You know what they say, you always want what you can’t have. I’ve always hated that phrase. Commonly used in the context of love and relationships. Sometimes used in reference to one’s lifestyle, job, or belongings. For me, only one thing comes to mind when I hear it: cats.
I love cats. Although, if you saw me near one, you’d never guess. When I’m near a cat I tend to keep my distance. Why? Simple, I’m allergic. It’s honestly my only flaw.
When I’m near cats, I don’t need physical contact to experience symptoms. If I’m around them long enough, I’ll start sneezing and my throat will start to itch or close up. Also, just so we’re all on the same page, long enough usually means just a couple minutes.
Now, when I say sneezing, I mean a sneezing fit. I can go on for minutes.
A great show for everyone in the room.
I’m used to it. I tend to bite my tongue to make the sneezes go away. It’s not an ideal method, but I don’t want to be a nuisance. You’d be surprised how quickly someone can change their tune from saying “bless you” to glaring at you for every outburst.
Now, there has been one exception in my life. A time when my allergies went away.
Allergies in general are caused because our bodies see the allergen as a foreign invader. Over time, our bodies can grow accustomed to a specific allergen, reducing the level of immune-system sensitivity. Enter Tom.
When I was in college, I had a roommate. Well, I had multiple roommates. However, this one roommate, a couple months into our junior year, asked if her cat, Tom, could live at the apartment. Given her circumstances, and the fact that I liked cats, I said yes.
I figured, as long as Tom stayed out of my room, I’d be okay. Boy, was I wrong.
It went like this. My symptoms came two fold: sneezing fits, an itchy throat, red and watery eyes, and a runny but also stuffy nose. Imagine a cold. Now imagine having it for months. That was my experience. I remember it fondly.
Then, it all stopped. Of course, I don’t remember the exact moment it stopped. One day, I had been sitting in the living room with Tom for hours and just felt nothing. Fast forward another year and a half, and I was the epitome of health.
So healthy, that my roommates seemed to forget I had allergies. Don’t worry, they remembered later when we decided to foster kittens.
Allergies vary. It’s not guaranteed that you can become accustomed to your cat, but if you can, there’s hope for you yet! Unfortunately, I currently live with multiple people who are also allergic to cats, so still no cats for me.
Luckily, that doesn’t stop me. Just because I can’t have a cat doesn’t mean I can’t be around them. How, you might ask? Cat-sitting.
Seven years ago, my neighbors approached my family to take care of their cats. Of course, I stepped up and took the job. Thus began my career as a cat sitter – which was quite short lived. I headed to college the following Fall.
Then the pandemic hit. So, although I was out of college, no one needed a cat-sitter. No one was going anywhere. In addition, they probably didn’t want me anywhere near their pets and homes. That meant almost two years without any cat interaction.
I’m not a doctor, but I’m just going to go ahead and say my immune-sensitivity was at an all time high. I was confined to a cat free house every day.
It was the perfect time to suddenly receive a text from, not one, but two neighbors to take care of their beloved cats while they were away on vacation. It was time to come out of cat-sitter retirement 😎.
Now, even though it’s two neighbors, it’s four stinking cute cats. Three in one house and one in the other.
What’s that? You want to meet them? Well twist my arm, okay.
Ellie
Meet Ellie, a sweet and affectionate snowshoe. Grumpy cat is also a snowshoe, so Ellie is Grumpy cat without the Grumpy. She’s very friendly and loves to greet me whenever I enter the house. Ellie can be pretty cautious around strangers. It took her some time to let me pet her. I’ve never seen it myself, but apparently Ellie enjoys chasing her tail and playing on the railings.
Sophie
Meet Sophie! Sophie is Ellie’s daughter. Like her mom, Sophie is also a snowshoe. She is also the youngest in the house. Sophie is extremely close to her mother. In fact, sometimes, you can catch them sleeping head to head. She’s also very energetic and playful if she gets to know you. Otherwise, you probably won’t even see her since she’s a bit shy. Be on the lookout, you can probably see her up high in unexpected places. Her toys of choice are the water bowl and cat trees.
Tiki
To round out the trio, we have Tiki! Unlike her housemates, Tiki is part Red Point Siamese. She’s very curious, but cautious. She likes to come out and see me, but keeps a safe distance. Tiki gets anxious around people she doesn’t know and is easily startled. If you make loud noises or any fast motions she’ll bolt. The reason being; she didn’t have an easy time growing up.
Tiki is a rescue cat, originally found in an abandoned house with her siblings. From there she was taken to a cat rescue house and then lived with a family for a year. Both places mistreated her. The family’s kids, unfortunately, were too rough when playing.
She tolerates Ellie and Sophie, but sometimes even they are too active for her.
Bellatrix
Finally, we have Bellatrix! A cute calico and the only cat in her house. Bella does what she wants most of the time. She’s not shy, but sometimes she just doesn’t feel like moving and can’t be bothered to say hello. Bella is quite vocal and demanding, especially when it comes to her food. When her family leaves, Bella gets lonely by herself. Despite that, she is extremely picky about who’s allowed to pet or play with her.
