Conference misery::feline_v1

additional info on allergies:

according to an article in PREVENTION magazine, in the "Health news" section,
which covers medical research, etc.:

allergies to pets are caused by dander and (in the case of cats, in particular)
saliva flakes on the fur.  New allergy "de-sensitizing" medication is
currently undergoing final approval review by the FDA.  These drugs, unlike
the currently used injections, are orally administered.  They are MUCH MORE
effective than the shots and work in MUCH LESS TIME - a few weeks/months of 
treatment rather than the year or more of the shots.  These products have
been tested with GREAT results - initial treatments will be available for
some common pollens and cats and dogs...additional treatments will follow
over the next few years.  I don't have the magazine anymore so this is
from memory - I'm pretty sure this is the gist of it.

the PREVENTION magazine report said to look for these drugs to hit the
market in early '91.

If you have allergies, be pro-active.  Tell your allergist/doctor to look
for this stuff and get it as soon as it is available.  I don't have the
magazine anymore (accidently thrown away) but the article was in the
last six months or so, I'm pretty sure.  Try your local library for more
info. or call the local AMA and request any info they can give.

    
    
    	Since this is the latest allergy note I'll enter this here.
    	
    	There's a small blurb in this week's Woman's World magazine
    	that suggests spraying your furniture and rugs with a tannic
    	acid spray.  It cuts the level of proteins in cat's saliva
    	by 94% !!  Should be available in pet stores.
    

    RE .2 - 
    
    did the article say HOW putting stuff on furniture or rugs will 
    affect the cats saliva?
    
    I mean - I can see the cat licking it's fur, which comes in contact
    with furniture, which comes in contact with people, in which case
    maybe the furniture treatment changes the composition of what's on
    the furniture... But the other way around would have the cat licking
    the furniture. :-) Not a pretty sight.
    
    I can hear it now - 
    
    Nancy - "Jack, come here, quick - Bob's got a hair ball!"
    
    me - "That's no hair ball, that's an end-table."
    
    :-) Tgif!

    
    
    	Ha ha Jack..... =)
    
    	Here's the article...reprinted without permission from Woman's
    	World December 4 issue...
    
    	"Expecting a guest who's allergice to your cat?  Jeffrey D. Miller,
    	MD of Danbury, Connecticut, and Thomas A.E. Platts-Mills of the 
    	University of Virginia, have discovered that spraying rugs and
    	furniture with a tannic-acid spray may help.  It seems proteins
    	from the cat's saliva, which have been licked onto the cat's fur, 
    	accumulate on rugs and upholstery and cause trouble.  The new
    	spray, available in pet stores, cuts the level of these proteins
    	by 94%"
    
    	JJ
    
    	

    Ooh! Now I get it... Wonder where to get the spray? (or what it's
    called...)
    
    Think in the meantime, I'll put strong tea into the CAT and see where
    that gets me!
    
    :-)
    
    --------
    Glossary:
    
    CAT - Cattitude Adjustment Tool

    re: -1  That'll get you a very angry wife!!  ;-)

    re: -.1 - the same angry wife or a different one? ;-)

    
    	Just wondering if anyone has used the Allerpet/c shampoo.....
    
    	I have 2 boys with mild cases of asthma (they are on medication) 
    	and we just got a 2 month old kitten...the boys have had 
    	noticeable reactions in the past couple of days (wheezing,
        sneezing, etc.) 
    
    	BTW, we also have a dog and a guinea pig and had a cat that had 
    	been with us for 17 years (passed away in May)....the boys were 
    	able to tolerate these other animals very well.....
    
    	I've read all the other suggestions re: asthma, allergies, etc., 
    	but I specifically would like any feedback on this brand of 
    	shampoo....
    
    
    						thanks, Larry 
    

	From what I've read, anything you bathe the cat with will work on
	reducing allergic reactions.  It's the bathing that does the trick,
	rather than the substance.

	Sandy + 6

    I developed allergies & asthma at 22, after having 
    many pets, including cats, dogs & rabbits.  I am
    allergic to all my pets, (horses, cats & rabbits)
    so I take an over the counter antihistamine a few
    times a day.  I have the same symptoms you have, BTW.
    
    

    
    I'm terribly allergic to cats, (my face turns beet red, my eyes swell
    shut, my respiratory system stops working..)  but my wife had to have a 
    cat..  Now we have two and I love them both but I have the allergies
    so.. here is what I do..
    
    1) Have short haired cats.. nothing would keep me from certain death if I
    	had long hair cats.  Mine are both Tonks and are practically
    	hypo-allergenic(sp?).
    
    2) Give your cat a bath often.  Once a week at least with a good baby
    	shampoo.
    
    3) Rub on Allerpet/C after you bathe them.  It isn't a shampoo but more
    	like a conditioner if you will..  It does help, quite a bit.
    
    4) Wipe their faces and paws once a day.  Cats, as you all know, have
    	their little noses in every corner of your house ever day and they
    	collect dust like mad! Wiping the dust off helps a lot.
    
    5) Toilet train the cat or keep the kitty litter someplace where your
    	allergic humans won't be around it.  A lot of the dust that will 
    	cause problems for them comes from kitty litter.  You could get one
    	of those no-dust litters, but the contents of all litter scares me.
    	Who knows how toxic the stuff might be.
    
    6) Have a room where the cats cannot go.  This will help if the
    	afflicted humans just have to get away.
    
    7) Have the afflicted humans wash their hands and possibly faces after
    	handling the cats.
    
    8) When someone starts sneezing, get out the allerpet/c.. It may just 
    	be a placebo(sp?) but it certainly helps me..
    
    Every once and awhile I get a little stuffy or itchy and I know when 
    bath time is comin' round.  Oddly enough, so do they...  But other than
    that, I don't really have any problems at all..  I know I was being
    silly with the first criteria, but if you have allergies and want a
    cat, you should really lean towards short hairs.. 
    
    I do know that when we forget the allerpet/c, bath time comes a little 
    earlier.. %)
    

    I'd like to add one other thing as well -  Keep your cat indoors.
    Most people with allergies to cats also have allergies to other
    things like pollens and dust and dustmites.  If you let your cat out
    it picks up pollens etc on its coat and brings them in to you.
      

    I have allergies to a lot of things.....fortunatly pollen is not one
    of them.  Dust is a biggie, as well as cats, dogs, horses.....
    I take medication and bath my babies all the time.  I did find that
    letting my cat out helped.....it keeps the shedding hair outside, and
    she isn't in the house all day disturbing the dust.  She isn't allowed
    upstairs (although once in awhile for a treat).  I also vacuum, vacuum, 
    and vacuum.
    
    I'm having one of those `bad' mornings......I just want to die.....but
    when I think of all the joy and happiness in my life because of my
    kritters....I wouldn't change a thing.