Allergy to cats

  • Thread starter Thread starter arowland
  • Start date Start date
A

arowland

Guest
Hi! My son is almost 15 months old and we are struggling with a diagnosis for him. Here are a few things that have been going on:

He has had a runny nose for a few months. The pediatrician originally diagnosed him with a sinus infection b/c it didn't go away after a week. Well, even after the antibiotics this kept going on for a while, and we saw an ENT. The ENT did a blood allergy test which showed an allergy to cat dander. It was a level III (0.70 I think). So we were sent to an allergist, b/c we have 2 indoor cats. The pediatric allergist did a skin test and it came back negative for any allergies, including cats.

So that brings us to today. He has been rubbing his eyes a lot during all of this time, along with a runny nose. He has eczema, not bad, but it's there. He did not have eczema when he was born, but the week he came home, it started.

This all leaRAB me to think that it's a cat allergy. But is it possible that 2 different types of tests show different results?

So sorry for the long post! I'm just at a loss. Our cats are staying in our basement for the time being. I'm trying to rid the rest of the house of cat hair...which seems impossible!

Any thoughts would greatly be appreciated!
 
If he's allergic to cats then it's not the fur but the dander, which is actually the skin particles of the cat. (Kinda like our dandruff). Can you take him to someone's home, friend or relative, that doesn't have cats and see how he does there? Maybe even spend the night or a couple days. If he starts to clear up, then it's the cats and you'll have to find them a nice home. You're son may be allergic to pollen and other things as well. It's not fair to him or the poor cats (in the basement, no less ;)). One of my sons has allergies since he was small. We got rid of our cats and he was still allergic and still is. It's mostly seasonal and geographic. I wish you well. :)
 
Thanks! Our families live hours away, so staying somewhere with no cats is hard. If it was seasonal allergies, wouldn't the claritin help?
 
I'm not sure of the age cutoff for zyrtec but it's better for et allergies.

Have you tested him for food allergies? Milk's a common one for producing eczema in children.
 
Yes, he has been tested for milk & food allergies. He's been drinking milk for several months with no problems.
 
Since family is so far away, you could always rent a motel room for a couple of days and try that. You may have to try another antihistimine. Different ones work for different people. In the end, you may have to find a home for your cats. I think they'd be happier too. Sorry :(
 
Back
Top