My guilty pleasure is Quora, which I dip into if a question intrigues me. Sometimes I “archive” the more interesting topics here.
“I am fairly allergic to cats. My girlfriend has a cat, and whenever I go over, I feel miserable. How can I avoid this problem without getting some sort of medical therapy like shots every week?“
I am a lifelong cat owner who developed a cat allergy in my late 20s. I have chosen to keep having cats, because I had my first cat at age 4, and I just love having a cat at home.
At some point, you may elect to end this relationship because the cat makes life too uncomfortable for you. That is fair. Asking her to rehome the cat is not fair to her (or her cat). You should make sure you have some antihistamines available. (Diphenhydramine is the fastest, and drowsy-making; chlorpheniramine works well, but is too much like a sledgehammer for me! In my experience, the best nondrowsy antihistamine is fexofenadine, but my mom actually finds relief from loratadine – in any case, try around.) Note, this is just for your comfort while you figure out what the best long-term plan is for you.
I use a daily immune suppressant + antihistamines at night. I occasionally use an inhaler. I have never wanted to do shots; that form of therapy is lengthy and very inconvenient, and the success rate is not that great. Cats are not my only allergy, which has been a factor in my decision. I react less to my own cat than to stranger’s cats, which I take to be evidence that sensitivity drops with time. (When I was first diagnosed, I was almost unable to work for about a month; now I occasionally benefit from resting for a sick day or two.)
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Others have suggested cat wipes. You can also wipe down surfaces with allergen-denaturing stuff, use air cleaners, and use monthly clean-water soaks for the cat. All of these have the effect of clearing away active allergen. I found all that environmental stuff very helpful when I was first diagnosed, but now (about 20 years on), just having a HEPA filter in the HVAC system at home keeps me in reasonably good shape, with the drug therapy.
In your girlfriend’s position, I would be sympathetic and want to help, but I would have limits. I would be happy to do some environmental work, and I would be very grateful if you offered to help. (I have a soft spot for the single-room air cleaners designed for kids – I have one shaped like a penguin, and it always makes me smile.) Personally, I would never consider keeping my cats off the bed, and if she is like me, that may be a deal breaker, but on the other hand, environmental changes and a little drug therapy might work well, depending on the seriousness of your reaction and the possibility that exposure alone will help desensitize you.