It always grieves me that GPs, Health Professionals and do-gooders are so quick to advise people to ‘get rid of the cat’ if allergies, illness or pregnancy are diagnosed, as I suffer from allergic rhinitis myself (not just your common or garden hay-fever, this is all-year round torment) and my other half is asthmatic.

If a doctor told either or us to ditch the dobermutt, our 8 felines and the cockatiel, she or he better be standing on the other side of a sturdy 6 foot fence and away from sharp implements, because it simply ain’t gonna happen!

Through a combination of good housekeeping, medication and common sense, we’ve already worked out how we can live alongside our furries and recognise the health benefits and pleasures that owning pet(s) can bring. The option to eradicate our ailments by removing all trace of animal life from our lives, simply isn’t an option.

I’m also suspicious of a medical expert’s motives, when they so readily advocate removing a much-loved pet the moment someone in the family starts wheezing or sneezing…do these people not like animals, I wonder? And what evidence is there that removing the pet will actually remove or reduce the allergy?

Recently, I was fortunate enough to attend a conference where one of the speakers gave a talk on just such a subject.

In ‘Do I have to give up my cat?’ Dr June McNicholas, a renowned psychologist http://www.cawc.org.uk/mcnicholas specialising in human health and the role of companion animals, cited a wealth of medical evidence and helped to dispel the many myths relating to cat compatibility with asthma and toxoplasmosis (two of the most common reasons why cats end up in rescue, often on the advice of medical professionals or well-meaning but misinformed family and friends). Her talk demonstrated a wealth of medical evidence is out there, suggesting that steps can be taken to avoid having to give up a much loved pet.

Research such as:
* Children who have pet animals at home have stronger immune systems and are less likely to take days off school sick, a study suggests. Researchers at Warwick University in Coventry found that having a cat or dog exposed children to more infections early in life. However, this exposure boosted their immune systems in the medium term and meant these children attended school more often, on average, than pupils who did not have pets. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2045704.stm

* Numerous studies showing pet allergens remain in the home as long as 6 months after removal of the pet and that removal of a cat from the family home does not reduce or remove contact with pet dander- schools, libraries, hospitals and other public places are literally riddled with the stuff
http://www.catspro-northants.org.uk/leaflets/asthmanews.pdf

* Evidence suggests that children who grow up with a cat in the house may be protected against future development of asthmatic symptoms. http://www.cats.org.uk/media/news_detail.asp?id=130

* Reducing levels of household allergens, such as cat fur and dust mites, is unlikely to have a major impact on cutting asthma and allergies in children, a study suggested today. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-319868/Cats-dust-wont-cause-asthma.html

And, whilst the medical experts may be quick to suggest a pet is the cause of the problem- how many of them actually arrange for the affected child or person to have allergy tests to confirm this diagnosis?

We've managed it, by reducing the soft furnishings, switching to leather and easily hoovered or washable surfaces (including sealed wooden floors- a dream to clean compared with stuffy old carpets!), making sure our pets are well-groomed and well-fed (diet has a lot to do with coat condition and the amount of dander in the atmosphere), acquiring a steam cleaner and air purifiers to eradicate dust and house mites and by making sure we take our medications. We simply could not imagine a home without our pets.

I fully appreciate that there will always be situations where the illness is so severe it is simply not possible to mix pet and person, but I strongly urge people in a similar position to consider all the options, before resorting to last resort- getting rid of the family pet.

Yes indeed.
And we are getting rid of ours after tolerating this situation for 8 months. Now its become unbearable. My daughter is 9, and she HAS to come first now, as this has gone on for too long. We have spent more time on the hospital nebuliser than I care to even count. I am putting my child through a living hell just so that I can keep my family pet. THATS simply not fair, on the child OR the cat.
We love our cat dearly, which is why we feel we need to find her a loving home where she can do her own thing.
I am thinking of the needs of both my child and my cat.
I appreciate your points, but you dont know me, dont live in my house, and haven't seen how bad things are.
No offence meant there, its just that I already feel bad enough about this, I dont need it made any worse.

As I explained, sadly, there are always going to be situations where the family pet has to go if all other options prove futile and I really hope you find a loving new home for your pet soon so that yours and the health of your daughter might improve.

My posting was not aimed at anyone in particular (and in fact I've only just seen your posting about needing to rehome your own pet, after posting my thread) although I do have personal experience of asthma, exczema and allergies and of GPs and other do-gooders insisting the cat, dog or rabbit has to go.

I also have experience of animal rescue and fostering pets that have come to us because of family allergies or asthma and in some of those cases, the minute the GP or health visitor shouts 'get rid of the cat', the owner does exactly that- without checking the cat is actually the cause, or taking any other steps, so my posting is a timely reminder to people to step back and check the facts before doing exactly what the doctor ordered, because sometimes, it might have absolutely nothing to do with the pet, or might be manageable. In your case, you've tried it and it isn't, so you are doing the kindest thing and trying to find a new home. Good luck and fingers crossed someone takes a shine to her soon xK

{sorry hun}

Spoken in another thread, as I said, no offence xxxxx

{sorry hun}

Spoken in another thread, as I said, no offence xxxxx

no worries.

Folks - if you can help misschick to rehome her lovely British Blue, she would dearly love to hear from you - and soon xK

I am one of those folks that has been told I shouldn't work with furries or have them as I am asthmatic , I also have my own pets and couldn't give them up and wouldn't.
I just use medication when needed and it works perfectly fine , some materials like Megazorb really upset me but I just make sure I have my inhalors ready to go if needs be . so far its worked well and I am happier for having pets.

