I have 2 cats & have had cats since childhood. I have never had any kind of allergic reaction to them. Recently when I touch them or touch something with fur on it my eyes burn, itch & water, I get an itchy feeling in my throat and sometimes a runny nose. For the past 3 days I have been breaking out in incredibly itchy hives all over my body. The hives look like little mosquito bites at first but spread & join into huge hives within seconds. They may last an hour or so & than reappear somewhere else on my body. I am pretty sure this is a result of an allergic reaction but Im not sure what is it that I am allergic to?... Is it possible that after 20 years I could have developed an allergy to cats??

ETA: Anyone have a remedy for the itching? it is driving me crazy:dizzy:

Absolutely! Try taking a benedryl at night...see if it helps. Then you'll know.

Did you recently put a flea treatment on your cats, such as Frontline? I am incredibly allergic to Frontline, I break out in the worst rash you've ever seen.

For the rash use hydrocortizone cream and take some Benedryl.

I also lived with cats all through my growing-up years, and now I can't be in the same house with one.

Cats were one of the worst reactions I had when I was tested for allergies.

Benadryl at bedtime might help, or try Claritin for the daytime.

And checking out the flea treatment is a good idea, too.

Zyrtec is great for cat allergies...get your doc to give you a sample. If it works and you don;'t have good insurance, order from Canada as Cetirizine..it's OTC there..will be generic here in a year or so...

Here are some things you can do. Wash everything that is washable. Like if they have a cat bed or if they lay on pillows frequently just wash whatever is washable. Secondly clean your carpets with baking soda. Sprinkle some over your carpet and let it sit for 15 minutes, then vacuum. This works wonders for me(I'm allergic to my dogs). Third, you might want to try getting an air purifier. Do not get one with an ionizer. Those are bad. Fourth, I don't know if you bathe your cats or not but if you do you can get a special allergen shampoo. And fifth, just clean regularly. Sweeping, vacuuming, and moping thoroughly should help. If it gets worse then see an allergist. I take zyrtec D. The combination of Zyrtec and cleaning has made my symptoms disappear.