Conference misery::feline_v1

    Take medication, for starters. I eat Histomal and Slobid daily.
    
    see notes 215, 414, 1688, 2782, 3605, 3625, 3679, 3851... and
    probably more as well...
    
    jack

    My husband has allergies and asthma.  We have about 9 cats and 6
    kittens, and a large dog in the house with us.  Ken had been depending
    on over the counter inhalers for when things got bad, but I finally
    convinced him to see a Dr.  His appt. is next week.  I will let you
    know how it goes.  Ken and I have been married for almost 7 years, and
    have lived together for almost 10.  We have always had animals and he
    has always had asthma, but, his allergies to cats has subsided quite 
    a bit.  I think that you build up a resistance after awhile.  I was
    very allergic to cats and dogs as a child, but have almost no allergic
    reaction to them now.  My first cat seemed to have cured my problems
    when I was 18.
    
    Jo

    I currently use an over-the-counter antihistamine called
    Triafed (tablets) recommended by my doctor.  @$5 for 100.
    I have asthma, also, so I take them as needed.  
    (Current catcount in the house is 4-I occasionally have
    to take a tablet as the cats are not a major allergy)
    Seldane is another type that many allergic to cats have
    good luck with.  I think it is an over-the-counter, too.
    Bathing cats once a month to remove the dander/saliva and
    brushing to remove excess fur help.  Keeping them out of
    the bedroom (Tough thing to do, all mine sleep in the bed! :-)
    at night or totally and leaving the window cracked for fresh
    air helps.  (The fresh air helps my asthma drastically, as
    I'm also allergic/asthmatic to the wood stove smoke, dust,
    too) Airing out the house periodically is good, too.
    
    Good luck! :-)
    
    Lynne
    

    I have heard that alot of people have success with ionizers.  I
    recently got one, which I leave running in the bedroom 24 hours a day.
    I used to be stuffed up every morning, since I've been using the
    ionizer I wake up breathing normally, it's great.  I don't like to
    take alot of medication, and find this is a nice alternative.  Now
    I am considering getting a larger unit that will do the whole house.
    
    Regards,
    
    Laura
    
    

    When my husband developed Asthma everyone was sure that the cats
    touched it off - the Pulminary specialist suggested that the cats GO -
    I suggesed he go to an Allergist and have tests taken and found out
    that he was not allergic to cats, dogs, horses, etc. - the only allergy
    that showed up was to a dust mite - which a lot of people have.  
    In the meantime we added another cat, making it three - to which the
    Pulminary guy ust rolled his eyes like we were crazy and asking for it.
    
    I always thought that allergies and Asthma were related but found out
    differently - one doesn't necessarily go hand and hand with the other. 
    I've become more concious of dusting and vacuming because of Richard's
    reaction to dust and of course it helps eliminate the cat hair as well.
    I increased the routine from twice to four times a week and airing out
    blankets, bed spreads, etc. more frequently because the critters all
    sleep on and in the bed.
    
    Several friends of mine have shown reactions when they've first taken
    in a pet and they've stuck it out with medication - then slowly they
    must have built up a tolerance to the animal(s) and rarely need to take
    anything.  Seldane is a very good medication - I'm allergic to pollen
    and use it on and off all year long - but you do need a doctor's script
    for it.
    
    Good luck,
    
    
    Giudi                   

    You might want to read the CONSUMER_REPORT note about the Alpine Air
    system. I've got one and it really helps my general allergies (dust,
    pollen, trees, grass, work, etc) but I can't say about cats since they
    don't affect me. Cin Gerry just got one and I *think* she told me that
    her husband was allergic and that it helped him. Comments, Cin?
    
    Deb

    Nancy and I just bought one, too. It has cleared up my allergic
    symptoms somewhat. The instant benefit, though is that it pretty much 
    eliminates catbox odor. 
    
    jack

    I got some Alpine literature about this in the mail, and then subsequently
    saw much cheaper products advertised.  It was not clear to me if
    the Alpine was overpriced, or the others were different or shoddy..
    Any words of wisdom?
    

    We bought two Sears "two stage" ionizers a few years ago.  We paid
    about $100 each.  They helped somewhat but no where near as much
    as the Alpine Air ($500) has helped.  We bought the C150 which is
    a more powerful model.  We have 8 adults and 4 kittens at the moment.
    I breed Scottish folds so that fluctuates.
    
    I have mild allergies to cats.  Jack's big three are cats, dust and
    dust mites.  (My worst one is mold)  I take Seldane which IS going
    to become over-the-counter if it hasn't already.  For me its a real
    blessing.  Up until now I've suffered with the allergies rather than
    with the side effects from the first generation antihistimanes or 
    from Pseudo-ephedrine (in almost all cold/allergy/sinus medications).
    Histimal is newer and stronger (1 pill every 24 hrs) and is
    prescription only and likely to stay that way for 5 years at least.
    (Until the drug companies make back their R&D money).
    
    Good luck.
      Nancy DC
    

SELDANE is wonderful....I tried all else, but SELDANE works for me with no
side effects.  However, it took a few days to really kick in so don't expect
miracles.

If pets are the problem, then you can also alleviate much of the difficulty 
if you:

	1) keep your pets in a "known" area....no wandering around to pick
	   up new kinds of pollens and dusts on their fur.  This translates
	   to indoor-only cats and dogs that are kept in their own yard.
	   When you take your animal to another area, or allow him/her to
	   roam, expect to suffer an attack...it is almost guarenteed.

	2) bathe both cats and dogs regularly - once a month for real
	   serious cases of allergies in the humans.  I bathe my cats
	   once every two months - indoor only - and when I had dogs,
	   they were bathed monthly.  Keep them warm and out of drafts
	   until thoroughly dry.  Make sure you rinse very well to remove
	   ALL soap.

	3) groom your pets daily.  I know it sounds like a lot of work,
	   but brushing/combing a pet only takes approx. 10 minutes to
	   do a thorough job - and a nice talk while brushing can convince
	   the animal it is FUN to be brushed - it can be a daily bonding
	   session.  I taught my cat, Hannah, the command, "Hannah-brush",
	   which will send her to the brushing counter in a flash - ready
	   to be brushed and talked to during her twice-daily encounter
	   sessions with me.  No matter how busy I am, Hannah gets her
	   brushes - and I get clear sinuses.  Once a day is adequate for
	   the rest of the gang.    

	4) Vacuum at least twice a week.....dust often.  my allergies have
	   forced me to be a much better housekeeper...8^}

    Nancy,
    
    Could you post how to get information about the Alpine Air system?
    
    thanks,
    
    Cathy

    see note 654.12 for both an address and an 800 number.
    
    Deb (who is now sorry she didn't take them up on their offer to become
         a distributer)

    Deb,
    
    Me Too!  I've already at least assisted in sales of 4 or 5 of the
    Alpine Systems.
    
    I've had mine for several months now, and am still raving about
    the benefits!
    
    Great Product!
    cin