Comments | verin_the_brown: Cat questions

verin_the_brown

Cat questions

Jan 13, 2009 11:18

Yeah, I know this is the wrong place. Most of you are dog people.

But, suppose you wanted to get a cat, where would you look for one? Shelter? Craig's list? What about kittens? Do shelters have kittens or only adult cats?

Are there allergen free breeds of cats?

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echoweaver January 13 2009, 17:55:29 UTC

We adopted Elf from a no-kill cat rescue that two of my friends volunteer with. Most of the cats they keep are adult -- the kittens tend to be adopted out as quickly as they are rescued, so we got one in part b/c a friend called and said kittens were in. (We specifically wanted a female kitten b/c of concerns about integration with Menace. I've now raised two kittens and would be inclined to adopt an adult when the need arises ( ... )

hilleviw January 13 2009, 18:02:18 UTC

...and calling any cat - even a Maine Coon - "hypoallergenic" is a significant exaggeration.

echoweaver January 13 2009, 18:03:58 UTC

I thought there were cat varieties that were better with allergies than the Maine Coon? Specifically hypoallergenic?

hilleviw January 13 2009, 18:11:26 UTC

I've had friends who swore their cats were allergy-friendly, but if I'm in the same room as the cat for just a few minutes my eyes are streaming; if I spend the night in the house, with the cat barred from the room, and the room having been seriously vacuumed first, I still require a trip to the ER to get my breathing under control. An hour at debg's house and I thought I was going to die imminently (of course, she's got 13 cats and no pretense that they're hypoallergenic).

Now, I'm VERY allergic to cats, so it may be that with a less allergic person the responses to the special breeds are acceptable.

As for me, I live with 2 toy poodles and have no allergy problems with them, but my uncle who is very allergic, can't be around them at all. He reacts to dog saliva, not dog fur or dander (which poodles don't have).

enochs_fable January 15 2009, 14:17:38 UTC

Yes, the genetically-engineered ones. :)

Well, there are several things people can be allergic to - dander or proteins in saliva. While I've read Maine Coons have a different type of dander that some people might not be as reactive to, I'd think most short-hair types stand as good a chance of being better for someone with allergies.

echoweaver January 15 2009, 14:30:47 UTC

I was vaguely thinking of the genetically-engineered ones, but thought they were more common and less expensive, more along the lines of a pedigree cat like a Persian. It sounds like they ARE essentially pedigree cats, but with a copyright on their genome or somesuch.

If someone is allergic to proteins in saliva, is the risk just if you come in contact with the cat, or do the proteins get everywhere because of grooming like dander?

enochs_fable January 15 2009, 14:46:23 UTC

They get everywhere because of grooming, but that can be mitigated by careful attention to cleaning, having non-carpeted floors and the allergic person avoiding touching the cat.

verin_the_brown January 13 2009, 18:31:58 UTC

Yes, I'd rather have a kitten, but I would consider an adult cat.

I'm looking for myself, that is, my family.

echoweaver January 13 2009, 18:56:51 UTC

This is new. I'm obviously cat-biased. What has made you think in the direction of pets?

Do you think Mal is at an age where he'd be able to cohabitate will with a cat?

verin_the_brown January 13 2009, 19:10:26 UTC

This is new. I'm obviously cat-biased. What has made you think in the direction of pets?

It is new. The cat urge came over me yesterday. I'm not sure why. I have always liked cats, but still considered them more trouble than they enjoyment they would bring. But somehow I re-weighed the trouble versus the enjoyment and the cat came up winning this time. Perhaps it's diverted baby lust. I had cats as a child, at least at my father's house, and I liked them, but they were outside cats so I didn't see that much of them.

Do you think Mal is at an age where he'd be able to cohabitate will with a cat?

I think Mal would do fine with a cat as long as he didn't turn out to be allergic.

My reservations are about being able to have over people who are allergic, what I would do with the cat if we went on a trip, and of course destruction of furniture.

echoweaver January 13 2009, 19:26:09 UTC

Heh. Unlike Enoch, who was raised with dogs, I was raised with hamsters and a chinchilla. My affinity for cats seems to be entirely innate ( ... )

enochs_fable January 15 2009, 14:23:22 UTC

I'd recommend shelters over craigslist because they typically have more information about the behavior of a particular cat, particularly if it is an adult.

Generally, if someone has cats, and I'm staying more than a short time, I dose up.

To be really blunt, if you have friends who are allergic and especially you also have a lot of carpeting, you'll have to be diligent about vacuuming before they come over. Carpets hold a lot of dust and dander, so are perfect traps for substances like that. Many years ago, I spent the night at someone's house who had a cat, carpets, and the cleaning sense of an engineer (nobody here, obviously). I woke up feeling like death itself.

I've stayed at echo's place (mostly brick) and been fine.

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