I’ve taken care of all four cats many times in the past, so it was nice getting to see them all after so long.
Regarding my allergies, there are pros and cons to cat-sitting. The main pro is that I’m alone, so I won’t bother anyone and can pet and play with the cats to my heart’s content. The main con? I’m not with them long enough to get used to them, so every time, I suffer.
Let’s be honest, the pro is also a con. Any interaction with cats pretty much guarantees and increases my suffering. However, the pro outweight’s both cons, which is why I do it.
Yet, I’ve decided that I want to try minimizing the cons. I mean, why suffer if I don’t have to? So, here’s what I’ve been trying to do, and how well or unwell it’s worked for me.
Washing my Hands
A classic and a must. This isn’t new for anyone with a cat allergy. We learn pretty quickly that if we can’t resist petting or holding a cat, the least we could do is get rid of the evidence when we’re done.
I’ve never formally been tested for any allergies, so I don’t know exactly what about cats triggers my sneezes. I’d like to think I’m in the majority though. For those who don’t know, the primary cause of pet allergies are the proteins in the animal’s dander (skin cells), saliva, sweat, and urine. It’s rarely the fur or hair.
So, of course, petting the cuties means there’s a high chance of allergens getting onto our hands. Then our hands do what they do best, spread it around everywhere without us knowing.
By washing our hands immediately, we can avoid those allergens getting onto our clothes, our face, our phones, our cat-sitting money, our door knobs, and anything else we have the need to touch.
Washing my hands has always worked well for me. It doesn’t stop my sneezing fits, but it minimizes them.
Wearing Gloves
Along the same lines as washing my hands, I also like to wear gloves.
In the beginning of my cat-sitting career, I only wore gloves when it was time to clean out the litter box. However, nowadays, I’ve begun wearing gloves for the full duration of my visits. Rather, I do my best to. That way the allergens get on the gloves and then the gloves go in the trash.
It might not seem any different than just using my hands and then washing them. Except, I found that I’m much more aware of the gloves. When I have gloves on in any scenario, I hardly ever accidentally touch my face, I never pick up my cell phone without thinking, or unconsciously fiddle with my clothes. With my bare hands? I won’t even notice until it’s too late.
Shower/Change Clothes
Dare I say, this might be more important than washing your hands. I might not like it, but I can refrain from touching a cat. If I see one outside, I can give them a wide berth.
However, what can I not avoid? A cat hunting me down and rubbing against my leg. Sure, maybe I can rely on my ninja training and employ evasive maneuvers, but when a cat is on the prowl, it will find its way to me regardless.
Whenever I’m standing still, usually when refilling the water, Ellie likes to walk back and forth between my legs. There’s simply no stopping it, and why would I?
Thus, my legs or pants are now covered in all the microscopic proteins that induce my allergy. So, it’s the same procedure. I need to wash those allergens off and prevent them from getting onto my bed, which is where I usually end up when I return to my house.
If I’m lazy, I’ll usually just change my pants. What if you’re wearing shorts? Great question, I’ll shower.
Wear a Mask
What’s one thing the pandemic taught us? A mask reduces your intake of germs. Specifically, those that are airborne and just floating around your face.
You know what else is airborne and could be floating in front of your face right this second? Allergens. Especially those from cat dander.
These allergens usually get into the air when a cat is petted or groomed. Which is why, even though you exercise so much restraint to not pet a cat, if a bunch of your friends are playing with the cat, chances are, an onslaught of allergens are coming your way. Thanks, friends 🙃.
Don’t think you’re fine once the petting is over and you all finally decide to sit down, chat, or play games. Once airborne, the evil particles can stay suspended in the air for long periods of time. It is the worst.
My mask routine is the same as my glove routine. Put on the mask when I leave my house, and take off the mask when I come back. With the mask and gloves, I like to roleplay a doctor battling the evil skin flakes every time.
Endure
I’m someone who tends to endure sicknesses and pain, believe it or not. I hate taking medicine and when I’m in pain I always tell myself If I survive this, I’ll get stronger.
I mentioned it previously, but this method is effective if you live with a cat. Endure long enough and eventually, your immune system will toughen up; but, only for that one cat.
When it comes to cat-sitting, this is probably the least effective method. Even if I stay up to an hour to play with the cats every day, my allergies never go away.
Either way, I would not recommend this tactic if you actually want to minimize your allergies when cat-sitting.
Take Medicine
I just got done telling you I hate taking medicine. It’s true. I don’t take painkillers, allergy medication, or any kind of over the counter medication really.
However, I will touch on it because, if you don’t have some weird medicine aversion like me, you should take medicine. Based on the great results I’ve seen from friends, family and the internet, this is a fantastic method. Especially for something short term like cat-sitting.
Here is a list of cat allergy medication with great reviews if anyone needs options.
Whelp, that about wraps up my little dilEmma. As I write this, I plan to continue using my methods and taking care of cats.
I’m sure there are plenty of methods I haven’t tried yet, so if anyone knows of one that you’ve found helpful, that doesn’t involve taking medicine, please let me know.