I don't like cats and I certainly do NOT want the responsibility of getting stuck taking care of an animal that my kids swear up and down they are going to care for. My husband swears he'll pick up the slack for the kids.
So fine, they (hubby and kiddies) take the kitten (@4 1/2 mos old: Cat-daddy Cletus) to the vet, get the shots, buy the litterbox and kittenchow, catnip toy and collar. First thing the little beast does - he jumps into the litterbox and goes to town!!!! I'm thinking, "After handling human waste for the last 6 1/2 years or so, anyone/thing that knows where to go and what to do when they get there is OK BY ME!! To make matters worse, HE LOVES ME! (Even my girls have commented on his obvious affection for me and me alone.)
Which brings me to the dilemma - I love the beast, my girls love the beast, my husband loves the beast -- I AM BIG-TIME ALLERGIC TO THE BEAST!!!!
My husband and I have tried to tell the girls that I am allergic and as much as I would like to have him stay, Cat-daddy Cletus is going to have to go. WELL, after all the NO MOMMY's and PLEASE MOMMY'S and MY HEART WILL BREAK, MOMMY's - we have come to the conclusion that I need to find another place to live! j/k
Could anyone offer an alternative solution. I don't have any other allergies EXCEPT this one - my eyes are swollen, I'm sneezing like the dickens, I've got the constant tickle at the roof of my mouth - and I can't breathe! Also the cat playfully scratched me while playing with me in bed at nite (he insisted on sleeping right by my head - until I just had to lock him out of my room at nite). Anyplace his claws broke the skin (or barely broke the skin) immediately broke out into hives!!!! (Benadryl took care of it right away, but DAMN! - This have never happened to me before!)
My girls really have been feeding him, giving him water, keeping him out of trouble and YES- THEY HAVE BEEN TAKING CARE OF THE LITTERBOX! - THEY EVEN DO CHORES TO EARN MONEY TO PAY FOR THE CAT FOOD, ETC! I'm so desperate to keep this stupid cat if for no other reason than because it's making my girls so happy and they are really working so hard! - I don't want to let them down. I know that 2 weeks doesn't seem like a long time, but the age-range here is 3 1/2 - 8 years. I've seen them lose interest in ice cream in minutes!
HHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!
Thanx for your patience!||24.4.252.72||reg|| Z||000001||riptchick||07-14-2000||09:51 PM||riptchick@operamail.com||OK, I do have some expertise here. I owned my own pet store before moving. There is a product called ALLERPET. It is a solution that you rub on the pet's fur (they make it for both cats and dogs) and it controls the dander which makes most people allergic. Try that. My brother has severe allegeries and raises Bluetick coonhounds and it worked for him.
Usually its the dander that causes the allergies and not the fur. Gosh, I hope that helps you. I know how the whole pet thing goes....I can't tell you how many my two guys have brought home. It's a zoo! 
||152.163.194.187||reg||
Z||000002||Temple||07-14-2000||09:57 PM||dtkb@gpcom.net||My husband has allergies ( pollen and stuff) and every spring he goes in and gets a shot - end of problem. Lasts about three months but I don't know if it will work on pet allergies.||216.170.51.134||reg||
Z||000003||BiffBoom||07-14-2000||09:58 PM||moneymover@hushmail.com||yep...been there. VERY allergic to cat dander. Used to think I had asthma until I left for college and it cleared up.
Actually, the longer you are around it, the more used to it you will get.
Just wash your hands after touching the cat..at least rinse. Also, get the vaccum out every day...it helps.
I had to put my cat to sleep last September....after 19 years..and I'm only 28 (this Monday). You may hate the allergies now, but you'll cry like a baby if your cat lives 19 years. Even my rottweiler Dakota is bummed and it's been like 10 months.
See if your cat will bathe in the sink..which will help reduce the dander.||152.163.201.49||reg||
Z||000004||missgalaxy||07-14-2000||10:17 PM||missgalaxy@hushmail.com||Bmom-
Don't know any advice to give about the allergy thang. But good luck with your kitty. At least it is a sweet kitty. I have a bitch of a cat that i've had for 7-8 years and would love to trade her in for a more sweet/affectionate one but i know nobody else could handle her moooooooody ass. They say that they are like their owners. uh-oh.
