Allergies only to Savannah cat???

[Alex]

Wondering if anyone else has ever run into this, and if you have, what solutions you've found that involve keeping your cat (since cats are family, too) ?

One of my girlfriends would come over to visit and would have allergies when at my house, but when at anyone else's house with just "domestic" cats she didn't have any issues (even her Mom's with 5 cats). True, they weren't giving her headbutts or rubbing up against her (or her face) as much ... we just solved by not doing anything at my house. Now, however, I'm dating someone who the two times he's been over has started sneezing and has itchy eyes (same reaction as my gf) when visiting . He doesn't seem to have the same reaction at my parent's house, even though he's sitting on the carpet just as much (if not more) there. They have a domestic cat. He also said he grew up with his brother having a cat and was fine??? I do have a domestic medium (dm) hair cat + my F3 Savannah, she (my dm) does shed a lot (unlike my Savannah, who hardly sheds at all), but since both my bf and gf only have issues when visiting me, not someone else with cats, am thinking the culprit may be my Savannah?

Any ideas? My cats are my family, but I also really want this to work with my bf. Am already researching getting a better vacuum with a HEPA filter, plus maybe some kind of air filter, since I've read that can help? How have others handled situations like this?

P.S. if this info helps, I feed them Rachel Ray's indoor dry cat foot + Sheba Perfect Portions wet food

 

[Vito]

It's a bit of a tricky one, my son visits with his gf and although she says she is allergic to cats they've never really bothered her before, but lately she has been sneezing and experiencing sore red eyes, but prior to this she never seemed to be affected before.
She always makes a lot of drama over this and requests I lock the cats out, I'm afraid I'm not willing to exclude my babies, they are extremely sociable boys and when they are excluded it upsets them. If their upset, Im upset. It's hard to keep everyone happy, but I did suggest to her that she takes an antihistamine a short while before visiting, this seems to be doing the trick. I do also use a good hepa filtered vacuum. It will be interesting to see what others here suggest.

 

[WitchyWoman]

I couldn't find any reports that SV saliva differs from any other cat's. Cat allergies are caused by proteins in the saliva and urine. The first thing I would suggest to allergic people who are important in your life is to get an allergy test to determine what they are allergic to. It may not be the cat. In addition to antihistamines (which should be taken regularly to be effective not taken just when people visit), there is a series of injections that help reduce allergic reactions to cats. Allergic visitors shouldn't come into physical contact with the cats.

Regular vacuuming of floors, furniture, and other cloth surfaces as well as washing of walls and hard surfaces will help reduce the amount of saliva coated dander and fur as will a HEPA filter for your HVAC system.

 

[Sean]

That is a strange one. I have had one cate or an other around most al the time. How ever there was one
Tuxedo that set me off. Never could find out why I even did the alergy testing. Something to do with that little
girl that made me look all puffy and scales around my eyes.