Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Calling All Cat Owners

Lisa

Recommended Posts

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

I'm housing my daughter's cat for, umm...five weeks now, with two to go.

My eyes are scratchy, blood shot and watery. Contacts are a no go.

My question is: We have had cats for many years. But in their later years we were in less direct contact. The last of three passed a year ago. All of which were in their twenties.

Could I be allergic to a particular cat. :unsure:

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

Yes-- you can definitely be allergic to only certain cats.

Have you tried Claritin?

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted
  • Author

Yes-- you can definitely be allergic to only certain cats.

Have you tried Claritin?

Interesting! Thank you. I will try the Claritin.

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

It may also involve sensitization. That is similar to the concept with the allergy injections.

Repeated exposure over time may reduce your sensitivity. The shots seek to do this by building up your tolerance with repeated exposure once a week, then every two weeks, then once a month.

I tested as a teenager as being allergic to cats. In the summer of 1995, a cat adopted us. Over time, I got used to him being around, and did not react. We have had cats ever since, with the peak population being four from 2005 to 2008. I traveled a lot for business, and found that I would have a reaction when I came home from a trip of about a week (or longer). It would take a day or so, and my sensitivities would subside. I learned to take an antihistamine before boarding my flight home.

Your experience may differ.

genieb Newbie
genieb
Posted

Could be. Breeds and even individual cats differ in hair length, texture and dander. You might also want to look at anything that came with the cat like scented kitty litter. I used to have a lot of trouble cleaning the box until I figured that one out.

rosetapper23 Explorer
rosetapper23
Posted

It also might be that the cats' food contains gluten, which is common. Even if you wash your hands after feeding them, they lick their fur....and then you pet them.

If you'd prefer a more homeopathic, natural remedy for allergies, Sabadin by Boiron is quite good. My mother and several of my most allergic friends all swear by it--and they'd tried everything previously. I don't tend to have many allergies that require medication, but I've become a lot more careful with feeding my cats.

Adalaide Mentor
Adalaide
Posted

I have a specific problem with long haired cats. My husband's cat makes me break out in hives. It used to sleep in his bed, that was an automatic no go for me when we got married. (It had nothing to do with my hives or allergies either!) His is the only cat I've ever had contact with that has caused me to have a rash or hives since I was a teenager.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Juliebove Rising Star
Juliebove
Posted

Sorry, I just now saw this. I test allergic to cats. I had two as a child. No problems. Have had roommates with cats. Taken in strays. No problems. Have owned three as an adult. No problem. Can go to cat shows, cat shelters, etc. Usually no problems.

Visited my nephew who had a mom cat and babies. Sneezed my head off. Broke out head to toe in hives. Eyes got itchy. Daughter reacted the same way. She used to test as allergic but does not now.

It might also be the food. I am highly intolerant to eggs. I won a free can of some kind of cat food when we first got our current cats. I didn't know then that all they like is tuna. I bought a can of stuff with eggs in it. The baby cat ate a little then licked my arm. I broke out in hives.

beachbirdie Contributor
beachbirdie
Posted

I'm housing my daughter's cat for, umm...five weeks now, with two to go.

My eyes are scratchy, blood shot and watery. Contacts are a no go.

My question is: We have had cats for many years. But in their later years we were in less direct contact. The last of three passed a year ago. All of which were in their twenties.

Could I be allergic to a particular cat. :unsure:

Have you tried those disposable moist wipes you can wipe down a cat with? Takes some of the allergen off the fur. Sorry you're suffering...I know how it feels, I'm allergic to two of the most common substances around my place (dust and mold) and have allergies most of the time. It's miserable!

heathenly Apprentice
heathenly
Posted

Your visit is probably over, but: Zyrtec. The only one that ever worked for my cat allergy. Hope you survived!

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted
  • Author

Thank you all for your input! This MOM insisted that the cat follow her owner. Said cat left today. Holding ground on NO never felt so good! :D

heathenly Apprentice
heathenly
Posted

Hahahaha! I bet!

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. tiffanygosci
      - tiffanygosci replied to tiffanygosci's topic in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff
      1

      Celiac support is hard to find

      EDIT: I did find a monthly Zoom meeting for Celiacs through the Celiac Disease Foundation, so I'll be able to talk with some other people on January 15. And I also found a Celiac Living podcast on Spotify made by a celiac. I feel a little bit better now and I am still hoping I will find some more personal connections in my area.
    2. trents
      - trents replied to mamaof7's topic in Parents, Friends and Loved Ones of Celiacs
      1

      Help understand results

      Welcome to the celiac.com community, @mamaof7! It means for the one celiac disease antibody test that was ordered, she tested negative. However, other tests should have been ordered, especially for someone so young who would have an immature immune system where there would be a high probability of being IGA deficient. The one test that was ordered...
    3. mamaof7
      - mamaof7 posted a topic in Parents, Friends and Loved Ones of Celiacs
      1

      Help understand results

      For reference, daughter is 18 mths old. Was having painful severe constipation with pale stool and blood also bloating (tight extended belly.) Liver and gallbladder are normal. Ultrasound was normal. Dr ordered celiac blood test. We took her off gluten after blood draw. She is sleeping better, no longer bloated and stools are still off color but not painful...
    4. Dizzyma
      - Dizzyma replied to Dizzyma's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      3

      Newly diagnosed mam to coeliac 11 year old

      Hi Trent and Cristiana, thank you so much for taking the time out to reply to me. My daughters GP requested bloods, they came back as showing a possibility of celiac disease, she advised me to continue feeding gluten as normal and wait on a hospital appointment. When we got that the doctor was quite annoyed that the gp hadn’t advised to go gluten free i...
    5. tiffanygosci
      - tiffanygosci posted a topic in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff
      1

