Oh supreme irony...

And you just developed this issue recently? How strange. I too am a total cat person, grew up with like 6 cats. I have 3 now. You'll have to tell me the proper way to bathe them. Mine always get fleas even though they've been indoor cats for a year now. Drives me crazy! Speaking of which... did you ever find that missing cat of yours?

OK I admit it. I am thick. What have band-aids to do with cat dander or bathing cats?

You can get shots for the dander - but you have to lean on the allergist - because they only want to give them to people that work with animals. MY allergist said: People aren't going to give up their pets, I'm just going to treat them. I'm allergic to cats - now, remember HOW many I have... no, I don't have major problems.

Hey dawn! I know how awful that can be! I am thinking maybe you can get so industrial oven gloves and then get something that's waterproof to put over them? And then tell me if that works! I got "cat scratch fever" from my first cat "Mystique" and it wasn't very pleasant! I had to get a tetnus shot and I got quite the infection on my finger from a scratch from her! Not very fun! I thought that "cat scratch fever" was a joke, but it sure isn't! So you need to prepare yourself before you bathe your cats or take them to the Vet which I sure would recommend! Good luck!

Aww Dawn. I am sorry, but at least now you know what it is and what you can do to help yourself feel better...and yes, it's very ironic. Karen

Hiya dawn, Olive trees are perhaps the worst cause of allergies between March and June in our Country they loose out more sporas hope I spelled that right than any other allergy causing plant or tree. The hotter the weather the worse it gets too. Of course it all depends on how bad your allergy is thats when the treatment kicks in. But if you see the Weather Map over here in Spain because there are a load of olive trees all over the place but more concentrated on the Coastlines and a bit inland too. They have an allergy gauge to tell you what days the "olive allergy" will be at it´s worst because some people suffer very badly with it. Well at least now they do tell you each one has their own particular remedy against the dreaded allergy.

Bloody cat dander! I think it's only a matter of time before they find a link between that and global warming too. You watch! Good luck bathing cats by the way. My suggestion is that you order yourself some medieval armour beforehand. Thank goodness you're not allergic to band-aids as well. There's that silver lining again!

that's one allergy surprisingly i have not had. olive trees however..my nose hurts just thinking about it. lots of vacuuming everything helps even more than the bathing sometimes. i have a friend with that allergy that stops by and it takes him a long time to react even with my 6.i get behind one week tho..*choo*

Dawny.. can't you just use a small pail-like and just whoosh it over the cat gently.. and then using soap water too? I don't have any pets before, so I don't know. How about an animal bathtub moment for cats? That would be awesome. Since you have this allergy.. just use normal soap or something. As for the fleas, use a fleas bat to ward off those flies. The small one just gentle enough to brush your cat's furs or something.

I feel for you. I have allergies to my cats too.. and just about everything else under the sun.. Including them pesky dust mites.. I got the allergy shots as a kid and I think it did help a bit that and me piling on the cats myself a bit thick.. I think I built up my own immunity. I have 4 dogs and 14 cats.. and I remember when I was a kid I couldn't do a heck of a lot with either of them before I would start with the runny eyes and nose and the sneezing. My mother was great though.. She knew I was always going to be an animal person even though we didn't really have pets at the time... So I got the shots.. for quite a while. And after I moved out.. I got the dog(s) and the cats.. and more cats.. and more dogs.. :-) Thank God for my mother's smart thinking.. I really don't suffer too much anymore except when I am trapped in the house for days on end -in the winter with no air in the house.

I'm allergic to cats and I have had cats all my life, still do. eventually you'll get used to it and it will not be as bad.

Hi Dawn, That's really a total irony. if you can manage it no problem. my eldest son has the same allergies with you and we are so conscious about dust mites that we need to maintain the cleanliness of the bedsheets and even our room curtains. we don't have stuffed toys too and sad to say cats.

Hello dawnald. It's funny how life is. You love a certain thing yet this certain thing doesn't love you entirely. Irony as you say. :D I'm allergic to dust but yet I'm working in a facility wherein dust is all over the place. And I love my job! How ironic! :p

probably, you've reached a tipping point in your relationship with cats... sometimes, though, allergies are temporary and they have no dangerous complications... and also, there are antidotes... i think, band-aid is preventive...

I have heard of a lot of People that are allergic to Cats and Dogs for that matter But it is not good when you are a Cat Person/ Dog Person, I hope your Babies will not get to mad at you when you have to bath them again lol

Precious little lamb.....I feel for you! My son is also allergic to cats...big time! So we have never had one in our house...in fact he can hardly be around them! I feel for you!

I'd be interested in how to bathe a cat without them freaking out. I can't even get my usually laid back cat to take a pill without a fight. The system I used with my former cat does not work on this one.

Noooo! Not cats! I don’t know what I would do if I developed an allergy to felines! When I was pregnant I was praying really hard that my baby would not be allergic to cats because if she had been, it would have broken my heart but as it turns out she is fine and she loves them. I bathe my cats but only once a month or so because they are indoor cats. As far as I know they don’t have fleas or anything so that is one thing I don’t have to worry about. There is always fur all over the house though but that’s what you have to live when you have pets. I suppose you have to do extra dusting and vacuuming now...

The cats don't get baths unless they've gotten into something real nasty. Here where I live its not recommended to give cats baths on a regular basis. Their skin tends to dry out easily, and the fleas have a field day with that. My partner George used to bathe his cat regurally, it did nothing for the fleas, and she eventually passed away from severe flea enimia. So after that insident and even before We stopped bathing our cats regurally. Being as they are indoor cats, baths aren't nessary. However I've given them baths over the course of the time I've had them here. During real bad summers or if they got real dirty. I wore long sleaves, and gloves to protect my arms. My legs remained safe as I put them in the bathtub. Precious was the only one who appeared to have a problem though. The other two (when we had them) would go stiff and riggid in the tub and howl the entire time. We're down to just the two, but regardless it doesn't make it much, if any easier on the animals. (Baths I mean) Its been several years since the last "bath" insident. And, if you have to bathe the animal, Its been recommended, to use baby soap on them. It keeps more of their natural oils in their skin which protects them.

maybe you can avoid inhaling dust by using a face mask to avoid inhaling the dust when you are cleaning your house. so your allergy will not affects you.