Riptchick-
since we're on the subject of cats and you owned a pet store. Could you tell me why my cat has a fetish with nawing on my wrist? Its really weird- like every so often i'm laying in bed and her she comes, she locks her jaw around my little wrist and naws, naws, naws, like its a mission and gets pissed if i move. I let her do it and finally after oh 3-4 minutes she is satisfied and quits. Its kinda like she is teething but she's been doing it for 8 frickin years! WTF? My wrist is red and scratched up when she is finish and sometimes it is painful. Ever heard of this? Only thing i can think of is maybe it dates back to when i got her. I had to pick from a litter of kitties, every time i tried to grab one i couldn't catch it. So finally one went to breast feed off of her mother and i though hummmmmmmm i got you now and grabed her off and put her in a box and took her home. How cruel of me 
i think i scarred her for life by doing that. Maybe since she never finished feeding, that's why she does it?? Does that make any since or do you guys think me and my cat are just crazy??||152.163.213.186||reg||
Z||000005||riptchick||07-14-2000||10:34 PM||riptchick@operamail.com||Do you know how old your cat was when you bought it? Most animals do not develop bad behavior traits if they are with their litter and moms for at least 13 weeks--(during the time of mental imprinting.) (I could go on forever about animal behavior) I have a degree in it. The type of pet store I owned only carried products and I trained k-9s for the police department.
I don't think too highly of mills (puppy or otherwise). The problem is most people are unaware of the bad stuff associated with them and this isn't the forum for me to get on a soapbox. But if any of you have training questions about your dogs or cats I'd be more than happy to email you the correct way to handle the problem. BTW, I think it is AWESOME to adopt the unwanted ones. It makes us human.
MissGalaxy--I'll email you instructions on how to fix the problem....It's a long article but I can cut and paste tommorrow.||152.163.201.206||reg||
Z||000006||missgalaxy||07-14-2000||11:20 PM||missgalaxy@hushmail.com||Riptchick- Awesome, it can be corrected?? I think she was really young, probably too young they were giving them away (free ad in the paper) Maybe 8 weeks? I don't know. Anyway i'll wait for your e-mail. Thanks alot and don't get me wrong i LUV my boo-boo bear. I am an animal lover. She's just difficult sometimes. ||152.163.213.186||reg||
Z||000007||MS||07-15-2000||02:11 AM||mad.scientist55@hushmail.com||I'm a cat-allergic comrade. And I also have problems with the cutest, most loving strays in town finding my home. It's easier to deal with when you get them as kittens. First of all, the allergies do get better with time. But until then try these things
Wash the cat every 2 weeks. This keeps the dander down. (this is the bit that's easier to get a young cat accustomed to)
Regular vacuuming with a GOOD vacuum cleaner
Frequent hand washing after handling cat
Most important of all, DO NOT allow the cat in your bedroom AT ALL. This may be the hardest part, but it's better for everyone in the long run. Give the cat it's own bed somewhere else in the house, and do not allow it access to your.
And you should look in to desensitization. I haven't tried it myself, but it would be great if it worked. I also think I'll try some of that ALLERPET.||139.80.64.4||reg|| Z||000008||blackhaus1||07-15-2000||02:25 AM||kab0924@hushmail.com||Have you at all considered making the cat an outdoor cat?? This would solve the vaccumming and the litter box and pretty much all your problems!
------------------
"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.."
||24.188.24.44||reg||
Z||000009||WarLobo||07-15-2000||05:27 AM||warlobo@operamail.com||I'm going to delete this whole fricking thread... I hate cats... I'm allergic to cats... and my WIFE has two of them! I can't stand the smell of the litter box. i hate when they whine in the morning begging for food. I HATE CATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm not even going to sign cause i do not want my handle even close to a cat thread
||152.163.207.54||reg||
Z||000010||bikinimom||07-15-2000||09:25 AM||bikinimom@home.com||You all have been SOOOOOOOOOOOOO helpful!
I'm going to run out and get me some of the Allerpet - let you know how I do. The vacuuming, thing - it blows, but it's gotta be done ANYWAY. I never knew you could even bathe a cat.
