demanding cuddles. She even loves kids, and the doodles of course.

 

Also, Sophie and Winston love their kitty and would be so sad to see her go. :o( I'll never forget how much comfort she provided me when Winston was having his seizures. She knew I was upset and she tried to help me feel better. She crawled right on top of me and layed down right where the knots in my stomach were and I swear to you she sucked the stress right out of me. She cuddled up to my shoulder at night and when I stirred she licked my face. She is such a lovely lovely little kitty and I'm so lucky to have her.  

 

I had planned on getting a cat and a dog, but had intended to wait until Sophie was older before getting a cat. But then, only a few weeks after getting Sophie, there she was calling to me from her cage in Petsmart. It was love at first sight for both Sophie and I. She let sophie lick her face and wasn't bothered one bit by her crazy puppiness. After spending the night tossing and turning thinking of her, I decided to go back and adopt her (from the SPCA). Then Winston came along out of the blue and the two of them barely noticed each other at first. Nowadays it is not unusual for me to find Penelope snuggling up to him in the early hours of the morning. If ever there was a cat for me, she is it.

 

If it's just me that has the problem I think I can live with it, as I'm not even convinced the doctor is right about it. But, if it turns out she is the reason for Winston's allergies I might have to consider it. Winston needs me more than she does and it is really hard to watch him suffer.  I don't know what the answer is. I'm just feeling sad and worried about this and am needing to vent.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Thanks Kytlin. the test is on Monday.

[Colleen, Jake & Baxter]

I am sorry you are going through this.  I was diagnosed with asthma and allergies as a young adult and remember all too well how difficult it was to breath at times.  I also had 2 Siamese kitty's and was told to get rid of them.  Well, first of all Siamese cat's aren't the easiest cats to get rid of  because not many people can stand their LOUD meowing and I wasn't about to give away my children (this was before the real ones arrived).  Needless to say I was pretty miserable for several years but I had my kitty's:o)!  After we moved everything cleared up short of miraculous.  We were living in an older home at the time and this was back in the late 80's before they realized how homes can make a person ill.   Anyway, sorry for the long post, I just want to encourage you in your quest to figure out what the true cause of all your symptoms are.  In addition, I don't think I would be very good at giving my kitty a bath even once a week but I could wipe him down everyday with a wet wipe of some sort to get rid of the saliva/dander.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Oh my gosh!  I had forgotten the older home issue.  I posted that my daughter and youngest son have allergies and asthma.  I totally forgot the part about how much improved they became when we moved from our lovely 1920's built home into a brand new home and from a swamp cooler to a forced-air heating and cooling.  It was magic.  I don't know what the age of your home is, but do consider that it could be a huge part of the problems.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

My apartment was built in the early 60's, and the ventilation is deplorable. I can't wait to get my own home!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

This makes me remember something. When my daughter moved into her first apartment in an older apartment building, we helped her move in and I got really, really sick. Could not breathe sick. I did not have asthma or allergies. Every time, we had to go there, I got sick again, until I finally said, I would have to go to a hotel. I was the only one who had a problem and never had this happen before. Something in that apartment made me sick and it was not my daughter...LOL!!! I imagine if you had asthma, it would have been far worse.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Sherri, it might be worth trying to move to another apartment before getting rid of your kitty????  I don't know if that is feasible or not but it might be an option.

[Kelly B]

What about dog dander? You have 2 dogs and they are much larger and will produce more dander. Maybe the dog dander is really the problem with your asthma. You could try allergen-c and allergen-d to help with dander problems.

[Martha & Cooper]

I have been reading this and waiting to comment.   I feel so bad for your situation.   It would be tough to give up one pet because another pet is suffering or because a Dr. told me I needed to for my health.   If it were for my health, I think I would do anything else I could first. 

The biggest thing is to keep the kitty out of the bedroom. I am not so sure about bathing the cat, but vacumning frequently with a HEPA filtered sweeper is important too.    My hubby has allergies to both cats and dogs and we have to do this with Cooper.   He is not allowed in our bedroom.  My  hubby has also been on immunotherapy (allergy shots) for years and they have helped tremendously!   He only gets one every 4-6 weeks now.  We took up the carpet in the main part of the house where our dog is and put down wood flooring and bought leather couches, all to manage the dander better also.  I know other have suggested a HEPA filtration device and those help too, we had a nice one added to our new furnace when we upgraded last year, so we don't have one sitting around anymore. 

It is interesting that others have mentioned the older apartment!     That just might  be the source of your problem!  My niece moved into one two years ago and the previous owner had two cats.   The landlord painted and cleaned the carpet before she moved in, but as soon as she did, she started having problems with her asthma.   She didn't know about the cats in the apartment until a neighbor told her, because the landlord denied that there were any pets previously there.   To make a long story short, it took her 6 months to get out of the lease and move out of there.  She was very sick by that time.   There was also a mold problem in that apartment, in the ventilation system and everytime the furnace would come on, there was a funky smell.  Not extreme, but enough that you could tell.    We took a flashlight and a mirror on a makeshift angled stick one day and put it in a vent.  You could see water and mold in the heating vent!!

Again, I feel so sad for you situation.   I wish you the best and hope poor Winston gets some relief!