I'd be lost without my meds and my Sharp Plasmacluster - and the Dysons, but the transformation since we got rid of the soft furnishings and switched to hard floors, cow hide rugs and leather furniture has been amazing - and if the dobermutt trails unpleasant things in from the garden or the cats cough hairballs all over the place, it's so much easier to clean up these days.

Asthma is a horrible disease to contend with - it killed the other half's dad and was a contributory factor in my mum's early demise, so it's not to be sniffed at, but it's still awfully easy for medical professionals and taggers on to use pet ownership as the excuse for every ailment and sometimes it's not the pet that's the primary cause at all- but I do accept that there are some situations where it is the right thing to do to rehome, if nothing else works

I didn't focus on it in my original post, but June's talk was partly about asthma and allergies and partly about toxoplasmosis and I was stunned to learn that cats are the least likely tranmitters of toxo, contrary to popular beloef- you are more likelyto contract it from uinwashed fruit/ veg, unpasteurised dairy produce or raw or processed meat products, than from the family pet!

We got a puppy when my now 8 year old son was a baby. She was sooooo loved by me and the kids (we'd never been able to have a dog as their dad was allergic to them, so when he went, we got the puppy lol) Son then started wheezing etc and because of ex-husband's serious allergy, the doc said it was probably due to the dog and that we really should consider letting her go. We sadly rehomed her, but she went to a lovely old man who was a friend of our next door neighbour, and he totally spoilt her rotten. We then looked after the neighbours springer, some months later, while they went away, and guess what? My son was totally fine! The doc had got it wrong, I had got it wrong, and by then our lovely dog was gone :( Strangely though, a year or so ago, the old man died and the dog ended up living with our next door neighbour and is still there now! I felt so guilty for giving her up, but she had a great life with the old man, and now has a great life next door, regularly arguing through the fence with our daft GSD :D

the other thing that bugs hell out of me is the blanket categories :suspect:

I'm ludicrously allergic to cats - but if it's an outdoor cat I cope better

I'm allergic to some dogs, and my cousin is worse, but he can bury his face in Brude's coat with no ill effects! I fairly recently became allergic to Brude, but he had a skin condition, which (after many vets visits and trial and error cures) turns out to be due to an allergy he has to fish. Now he's back on his old food, I'm fine again

It drives me nuts that pets are always top of the list when a doc starts trying to identify causes of sneezles and gasps. Why the heck doesn't (s)he ask if you have carpets and how they're cleaned? I'm allergic to house dust mite and tree pollen, but the faces some doctors pull over pet ownership suggest that it's my own bloody fault I'm suffering!

Yes Strix I got that once but I just said I wasn't happy to get rid of my pets and that I would rather die than give them up lol He just said but they are killing you to which I replied well you are killing me !!!! I never saw that Gp again but they never mention it now to me lol I take benydrl which works and keep my inhalers close and in my bunny shed. Some may think this is a stupid idea but for me without my animals I would be a total misery. I have had animals for 44 years even my mum and dad didn't get rid of them when they were told to . My dad said she will grow out of it and I did for while but sadly it reoccured when i lived in Wakefield.

Same here, I was 'diagnosed' with asthma on the onset of the menopause. First thing doc asked was if I had pets. Yes, I said, get rid of them he said. It happened that I have an allergy to tree pollen, the birch variety, but the doc didn't say chop them down! I went immediately to a acupuncturist, go every month and the terrible hayfever, sinusitis, neuralgia were under control after 3 weeks. Amazing. I have had cats/dogs all my life and never suffered from allergies before. People burning garden waste does me terrible harm - and my animals - but no one in authority puts an end to this. Whereas dumping animals is easy, so easy it's criminal.

I was diagnosed with asthma at a very early age, my parents were advised that it was due to dust mites and to do away with all but very few of my cuddly toys :( :( :( Also to never keep furry pets.

I eventually argued enough to try pets, we had a budgie and hamsters/gerbils over the years and I've been fine.

I have lived with a dog and yes I got worse, when she left I got better... I wouldn't have a dog myself for that reason...

I had allergy testing a few years ago and was found to be allergic to dogs, grass pollen, crop pollen and fungus spores...

no dustmite allergy, no cat allergy, no small furries allergy...

So now I have cats :D I take antihistamines for hayfever and if i share a house with a dog for any length of time and my asthma is the best its been in years!

Oh and I (and my son) now have LOTS of cuddly toys :D

"Petal Cleanse"

Before you get rid of your cat please, please, please try this product:

http://www.woofnwhiskers.co.uk/does-petal-cleanse-work-a-26.html

We were adopted by a stray a few years ago. My daughter has asthma and was allergic to cats (so is my husband, but to a lesser extent). We really didn't know what to do - the cat needed a home, we knew the outlook wasn't terribly good for her if we handed her over to a shelter, Cat Protection was full to bursting and we really wanted to keep her. The someone told us about Petal Cleanse so we ordered a bottle from the vet. You wet the cats fur with it once a week (good job she's a laid back sort of cat!) and it works miracles. Within a couple of weeks my daughter and husband were fine. (We also used an allergen spray for the furniture too and still do occasionally.) We have several bottles left over as they've become desensitised to the cat over time anyway.

A word of advice - search around for the best price. After buying one bottle from our vet, we discovered we could get it for half the price on-line! If you type in Petal Cleanse you'll find all sorts of information about the product as well as a variety of prices! They make it for dogs too.