Balckhaus - I'm in NJ and outdoor is OK by me for the summer, but what do I do in Jan when it's like 5 degrees? We have considered this option, but I wouldn't have the heart to keep any animal outside in the cold (Yes, I know they have fur, but is it enough? Wouldn't they shed in the summer if it was enough of a coat in winter?)
Lobo - Man I'm with you. I REALLY HATE CATS! I used to say the only good cat is a dead cat. But Cletus is OK, and (for once) my girls are really holding their end up.
You GUYS ARE GREAT! THANK YOU!!!! ||24.4.252.72||reg||
Z||000011||bikinimom||07-15-2000||09:44 AM||bikinimom@home.com||PS The reason I posted this here is I felt the women here would be more sympathetic to my plight, being that some of them are also Moms and would understand the depth of my girls' feelings. I thank you for cutting me slack!||24.4.252.72||reg||
Z||000012||MikeyT||07-15-2000||05:57 PM||||(Yeah, I'm a guy -- been lurking for a while but have to add to this thread! Sorry that it's so long but it could save your life!)
As I said, be very careful with the "cat thing."
My mother had the same kind of symptoms (years ago) -- we always had cats until George (our 18# tom cat) went neurotic and started pouncing on anyone that walked past HIS room. A little too much 'foreign protein' left behind from his claws in my mother's ankle and her allergy kicked in. [George had to be sent off to a local farm where there was more to attack -- too bad, actually, since we had always had cats.]
Like you, my mother's allergy had the relatively mild symptoms of puffy eys, and a little runny nose from time to time. She could even tell when one of the gals at her new bridge club had had a cat in the house months earlier (yes, the dander hangs around for a long time.)
Then, one day, she and my dad visited a couple that had two cats. After about an hour, Ma started wheezing and really couldn't breath. They had to take her to the hospital ER. By the time she got there, she was going into allergic shock. After a couple of epi shots she stabilized -- it was real close. The diagnosis: severe "cat alergy." Now, no cat exposure EVER.......
That means she can't visit her brother; he and his wife have a cat. She can't visit my son and daughter in law; they have a cat. Etc., etc., etc.
Look, it's just like me and my bees (yes, I keep bees). Got a few stings every year with no more than a little swelling. Then one day, got stung, and my whole body turned bright red and itched like mad. Wrote it off as a fluke -- got stung two weeks later; same thing! Now, I never work them without an EpiKit sitting on the counter in the kitchen and never work them unless my wife is home.
You NEVER know when a serious allergy reaction is gonna kick in -- at least, if you keep the cat, get an EpiKit. The longer you keep the cat, even if the surface symptoms seem to get better, the more likely you are to become sensitized.
||158.252.31.133||reg||
Z||000013||dirtyratt||07-15-2000||05:58 PM||twodirtyrats@hotmail.com||i too am extremly allergic to cats. hate them, do not even like to see one.
last night a few of our friends asked us to come over, but they have two cats. No way! anyway, i felt like we had to b/c they always come to our house so we did. i took my clairtin before we went, popped some benadryl on the way there. i saw a hair and immediatly i was so sick. running nose, itchy eyes. i was terrible. it was a quick night and went home ran to shower then to bed. i will never go there again!
my advice, buy them a puppy instead, or even a fish. let the cat outside an accident, then tell them it ran away. DONT KEEP IT!!!
good luck-dirtyratt||64.38.43.218||reg||
Z||000014||skydancer||07-15-2000||07:24 PM||skydancer43@hotmail.com||*hmph* I am a major cat lover...I have two and they are my children...I'm sorry about all the allergy problems but sheesh!!! Lay off the hating stuff!!! They are just little animals!!!
