How to Save My Cat or How to Cure Allergies- you pick

In My Humble Opinion
1

Very, very, very short version:

Hired someone very special to work for me, not easily replaced.

She is allergic to my house. Miserably, horribly so.

She can’t take allergy medications because of other health issues.

I have two dogs and an old cat with funky skin.

Since this woman is kinda my sister and I’ve known since childhood she was sensitive to cats, I’m thinking its the cat.

I don’t like the cat, never really have.

I will get rid of the cat by whatever means are available. If that’s someone who may be able to offer her or find for her a home, great. If that’s an easy trip tot he great big litterbox in teh sky, well, then so be it.

I am going to get a serious air filter as well.

If my employee still can’t hack it, well, then I’ve done all I can do.

If I can find a temporary place to put my cat while we find out whether removing her really helps, that would be great, too. Be a damn shame to put her down and then find out her absence doesn’t help the problem.

So if you like cats and live in LA, you can rescue her personally. Failing that, any really good resources would be welcome, not to mention effective ways to battle allergies that don’t involve toxic chemicals going through the liver.

Thanks!

(And please don’t berate me about being evil to the cat. She’s had a good life,a nd if it comes to that, she’ll have no idea what hit her. And I’d RATHER NOT…so your help is appreciated!)

2

Try putting up “Free cat to good home” posters. Explain the Coles Notes version of the situation on posters. Don’t forget little tabs with your name and number, and cute picture of cat. Put them up wherever you can. Chances are someone will respond, even though it’s an older cat. I adopted my aunt’s cat recently. The cat is 10 years old, but I love her to pieces and couldn’t stand the thought of her having to be put down. So now I am with cat and happy.

3

A few thoughts -

Is there some reason your employee MUST work at your house? Would it be possible for her to work in her own home or another site most or all of the time?

If she must work at your house, try the air filter first and see how that goes. There are also shampoos you can buy that are supposed to help with dander - if you don’t think you want to try bathing a cat yourself, you can have a groomer do it.

Try boarding the cat for a period of time and see if that helps at all - you also might want to try having your house professionally, thoroughly cleaned at that time too. Cat dander can hang around for months and very sensitive people will still react to it even with the cat gone.

Have your employee talk to her doctor - there may be options for allergy treatment she doesn’t even know about. Bonus points to you if you offer her medical insurance or some other way to pay for it.

If I were in your position I’d really look at trying to work out an alternate work site - after all, she might be allergic to the dogs too, and then you’re looking at having no pets at all as long as she is employed by you.

4

Hell, it’s just a cat.

5

You’re just a human. What’s your point?

6

In any choice between a human and a cat, the cat loses. Just my opinion, here in IMHO. (I’m sure you’re not trying to turn this into a Pit thread, right?)

7

It’s perfectly possible to disagree with someone’s opinion without breaking any rules. (I’m sure you know that, right?)

8

If you don’t like your cat, be a grown-up and don’t make excuses for getting rid of it. Please try to be humane in your disposal of this furry little nuisance in your life.

9

Hey, some of us are really allergic to cats. I can’t be in a house with a cat at all. Rub a kitty in my face and I die, well, ya know. I’ve tried to live with animals and tried shots, pills, more pills, more shots, more baths, I was miserable. My sister is also allergic to cats. She went to a slumber party and had to have a parent drive her home because she got so sick from the cat.

I wound up taking Prednisone for a long time, just so I could breathe. Accept the fact that some people have a zero tolerance for animal dander. And realize, it kinda sucks to be us. We can’t hug a kitty or dog because it makes us sick.

I’m so allergic to animals, I hesitate dating someone who owns them. When I rent apartments, I won’t take a unit that was previously occupied by an animal owner. I went to one of the top allergists in the state and was told that I just have to deal with the hand I was dealt.

10

If it was between the life of a human and the life of a cat, I’d agree. If the choice is between the life of a cat and the convenience of a human, I’m not so sure…

Oh wait, I am sure. And it doesn’t involve killing the cat.

11

Well you know, my cat just walked into my life. Never asked him to. He just did. He’s a fucking asshole. I’m allergic to cats. Hell, I’m allergic to most things. I got tested. Everything that grows - I’m allergic to. I grow 'em anyway. Cats. dogs. Allergic. Fuck it. I’m an avid gardener, and I like animals.

My cat likes to jump up on my lap and rub up against my face. I’m sure he doesn’t know that that makes my face swell up like a pumpkin, but fuck it. He does it. Maybe that little shit does know he drives my allergies ape-shit.

He’s my god-damned cat. Must more be said?

Cat one. Snotty friend who feels she will just die if exposed to a cat. Zero.

12

I didn’t see this option listed: if you can’t find someone to adopt her through a “Free to good home” approach, why not bring her to the animal shelter? I saw many animals get adopted that I swore never would - old cats, sick cats, ugly cats, by some seriously devoted cat people. If they can’t place her, they can put her down a lot more humanely than you’d likely be able to.

13

You can try a no kill shelter (the ones in Minnesota have waiting lists). You could try having your friend talk to an allergist, sometimes Benedryl does help. You can make sure that the house is really really clean - vaccuum with a hepa filter and the rest.

I’ve put two cats down because of my kids - I didn’t like either cat, but it was still a hard decision to make.

14

I have bad allergies, thankfully not to cats, though. If your sister truly has allergies this serious, it would be a good idea for her to get allergy testing. Her allergy conditions may have changed since childhood. This will, for one thing, give you a simple yes/no answer about her allergies to cats, dogs, dust mites and other things. And it will help her take good care of her health, because untreated allergies are a misery. Allergy shots may be an option if allergy pills aren’t.

In my experience, an air filter will not do much. What may help are spray products from a place like National Allergy, www.nationalallergy.com There are some sprays that neutralize dust mite allergen that help me tremendously. I think there are some that do the same for dog and cat allergen. The dust mite one literally changes the protein so it is no longer the allergen.

If you do eventually need to get rid of the cat (and I take it the dogs aren’t in question?) I’d say put up posters first, then take to a shelter.

15

Just got back here… thanks to all for your replies, we are still working on it.

Don’t make rude assumptions, please. I don’t require any excuses, and if that was my motivation, I would have acted 12 years ago, when she was young and much more destructive and annoying than she is now. I’ve never like her, but I liked her less then.

16

So what’s the status? Have you killed the cat that you’ve never liked but didn’t like a lot more when it was young than you do now?

17

Yeah, not sure why anyone would own an animal they disliked for 12 years.

18

Well now, to be fair, I hate my cat. I plan on keeping him forever, as he does me. It’s a mutual spite thing. :wink: