When I was growing up in New York, my 3 Uncle's had a deli in the city. They often had kittens in the back of the store. Spaying and neutering wasn't a big thing back then and the Uncles didn't mind taking in stray cats. My Uncles would give the cats scraps of deli meat, a saucer of milk, and one of their many food delivery boxes with a blanket to sleep in.
Needless to say, this made for excellent lodgings for a kitty that found herself Pregnant In The City! I'm pretty sure there was a secret network for wayward cats who were in the family way that led them straight to my Uncle's store!
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| Pregnant Cats In The City somehow managed to make their way to the NY City deli owned by my Uncles! |
CAT ALLERGIES BE DARNED
When we visited my grandmother's house, I couldn't wait to stop by the deli, which was around the corner. Not because I wanted the candy or chips they sold there, or because I wanted a bologna sandwich, but because I was always hopeful there would be kittens in the back!
After hugging the Uncles the first words out of my mouth were always "Are there any kittens today?" Many times I was not disappointed. I would run to the back of the store to find the latest litter of kitties and plop myself down to play with them. They were largely stray kittens but I was always able pick them up and play with them. Invariably, I'd leave the deli with bright red, watery itchy eyes. I didn't care, I was going to play with the kittens anyway and there was nothing anyone could do to stop me!
Back home on Long Island, stray cats often made their way into our yard. When they did, we set out the welcome mat. They had food, water, and blankets in a cardboard box to sleep in. My cat allergies were always present, but again I didn't care. I wanted to handle the cats and play with them. I loved them all!
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| Adorable stray kitten from a litter of cats that ended up at my sister's house. |
When I was finally old enough to get a place of my own, one of the first things I did was look for a kitten to adopt! I unexpectedly ended up with two cats in a one bedroom apartment, wreaking havoc on my allergies. You can read about my Accidental Pet Adoption here. It got so bad that I had trouble breathing and ended up with asthma.
I finally had to see a doctor, and in questioning me he realized the cause of my asthma was living in a small apartment with 2 cats. He strongly urged me to give my cats away. No Way!! I told him I already loved both cats to pieces and there was no way in hell I was giving up my feline furbabies. He shook his head and told me I could end up with asthma for the rest of my life. "So be it!" I said. I just had to keep my cats, Mousey and Maggie, so I began to research ways to help diminish my pet allergy symptoms.
HOW I REDUCED MY CAT ALLERGY SYMPTOMS
Here are the things I did to reduce my allergic symptoms:
🐈 The cats could no longer sleep in my bedroom, it was my "cat free zone"
🐈 I wiped the cats down with wet paper towels daily; sometimes twice a day
🐈 I vacuumed every single day and followed up with a wet mop to keep the dander down. Thankfully I had hardwood floors and not carpeting which helps a lot.
🐈 I dusted every few days using wet cleaning cloths instead of a dry cloth to keep dander and fur down.
🐈 I washed my cats' bedding frequently and kept the litter box super clean.
Following the above steps helped a lot but it wasn't quite enough. I still suffered with frequent asthmatic symptoms due to pet allergies for several years, but I didn't care, as long as I had my cats. When Maggie was the only cat left in the considerably larger house I lived in by then, my symptoms lessened a lot. It was still difficult but quite manageable.
MORE WAYS TO REDUCE PET ALLERGY SYMPTOMS:
If I had known about it, there were other things I could have done to help reduce my allergy symptoms to cats as well:
🐈 I should have gotten a clean air machine with a HEPA filter! They weren't as common back then and I didn't know much about them.
🐈 I could have gotten a removable couch cover which can be removed and washed. If I had drapes I would have washed them regularly.
🐈 A few companies make pet allergy sprays that act as allergen blockers, although I'm not sure how well they work. Have you used pet allergen blockers? If so, did it help?
🐈 Allergy shots and prescription oral allergy medications. I didn't want to consider allergy shots, I hate needles! But that probably could have helped a lot as well.
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| I was allergic to my cats Maggie and Mousey, but I didn't care! |
After all that, was having cats worth going through asthma symptoms and constant daily cleaning? YOU BET IT WAS!! The love of a cat is not to be underestimated and I would do it all over again. I have two dogs now but I look forward to getting another cat in the near future. Thankfully, I'm not allergic to dogs, just cats!
NOTE: I'm not a doctor or Veterinarian, I'm just sharing how I handled my allergy to cats. If you're allergic to cats but you really want a cat, you may want to check with your doctor first.
YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY this post: Stray Cats In The Hood? TNR 'em!
Do you have pet allergies? If so, how have you handled them? Please leave a comment and tell us about it. We love when you howl back at us!!