(I just had to post in defense of cat lovers everywhere)
||207.114.143.106||reg|| Z||000015||Temple||07-15-2000||10:59 PM||dtkb@gpcom.net||No, some of them are not just little animals. I absolutely swear that this is a true story - saw it with my own two eyes and the cat lovers here should appreciate it. My best friend recently divorced the psychotic bastard from hell and while she was still living in the house they were doing the usual fighting over who gets what ( he got almost everything) and one of the big ones was over several very large plants. Finally she gave in and told him he could have the plants and he also knew what he could do with them. Her cat, who had always hated him spent the next several days taking a shit in every one of those plants. Now he has dead plants which he thinks we poisoned.||216.170.51.72||reg|| Z||000016||Plato||07-16-2000||01:36 AM||askplato@yahoo.com||Pick the cat up, spin it around about 10 or 15 times (you'll both be dizzy) put the cat down and scare it, watch the cat run into a wall. Do it for several days and it should eventually run away. Tip: Wait until kids are at school, or charge admission when they get out.
Sorry, I couldn't help it. Childhood memories.||205.134.242.145||reg||
Z||000017||ryry||07-16-2000||03:29 AM||ryry025@yahoo.com||
i'm allergic to cats too. funny thing is that the little bastards love me. everytime i'm around them they are all over me as if their tormenting me. if you really want to keep the cat, shave it and just put a small shirt on it or something... 
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"The race is long... and in the end, it's only with yourself."
||140.142.174.82||reg||
Z||000018||bikinimom||07-16-2000||09:48 AM||bikinimom@home.com||ryry - that is the funniest thing I've heard in a while LOL!!!!! Not only would we have the cat with the most bizaare name, but one that would have an appearance to match!||24.4.252.72||reg||
Z||000019||CONAN||07-17-2000||12:04 PM||||As I have stated before...cats make great muskie bait.
Of course I am kidding....really.||136.2.1.101||reg|| Z||000020||skydancer||07-17-2000||01:49 PM||skydancer43@hotmail.com||This ones for you BMom:
How to Clean Your Cat
1.Thoroughly clean the toilet.
2.Add the required amount of shampoo to the toilet water, and have both
lids lifted.
3.Obtain the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.
4.In one swoop movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids
(you may need to stand on the lid so that he cannot escape).
** CAUTION: Do not get any part of your body too close to the edge, as his
paws will be reaching out for any purchase they can find. **
5.Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a "power wash and rinse" which I have found to be quite effective.
6.Have someone open the door to the outside and ensure that there are no
people between the toilet and the outside door.
7.Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift both lids.
8.The now-clean cat will rocket out of the toilet, and run outside where he will promptly dry himself.
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Patience is a bitter plant, but it has sweet fruit.
||216.244.30.188||reg|| Z||000021||Kaizen||07-18-2000||05:17 PM||kaizen1968@planetout.com||Hi Bikinimom
I used to work for a vet and there are a couple of options...Try changing
the food that the cat is eating and cat litter it is using. It actually isn't
the fur that people are allergic too but the cat's saliva. Because it is
constantly cleaning it's fur, it spreads the allergen across it's body...
Better quality non-preservative foods really help..I had the same problem
with a cat that I just had to rescue! This really helped me out.... changed
to a scoop away litter that was anti-baterial and changed the food to a
non-preservative all natural....Took a couple of weeks but it helped... There
are also wipes that are sold at vet offices that can be wiped over the cat
by the kids and hubby and that will take the allergen off...
------------------
Kaizen
"Omnia praeclara
tam difficilia
quam rara sunt."
||204.89.159.101||reg|| Z||000022||WarLobo||07-18-2000||07:10 PM||warlobo@operamail.com||Oh, that's rich Sky... simply rich! Do you think there is any chance you could divert the cat to the clothes dryer?
Just thought.
LAte
Lobo||199.211.225.194||reg|| Z||000023||skydancer||07-18-2000||07:25 PM||skydancer43@hotmail.com||Only if you place the dryer in front of the bathroom door so it catches the cat as it launches itself out of the toilet bowl. One must be exceptionally prepared at which speed said cat will be moving however, and careful of timing so when you slam the dryer door shut you've allowed enough time for the cat to get fully into the drum and you don't catch its tail in the door. 15m on low usually does the job.
------------------
Patience is a bitter plant, but it has sweet fruit.
||216.244.30.204||reg||
Z||000024||Checkmatebloated||07-18-2000||08:54 PM||patch1971@hushmail.com||I did not read everyones post.