      Celiac support is hard to find

      I have been feeling so lonely in this celiac disease journey (which I've only been on for over 4 months). I have one friend who is celiac, and she has been a great help to me. I got diagnosed at the beginning of October 2025, so I got hit with all the major food holidays. I think I navigated them well, but I did make a couple mistakes along the way regarding...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,956
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Srowton
    Newest Member
    Srowton
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Who's Online (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • tiffanygosci
      Celiac support is hard to find

      By tiffanygosci · Posted

      EDIT: I did find a monthly Zoom meeting for Celiacs through the Celiac Disease Foundation, so I'll be able to talk with some other people on January 15. And I also found a Celiac Living podcast on Spotify made by a celiac. I feel a little bit better now and I am still hoping I will find some more personal connections in my area.
    • trents
      Help understand results

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the celiac.com community, @mamaof7! It means for the one celiac disease antibody test that was ordered, she tested negative. However, other tests should have been ordered, especially for someone so young who would have an immature immune system where there would be a high probability of being IGA deficient.  The one test that was ordered was an IGA-based antibody test. It is not the only IGA antibody test for celiac disease that can be run. The most common one ordered by physicians is the TTG-IGA. Whenever IGA antibody tests are ordered, a "total IGA" test should be included to check for IGA deficiency. In the case of IGA deficiency, all other IGA tests results will be inaccurate. There is another category of celiac disease antibody tests that can be used in the case of IGA deficiency. They are known as IGG tests. I will attach an article that gives an overview of celiac disease antibody tests. All this to say, I would not trust the results of the testing you have had done and I would not rule out your daughter having celiac disease. I would seek further testing at some point but it would require your daughter to have been eating normal amounts of gluten for weeks/months in order for the testing to be valid. It is also possible she does not have celiac disease (aka, "gluten intolerance") but that she has NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity, or just "gluten sensitivity" for short) which is more common. The difference is that celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that damages the lining of the small bowel whereas NCGS does not autoimmune in nature and does not damage the lining of the small bowel, though the two conditions share many of the same symptoms. We have testing to diagnose celiac disease but there are no tests for NCGS. To arrive at a diagnosis of NCGS, celiac disease must first be ruled out. A gluten free diet is the solution to both maladies.   
    • mamaof7
      Help understand results

      By mamaof7 · Posted

      For reference, daughter is 18 mths old. Was having painful severe constipation with pale stool and blood also bloating (tight extended belly.) Liver and gallbladder are normal. Ultrasound was normal. Dr ordered celiac blood test. We took her off gluten after blood draw. She is sleeping better, no longer bloated and stools are still off color but not painful.    "GLIADIN (DEAMID) AB, IGA FLU Value  0.84 Reference Range: 0.00-4.99 No further celiac disease serology testing to be performed. INTERPRETIVE INFORMATION: Deamidated Gliadin Peptide (DGP) Ab, IgA A positive deamidated gliadin (DGP) IgA antibody result is associated with celiac disease but is not to be used as an initial screening test due to its low specificity and only occasional positivity in celiac disease patients who are negative for tissue transglutaminase (tTG) IgA antibody."   Anyone know what in the world this means. She isn't scheduled to see GI until late April. 
    • Dizzyma
      Newly diagnosed mam to coeliac 11 year old

      By Dizzyma · Posted

      Hi Trent and Cristiana, thank you so much for taking the time out to reply to me.  My daughters GP requested bloods, they came back as showing a possibility of celiac disease, she advised me to continue feeding gluten as normal and wait on a hospital appointment. When we got that the doctor was quite annoyed that the gp hadn’t advised to go gluten free immediately as she explained that her numbers were so high that celiac disease was fairly evident. That doctor advised to switch to a gluten-free diet immediately which we did but she also got her bloods taken again that day as it made sense to double check considering she was maintaining a normal diet and they came back with a result of 128. The hospital doctor was so confident of celiac disease that she didn’t bother with any further testing. Cristiana, thank you for the information on the coeliac UK site however I am in the Rrpublic of Ireland so I’ll have to try to link in with supports there. I appreciate your replies I guess I’ll figure things as we go I just feel so bad for her, her skin is so sore around her mouth  and it looks bad at an age when looks are becoming important. Also her anxiety is affecting her sleep so I may have to look into some kind of therapy to help as I don’t think I am enough to help. thanks once again, it’s great to be able to reach out xx   
    • tiffanygosci
      Celiac support is hard to find

      By tiffanygosci · Posted

      I have been feeling so lonely in this celiac disease journey (which I've only been on for over 4 months). I have one friend who is celiac, and she has been a great help to me. I got diagnosed at the beginning of October 2025, so I got hit with all the major food holidays. I think I navigated them well, but I did make a couple mistakes along the way regarding CC. I have been Googling "celiac support groups" for the last couple days and there is nothing in the Northern Illinois area. I might reach out to my GI and dietician, who are through NW Medicine, to see if there are any groups near me. I cannot join any social media groups because I deleted my FB and IG last year and I have no desire to have them back (although I almost made a FB because I'm desperate to connect with more celiacs). I'm glad I have this forum. I am praying God will lead me to more people to relate to. In my opinion, celiac disease is like the only food- related autoimmune disease and it's so isolating. Thanks for walking alongside of me! I'm glad I know how to help my body but it's still not easy to deal with.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.