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

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

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

Have you tried Claritin?

Lisa Mentor

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

Have you tried Claritin?

Interesting! Thank you. I will try the Claritin.

psawyer Proficient

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lisa Mentor

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

Hahahaha! I bet!

Archived

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

  • 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. - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

    2. - Jane02 replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

    3. - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

    4. 0

      Penobscot Bay, Maine: Nurturing Gluten-Free Wellness Retreat with expert celiac dietitian, Melinda Dennis

    5. - Scott Adams replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,327
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    dnamutant
    Newest Member
    dnamutant
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens.  I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium.  I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells.  When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly.  This is safe and nontoxic.  Vitamin D level should be above 70 nmol/L.  Lifeguards and indigenous Pacific Islanders typically have levels between 80-100 nmol/L.   Levels lower than this are based on amount needed to prevent disease like rickets and osteomalacia. We need more thiamine when we're physically ill, emotionally and mentally stressed, and if we exercise like an athlete or laborer.  We need more thiamine if we eat a diet high in simple carbohydrates.  For every 500 kcal of carbohydrates, we need 500-1000 mg more of thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  If there's insufficient thiamine the carbs get stored as fat.  Again, recommended levels set for thiamine are based on minimum amounts needed to prevent disease.  This is often not adequate for optimum health, nor sufficient for people with absorption problems such as Celiac disease.  Gluten free processed foods are not enriched with vitamins like their gluten containing counterparts.  Adding a B Complex and additional thiamine improves health for Celiacs.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine helps the mitochondria in cells to function.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins.  They are all water soluble and easily excreted if not needed. Interesting Reading: Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19154566/ Safety and effectiveness of vitamin D mega-dose: A systematic review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34857184/ High dose dietary vitamin D allocates surplus calories to muscle and growth instead of fat via modulation of myostatin and leptin signaling https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38766160/ Safety of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31746327/ Vitamins and Celiac Disease: Beyond Vitamin D https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857425/ Investigating the therapeutic potential of tryptophan and vitamin A in modulating immune responses in celiac disease: an experimental study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40178602/ Investigating the Impact of Vitamin A and Amino Acids on Immune Responses in Celiac Disease Patients https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10814138/
    • Jane02
      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency.  I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently meet from my diet is vitamin D. Calcium is a hit and miss as I rely on vegetables, dark leafy greens as a major source, for my calcium intake. I'm able to meet it when I either eat or juice a bundle of kale or collard greens daily haha. My thiamine intake is roughly 120% of my needs, although I do recognize that I may not be absorbing all of these nutrients consistently with intermittent unintentional exposures to gluten.  My vitamin A intake is roughly 900% (~6400 mcg/d) of my needs as I eat a lot of sweet potato, although since it's plant-derived vitamin A (beta-carotene) apparently it's not likely to cause toxicity.  Thanks again! 
    • knitty kitty
      Hello, @Jane02,  I take Naturewise D 3.  It contains olive oil.   Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets.  Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking.  Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the jar, and thus may be irritating to the digestive system. I avoid supplements made with soy because many people with Celiac Disease also react to soy.  Mixed tocopherols, an ingredient in Thornes Vitamin D, may be sourced from soy oil.  Kirkland's has soy on its ingredient list. I avoid things that might contain or be exposed to crustaceans, like Metagenics says on its label.  I have a crustacean/shellfish/fish allergy.  I like Life Extension Bioactive Complete B Complex.  I take additional Thiamine B 1 in the form Benfotiamine which helps the intestines heal, Life Extension MegaBenfotiamine. Thiamine is needed to activate Vitamin D.   Low thiamine can make one feel like they are getting glutened after a meal containing lots of simple carbohydrates like white rice, or processed gluten free foods like cookies and pasta.   It's rare to have a single vitamin deficiency.  The water soluble B Complex vitamins should be supplemented together with additional Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine and Thiamine TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) to correct subclinical deficiencies that don't show up on blood tests.  These are subclinical deficiencies within organs and tissues.  Blood is a transportation system.  The body will deplete tissues and organs in order to keep a supply of thiamine in the bloodstream going to the brain and heart.   If you're low in Vitamin D, you may well be low in other fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A and Vitamin K. Have you seen a dietician?
    • Scott Adams
      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product. 
    • trents
×
×
  • 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.