I believe animals can tell when somebody does not like them and they try to work on that person. My mom hates pets, but they love her.||167.127.142.2||reg||
Z||000025||bikinimom||07-18-2000||09:39 PM||bikinimom@home.com||Just to let you all know - our kitty's owner - yes, you read it right - owner (no collar on the kitten, never taken the animal to the vet, and hadn't even given the creature a name even thought they have had it for several weeks!) came to get our cat last night. She (a teenage girl) explained that the family had been on vacation for a week and the person who was feeding the cat accidentally let it out - so they've been looking for him since they got back. The kicker? ...they live ACROSS THE STREET! Explain to me why a cat who's got a good home ACROSS THE STREET COULD NOT FIND ITS WAY BACK THERE? We let the cat out often!
These people are so weird. I stressed to the young girl that I am extremely allergic and that the only reason I agreed to allow my children to keep him is because the swore they would care for him - which they did VERY WELL. I never touched the litter box once! My Kristina (the one who was attached most to Cletus) wouldn't even say, "Good-bye". All of my children were heartbroken. Do you think the parents of the young girl who came to get "their" cat would have come over (being that they have several children themselves) after they heard how attached my children were and thanked my girls and perhaps offered to somehow reward them for taking such good care of the animal in their absence? It is not about $. It is about teaching the children that they did a wonderful thing by opening up their hearts and their homes to a creature who would otherwise have ended up dead. No "thank you" - no "we are sorry that you are upset and you can come visit him" - no little reward - NOTHING!
But then again, I am my children's parent and when the world fails it is my job to teach the lesson. We explained that if it weren't for them Cletus would have probably died and even though they are sad because they had to give the cat up, because my hubby and I have seen how much they have matured and how responsible they really are - while no kitty could take Cletus' place- we would get them a kitty of their own. We'd adopt a kitty that would otherwise be desroyed and they could keep that cat until it dies and no one could ever take that pet away!
Needless to say - We are now desperately searching for an unwanted kitten who needs a loving home with four insane children, an allergic but loving mom and a pushover for a dad!
Keep you all posted!||24.4.252.72||reg|| Z||000026||MS||07-18-2000||10:07 PM||mad.scientist55@hushmail.com||This is like a soap opera. Allergic cat-hater actively looking for an unloved kitten to adopt! Just get one young enough that you can teach it to tolerate regular washing (preferably NOT the toilet method).||139.80.64.4||reg|| Z||000027||WarLobo||07-19-2000||10:38 AM||warlobo@operamail.com||Why not get them a small puppy, that way you will not have to worry. One lesson they could learn is that family members are important too, and if someone's health is at stake then they should chip in and do what they can.
And your neighbors suck - oh well....
LAte
Lobo
||12.10.120.15||reg||
Z||000028||bikinimom||07-19-2000||03:01 PM||bikinimom@home.com||Lobo - I LOVE DOGGIES, however I have handled so much human waste in the past 7 years or so that I believe I am exempt from ever having to handle ANY bodily waste for the rest of my life, until grandchildren and even then, only on occasion.
There is NO WAY I'm going to toilet train a dog or shovel it's poopy! - I'd rather go through the rest of my life with puffy eyes! - but thanx to all of the wonderful advice I have gotten from you EXPERTS - hopefully, once we get a little kitty this will not be such a big deal. THANK YOU ALL AGAIN!||24.4.252.72||reg|| Z||000029||Checkmatebloated||07-19-2000||06:41 PM||patch1971@hushmail.com||I got 2 female mini long hair wiener dogs puppies that are 5 weeks old. They DO NOT shed and are hypo-alergenic. Most people do not know that. I breed rear colors. One is Chocolate, like a lab and the other on is orange like the inside of a Butterfinger, but she will get a little darker. ||167.127.142.2||reg|| Z||000030||bikinimom||07-19-2000||09:58 PM||bikinimom@home.com||You all wanna hear Soap?! ....The family comes home from the gym tonite (9:15PM - a little late for the kiddies, but the baby napped and school is out) so anyway, it's cold and damp and rainy and as we are all coming in the front door who should shoot right into the kitchen ....you guesse it, Cat-daddy Cletus, himself! He goes right for the food dish (We never put it away as we were hoping to get another kitty.) and starts mewing and starts scarfing down the food the minute it hits the plate! NO COLLAR! What the fuck is up with the idiot people across the street?!
