child allergy to cat --- please give input

[Beppie]

My daughter is showing signs of allergy towards our cat. Sneezes, itching/painful eyes, runny nose. She is 4 years old.

My question is this --- do children's allergies get better with time (if we keep the cat) or worse with time/exposure to the cat?

I have very little experience with animal allergies. Please give advice. We are thinking of giving the cat away to another loving home. But we don't know whether these kinds of allergies typically get worse or better with exposure. Please advise! thanks so much.

[mysticmomma]

How long have you had the cat? If she is just now showing signs, I would say she's going to continue to have stronger reactions.

[Beppie]

We've had our kitty for about 15 months. We got her in May 2008.

[Beppie]

oh --- I should also say, dd didn't show any signs until about 1-2 months ago. It took us a while to figure out what the cause was, too. But our cat likes to go in our basement (our kids don't go down there), and we started to notice that when the cat came up (and especially when dd snuggled with the cat on the couch), dd would start sneezing almost uncontrollably ... one sneeze right after another, and start complaining that her eyes hurt. When the cat's been down the basement for a while, dd's symptoms clear up. That's when we started to make the connection.

[angie7]

I personally feel that allergies will go away (or get better) with time if you keep exposing your body to the allergen. When I was 16, I developed HORRIBLE, painful hives. I had no previous allergies before. The hives would get as big as a basketball on my stomach and chest and then they left bruises wherever I had them. It was absolutely miserable, horrible experience. The only thing that got me through my days were benedryl tablets. I went for allergy testing and I got 5 pages of stuff I was allergic too. I was allergic to everything but water (literally!). Corn, soy and wheat were the main ones, along with animals. I had 2 dogs at the time from when I was 8 years old, so I had lived with them for 8 years with no problems. Those 3 things are in everything. Did you know that tylenol has corn in it? The doctor told me that I could only drink water and she wasn't sure what my diet would be like since I was allergic to everything but recommended a dietican.

They tried to talk me into all kinds of allergy shots, pills, etc. I declined and decided to keep taking the benedryl whenever the hives would start but I would keep living with my pets and eating whatever I wanted too. By the time I was 18 they were gone and I haven't had them since. That was 10 years ago. You can see by my sig that I have a ton of critters and no problems at all.

Personally, I would find something that eased her symptoms and keep the cat. Perhaps keep the cat out of her room so she can at least sleep half way decent but I would not get rid of the cat or put it outside.

[Mama Mko]

My husband is allergic to cats. He acclimates to their specific dander and doesn't react unless he gets a hair in his eye. He does get sneezy and red-eyed if he's handling a cat he's unfamiliar with.

I would say there's a chance she'll adjust. I would make her bedroom a safe zone where cats are not allowed. I would wash all her bedding and carpet and make sure to shut the door so the cat is not ever allowed in there. That should help.

Good luck!

[earthmama369]

My father and husband both have cat allergies. They had low-level symptoms while they lived with cats. My father had cats his entire life. After his last cat died, he decided not to get another one. A year later, he "babysat" my sister's cat and had a massive reaction. So I do think having a constant, low-level exposure can be helpful in keeping reactions under control. On the flip side, it often means you're having a constant, low-level reaction. For dh, that means stuffy nose, skin that welts easily, bad reactions to cat scratches, sometimes itchy eyes if he touches his face after petting the cat.

[Shenjall]

Is it possible she's reacting to something from the basement that the cat is bringing up? Like some mold, dust or something? Maybe try keeping the kitty out of the basement for a while and see if your dd still has the reactions?

Good Luck I hope it all works out for you.