What We Put Up With to Have a Cat

Years ago, the neighbor's cats decided to move in with us. Tabby and Siamese figured out that we were suckers.

We made the mistake of leaving the front door open and found both cats on the kitchen counter. Sometimes I would walk into the house and find a cat (or 2) on our bed. Siamese wandered around my van while I was unloading groceries. I didn't see him, and I closed the van door and then the garage door. He spent the night in my van, poor little guy. I was mortified!

We couldn't resist the cats despite allergies

The cats were everywhere. And silent, so they could easily sneak in and out of the house and cars.

Who can resist petting fuzzy little kittens? With big eyes? A tail that sticks up straight? And claws like razor blades?

Shortly after getting Tabby and Siamese, the neighbors left town. In fact, they were gone often and asked our daughter to babysit the kitties. The cats really bonded with her.

Is this how you get a cat?

Our neighbors wouldn't let the kitties in their house because the husband is allergic to cats, and the little kids feared them. The kitties knew they weren't wanted, so they moved in with us.

Is that how you get a cat?

11 years later, we still have Tabby. Siamese passed away a few years ago, and I cried for 3 weeks.

Adopting cats although we are allergic

We are a family of 5, and we all have allergies to practically everything – including cats.

How can we own cats if we are allergic to them? Well, the fuzzy little cat stole our hearts. So there are a few things we have done to manage allergies around Tabby.

How we mitigate our cat allergies

Allergy shots (immunotherapy)

All 3 of my kids have had allergy shots, which has helped them be around dogs, cats, trees, grass, weeds, etc.

Allergy shots aren't a cure, but they make their symptoms less bothersome. In fact, I have a single friend who wanted a dog to keep her company,  so she had 5 years of allergy shots. It has helped her have fewer allergy and asthma symptoms around her dog.

Allergy medications

We all take allergy pills before we go to bed at night and use allergy nose spray every morning. We buy them in bulk at the warehouse store (not kidding). We also buy tissues in bulk but only use the kind with lotion so we don't get red noses!

Restricting the cats to certain rooms

Tabby is NOT allowed in any of the bedrooms. Of course, that leaves the family room, living room, and offices for him to lounge around in. That little slacker. We strategically place blankets in his favorite spots to he lays on those instead of the furniture. Then we can throw the blanket in the wash.

Changing clothes and washing hands

We use a lint roller or change clothes often. When my adult kids come home to visit, they walk right past me and go see Tabby. Gee, thanks. I only raised them.

They take LOTS of photos of Tabby, pet him, and snuggle him. Then they immediately go and wash their hands, arms, and face. They lint roll their shirt or carefully remove it (so it doesn't touch their face) and put on a clean shirt.

Does having a cat impact us?

Yes! We sneeze and wheeze. And my daughter broke out in a rash on her cheek after hugging Tabby. He was so adorable, she just couldn't resist hugging him!

Are we going to get rid of Tabby? No. You might as well ask me to get rid of 1 of my kids. Our cat is part of the family, and he's not going anywhere.

Do you have to have pets even if you are allergic to animals? What do you do so you can be around them?