I don't know much about cats, but wouldn't it stand to reason that if he had a happy home he would STAY THERE?! Why would people let a KITTEN that is just shy of 5 mos out all night when it is cold and damp and he is hungry?! I mean I'm no big animal lover, but GOD - if you are going to have a pet - TAKE PROPER CARE!
Now my children are all upset and keep making statements such as, "Well Cletus likes us better so lets just keep him!" Of course, I explained that even though we take better care of him he does not belong to us and we must walk him back over in the morning. I will let those people know that it is bad enough that my children have become very attached to the cat and they were already devasted by his loss once, I don't think their little hearts could take the pain of seeing this creature laying in the middle of the road between our houses knowing that the cat died because it kept coming back to us.
I know that everything living must someday die and I do tell my children this when the topic arises. But if I can spare their little hearts this pain, shouldn't I try?
Do I have any legal grounds to keep the animal? I don't want to start stuff with my neighbors - especially because I was warned not to EVER let any of the older girls babysit for my children - don't WANT TO FIND OUT WHY! - but there has got to be something that I can do short of taking the animal to the shelter. I would rather give the kitten up and hope that it will find a good home than to leave it with those obviously neglectful people.
I thank the members of this board for their indulgence.||24.4.252.72||reg|| Z||000031||riptchick||07-19-2000||10:18 PM||riptchick@operamail.com||BMOM, check your email....||152.163.201.196||reg|| Z||000032||Temple||07-19-2000||10:34 PM||dtkb@gpcom.net||We had a similar situation with a puppy last winter and the last time they came to get it I told them that if it ended up at my house one more time and was cold and hungry that I would automatically consider it my dog and would not give it back to them and would also contact the humane society. After that they took much better care of it. I understand not wanting to start shit with the neighbors especially if the kids are shall we say a problem but damn it, sometimes you just have to take a stand.||216.170.51.150||reg|| Z||000034||Iron God||07-21-2000||10:24 AM||irongod@hushmail.com||Cats Suck!
And since your in Jersey I could help you do a "Jimmy Hoffa" on old Cletus the cat.
------------------
Nam Et Ipsa Scientia Potestas Est!
||192.127.94.7||reg|| Z||000035||bikinimom||07-21-2000||05:03 PM||bikinimom@home.com||Thanx for all of your responses. It is now FRIDAY afternoon, I have seen many of the "owners" across the street come and go AND NOT ONE INQUIRY as to the whereabouts of "their" cat.
I told my girls that if the people across the street came to retrieve Cletus we would have to surrender him, but that we would offer them $ and maybe the greedy bastards would take the dough and let us go about our business taking care of the fuzzy little guy. However, if they did not come for, say, a week I would then consider the kitty ours and that would be that.
I can't figure these people out. The cat has been in my home since Wed --- if they were so broken up about "losing" him the first time, wouldn't you think that they'd have been here sooner inquiring about his whereabouts? Whatever - Cletus is here and being well-cared for and my girls are happy... I guess I better go get me some of that allerpet-stuff, huh?
IrongGod you are too much! Don't you hurt my puttytat! I may be small, but I can sick my kids on you! NOW THEY ARE TOUGH!!!!||24.4.252.72||reg||
Z||000036||ryry||07-27-2000||03:06 PM||ryry025@yahoo.com||
so whats up with the cat? did you get to keep it?
------------------
"The race is long... and in the end, it's only with yourself."
||163.242.224.66||reg||
Z||000037||WarLobo||07-27-2000||05:03 PM||warlobo@operamail.com||No!!!! Please!!!! Not the cat thread again!!!!
LET IT DIE~~~~~~
------------------
LAte
Lobo||12.10.120.15||reg|| Z||000038||Mr. T||07-27-2000||05:37 PM||||You can get medication to alleviate the allergy. Pets can actually be a great way to teach kids some reponsibility. And lets face it, it cant get any easier than cats. Just pour food in their bowl and clean out the litter once every few days and they take care of the rest.
BTW, if you kitty litter stinks you need to clean it out or get a different brand. Its never supposed to stink.||63.254.76.185||reg||