my neighbors have a cat and when they go away, they ask me to stop by and feed it twice a day. naturally, i agree.

i have noticed that if i pet the cat for even as little as 2 seconds, i break out into a skin rash. my hand or arm will turn red and itchy. and, there are sometimes bumps (hives?). i've put on hand lotion thinking initially that it was just dry skin. but, it's definitely an allergic reaction. it's freaking me out.

[carrie_ann]

if it's just a skin reaction and you're not sneezing etc wearing gloves when you come into contact with the cat should be fine.

[Fresia]

It's nice of you to take care of them.

For me it is more of a problem with breathing difficulties than the skin irritation but I get that too with congestion, sneezing, and triggers an asthma attack that is the problem. Cornish and Devon Rex' I can be around and true Russian Blue's seem to be ok. Beyond that it is not safe to be around them and breaks my heart because I love them so.

Yeah, I can't be around cats for extended periods because of breathing problems and eye irritation problems. But, in this instance, all I did was pet the cat for a second or two. A couple of hours later and my hand is all red and itchy. It would be nice if I could at least pat the kitty's head without having a break out but, I can't even do that.

[Fresia]

The one place I pet sat for, I took gloves ( either short ones or even the longer cleaning ones if it goes up your arms). That way I could pet them and give them some attention without breaking out. Perhaps that might help and take allergy medicine (an antihistamine) before you go, is what the doc recommended.

thanks, fresia. i guess that's what i have to do to pet the cat - wear gloves. i fed the cat this morning but did not pet her at all. she was rubbing up against my leg and i had to ignore her. it's so frustrating!

[Mayflower7]

Originally Posted by unhappyguy

thanks, fresia. i guess that's what i have to do to pet the cat - wear gloves. i fed the cat this morning but did not pet her at all. she was rubbing up against my leg and i had to ignore her. it's so frustrating!

HI UNHAPPYGUY,
Sorry to hear your having this issue, maybe could visit your Dr for allergy testing, and have a review. Sometime if the cats are brushed more, and the loose fur removed. That can help to, it must be frustrating as lovely to fuss cats. Different options for medication, and your Dr can advise. If wanted to go down that route. I hope things improve, not tried a different washing powder or anything like that recently? Very kind offering to look after neighbour's cat.
Very enjoyable pets, I hope improves for you.
TAKE CARE
KATE

thanks, Kate. years ago i was tested for allergies. (i come from a family of asthmatics and have been diagnosed as borderline asthmatic.) the allergy tests were through the roof - i was allergic to everything. the MD said there was nothing he could do. my brother who is the most severely asthmatic has had shots but i don't believe there was much improvement. interestingly, the thing he is most allergic to is . . . cats! while i am allergic to cats, my biggest problem is with ozone. hot days are the worst and i must stay indoors. cigarette smoke is also a big problem for me. most allergy medications treat the breathing part . . . i'm not so sure they treat the skin allergic reaction part. i will ask my MD next time i see him.

UGH! today is my last day feeding the cat. i wore sandals instead of shoes and the cat brushed up against my foot and, when i gave her fresh water, my arm. both turned red almost immediately.

i gave her a can of food that she did not like and she objected immediately with anger. i saw and said, okay, there's still a can of food on the counter, i'll give her that. the cat was so angry about the food she did not like that she tried to claw me but only got my sweatpants. i gave her the last can of food put out by her owners and ran! (she liked the second can and devoured it immediately.) i may stop volunteering to take care of this cat. my neighbors are lovely but i want no part of this animal any further.

Yup. Sounds like they might need to find another cat sitter. I empathize. I am so allergic to cats, that within being near a cat for about 10 minutes, I have such an asthmatic reaction that unless I immediately put myself on the nebulizer, I end up in the emergency room. Fortunately, my parents finally gave their cat away after seeing me so sick so many times, and I don't have any other exposures to cats anymore. The shame is, I really love cats. I even owned cats for a few years, but when I became pregnant with my first child, the allergy kicked in full force and never improved. The allergist said severe changes in allergies with pregnancy is not uncommon. I had never heard of such a thing but since have known two other women who have gone through the same crazy allergic changes.

[Perna]

Yes, I'm like that. I had a cat that was an outdoor cat until old age so I did not have any problems but when it got a bit more sit-on-the-lap/clingy being ill, I'd have hives most nights going to bed. That cat died and I was cat-free for a year (and the hives disappeared) and my neighbors got a kitten that I went to see and just being with the kitten for 5 minutes, I went home and broke out in hives and made the connection. However, they then had a stray, 2 mo. old kitten show up in their garage and we could not find who it belonged to or a home for it so I took it and it was clingy as all get out such that I went and got a second cat to take some of the attention off sitting in my arms 24/7. So, I have the two cats and, over a period of time, one can become less affected by one's own cats, which has happened for me (they're both 11 year old this July)