Here, Kitty Kitty!

“I've got a problem. I'm thinking about moving back in with my parents when I go back to school. I can live in their basement (bigger and nicer than my condo) with my two cats, only if I can be sure my brother won't be bothered by them. He's got terrible allergies (even becoming asthmatic, but is not taking any medication at all right now), and my mom is worried that just having them in the basment will affect the air quailty in the rest of the house. Having the cats with me is the deciding factor of whether I move in with them or not.

Anyone got an opinion on this? Do you think one of those special furnace filters and maybe an air purifier upstairs will be enough to keep him from wheezing?”

“I would also recommend an allergy filtration vacuume bag for the vacuume. If you really want to be sure then talk to your vet about something to treat the cats. There are sprays, etc that will make the cats less "offensive" to people with allergies.

What will you do if they do bother him? Get rid of the cats or move out? You may want to do a trial run ahead of time to test it out, otherewise it seems like a lot of hassel if you don't find out until after you've moved in.”

“Send 'em to bacpac.......he'll take care of your kitties.”

“My brother can't be in my house more than 20 minutes. The difference here is the cats won't be allowed upstairs, they will be in the basement 24/7.

Oh, it might help to know my brother is only a visitor in their house - the occassional weekend, Christmas, etc.”

“My wife is allergic to cats and cannot stay overnight in a house with them because of asthma attacks. If his asthma is bad enough to need meds without cats in the house, I don't think it is wise or fair to your brother to chance it.”

“Well I should have been more specific. I meant for you to take the cats over to your parents house and keep them in the basement for a couple of weeks and see if it bothers him. If he's only there occasionally then it makes it difficult to test, doesn't it. Hmmm...I doubt it would bother him if you take precautions and he doesn't go in the basement.

Story that might help:

My grandmother was severely allergic to horses. When I was a kid I had ponies which I rode/cared for/etc (practically lived with) every day. Before going to her house I had to take a bath, wash my hair, and wear clean clothes and shoes. We found out about the shoes the hard way.

Good luck.”

“Scully, my daughter would just KILL to grow up the way you did, with horses. I haven't taken her horsebackriding yet. I guess I'd better bring all her asthma medicine with me just in case she has an allergy that I don't know about.”

“My Mom got the ponies for my sister and I (Thank you Mom!). My sister wasn't into it so I essentially had 2 all to myself. You can tell I'm still heartbroken about it, can't you ; ) ?”

“"He's got terrible allergies (even becoming asthmatic,..."

"...my mom is worried>>>'

"Having the cats with me is the deciding factor of whether I move in with them or not."
---------------------------

Live elsewhere or get rid of the cats! Why look for trouble?”

“Nowslimmer, if I can't come up with some decent info about the cats in the house and the dander running throught the air, I will not move in with my parents. I was looking for the cheapest and quickest way to get through school and start doing something constructive with my life, and also was looking forward to spending time with my mom and dad. Seemed pretty ideal to me. But I will not give up my kids.”

“make him a man...he sounds too soft...put him in a small closet with no air circulation with the cats for days at a time...he should get over his prob...or eat the cats first...”

“These websites should help.

http://www.atlallergy.com/cat.htm
http://www.thecatconnection.com/care_allergy.htm
http://www.allergycontrol.com/education_dustcat.asp
http://www.msnbc.com/news/190160.asp?cp1=1#BODY
http://www.bon-airefilters.com/PAGES/dander.html
http://www.peta-online.org/mc/facts/fsc23.html
http://www.sthuberts.org/petpouri/articles/cat%20allergies.htm


Enjoy. I hope it works out for you.”

“OPIE, grow up.

Smiley girl, keep the cats away from the brother and out of the house. It's not fair to impose sickness on someone that has no defense. If you really want to move home ... then dispose of the cats.”

“*grins*

NEVER!”

“I didn't know Bacpac had a sister.”

“smiley girl - From what you've said, it may prove less expensive, financially and otherwise, to live elsewhere. I am sorry about your plight. However, you might consider moving home if your mother says, "Let's try it." However, you already stated, "...my mom is worried..."

Maybe the following article and/or other items from a Google Search will help you find ways of handling the situation. Good luck.

MITES AND DANDER

Google search of dander”

“OPIE - Smiley girl has a serious problem. If you find the time, I suggest you glance at some of the articles listed the Google Search. This dander stuff is a real eye-opener for me.

I have direct experience with other allergies. I am allergic to penicillin and Dacron. Even 100% cotton clothing can contain Dacron thread where the pieces of cloth are sewn together. (Most of the time the labels are incorrect.) Sometimes problems start after numerous washing and wear allow the offending material to contact the skin. I am still fighting a problem started by two new workshirts (100% cotton???) given to me by me employer in January. This includes a string of related problems which developed and have cost me much in medical examinations, drugs and alternative clothing.

Allergy problems are serious. Thank you for reading my ranting.”

