I have grown up with cats, I can't remember ever having less than 3 cats at a time. And I've always been allergic; but I had gotten used to it, it didn't bother me. It has been almost a year now since I've had a cat, because my husband is allergic as well. We both love cats and would love to have one (or two, or three..) What can we do to help our allergies? I know spade/neutering them helps, and cleaning carpets, all of those kinds of things. But are there medicines we can take, or other alternatives? Any info would be great, thanks so much! :D

I take zyrtec, rhinocort, and advair, plus allergy shots help. Keeping them out of the bedroom helps, although I've let that slide. Washing your hands after you touch them and brush them.

Zyrtec is great for cat allergies...I 'm finishing up shots but I've got a lot of other allergies too so that's ort of irrelevant is all you have is the cat allergy. And get a short hair cat...though I sleep with a 14 pound long hair! Good Luck!

I've found that the length of hair doesn't really seem to make much of a difference. It seems for me that some cats just cause more problems for me than others, regardless of hair length. One that sheds less is good, but again that's hard to guage. My parents had a long-haired cat that didn't bother me at all and hardly shed, and a short-haired cat that sheds up a storm and gets to me much more. My advice would be to spend some time with the cat(s) that you are thinking of adopting and see how they work out for you (in terms of shedding, allergic reactions... and of course, personality).

I went to an allergist and had one of those tests. And i found out that im slightly allergic to cats, but the allergist told me that when you are allergic to cats its actually their spit that you are allergic to! (When you think about it, they always lick their fur so if u touch them u'll get the fur on yourself.)

I just dont let my cat in my room and i always wash my hands after touching her and its been sweet! :)

IT all depends on how allergic you are. As someone else said on the board already, it is actually thier saliva that people are allergic to not their dander or hair. Brushing them reguarily, and bathing them does help along with sweeping frequently and dusting with a wet rag. You may want to look into getting shots for your allergy and/or get on a preventative medication such as flonase or singulair. Benedryl and/or other allergy meds may help some as well.

Zyrtec is the best medicine for cat allergies, hands down.