“it's kewl nowslimmer..i just wanted to find a way to slip in eating pu...err cats...without rad around as much we need some good thread degeneration”

“Yes, it is kind of quiet with rad climbing the executive ladder. Since I detest cats, I was tempted to make some other comments, but this is a serious problem for smiley girl.”

“I'm not a cat fan either.
And since having pneumonia 18 months ago I have asthma problems with cats.

After 2-3 hours at my sister's house I was ready to croak.

My cousin told us that if you feed the cats premium food the dander is less a problem.

She did say she was using the cheap $hit.

Who knows?

Might work.

And honestly, cats are not children.
I have children......I know.”

“"I didn't know Bacpac had a sister."
- skullcap
08:41:14 AM
04/16/02”

“Yes, and she's all woman!”

“TT, I agree, cats are not kids. But they are my companions, and I don't want to give them up.

I was looking for some info about living with allergies. Skullcap, thanks, I'll take a look at those websites.

I will admit there are a few other side issues going on that I am slightly bitter about, but I know the most important thing is making sure I don't make my brother miserable (at least not by aggrivating his allergies). I already stated that if it won't work out with the cats in the house, I won't be moving there. End of story.

Thanks all. Let the thread degeneration continue!”

“I would think that if you keep the cats in the basement and your brother is only a parttime resident the allergy problem should be managable by keeping the cats clean and the brother out of the basement.

An interesting point was raised about thread degeneration - we used to drag threads into the gutter in six easy steps. We are loosing our touch.”

“Does that mean we can talk about sex now?”

“Nowslimmer, when I was in jr. high I had a few episodes of hives. Whenever I tried on new clothes in the store, I'd break out. Lasted a few months. Happened again in college, but with no apparent reason. Only lasted a few days that time. I'm lucky that I have no allergies. No one else in my family has allergies, just my brother.”

“bitpusher - that's exactly what I was talking about; in the old days noone felt the need to ask before talking about sex.

This is not an opening for everyone to talk about how much better TT used to be in the good old days.”

“Anybody ever break out in hives during sex?

See, I'm sorta trying to keep it on topic.”

“The only way to keep dander down is to brush and BATHE the cats regularly. Needless to say it's a rough chore for everyone involved.”

“Not if you use a washing machine.”

“True, there is that option but kitty WILL have its revenge.”

“Tarbull told me she bathes her kitties by capturing them in a pillowcase, lightly cinching it around their neck, and sudsing them up through the pillowcase. Apparently that's a good way to avoid the claws.”

“Or you could put an old window sceen in the tub and let them hang on to the screen instead of your arm with the Claws 'O Death.

That works pretty good too.”

“If your parents have forced air heating, you could also install a hypo-allergenic filter. I think it will work out. You will have to become a very clean and conscientious kitty owner, though.”

“Either get (or keep) your own place or ditch the cats.”

“If you want to move back home find someone to watch the cats untill you find someplace to live?

Or something.

8)”

“Violin, thank you. When it comes to humor I am a legend in my own mind!

Smiley girl, you're welcome!”

“No, the deal is I'm going back to school to change careers, and I could move back in with my parents (2.5 hours from where I live now) to go to school full time, get a part-time job, live there cheaply, and get done with school in a year or so. Or, I can go to school near my home now, work my current job full time, go to school part time, and not have my new career until 2005. I do not want to give up my cats, so if I can't have them at my parents house, I'll be sticking around here.

I committed to adopting these crazy creatures, so I'm not just going to pass them on because I can get away with something cheaper and easier. There's pro's and con's to both plans, and this is just one thing I have to think about.

Thanks again y'all for chiming in!”

“It sounds like you made the rite choice.

8)”

“I havn't made a choice yet, Crazy Mike! STill weighing the options!”

“From what I read to help you along its like I said you should try to find a friend to watch them and go back home.So when you figure out what to do you still have the cats.

See?

8)

I guess I miss read you thread.

8p”

“From what I read to help you along its like I said you should try to find a friend to watch them and go back home.So when you figure out what to do you still have the cats.

See?

8)

I guess I miss read you thread.

8p”

“I tried to give the kitties a bath last night - great entertainment for me, very stressful for them. Needless to say, they did not make it in the tub for more than 4 seconds at a time. We'll have to work on that...”

“You too?

One of mine had an allergic reaction to some cleaners we used. Poor kitty was a mess.”

“4 seconds thats a long time for a cat.

But some cats love water?

8)”

“Some do like water. I have one that will just sit there in the water and purr.

But he's a little wacked anyway.”

“Check out some yuppie pet place to see if they have the premoistened towels - kinda like baby wipes. That might be a less stressful solution.”

“Cats -- the other white meat.”

“Hey thats not nice!!!!!

You could say Shi! the other dark meat!!!!!

Hheheheheh.....8)”

“nowslimmer, what the the symptoms of being allergic to Dacron?

smiley girl,
can you give us some dirt on your brother (bacpac). We could realize use it”