How to Treat Cat Allergies
Millions of Americans in the United States and other countries suffer from allergies. Allergies are basically immune reactions in the body. The immune system is taking action against a foreign particle to protect the body from infection. This has a useful effect when the substance is actually harmful, like a virus. However, with allergies, the body attacks harmless substances.Cat allergies are a common allergy found in the United States and other countries where cats are kept as pets. There are many cat lovers out there, but unfortunately there are also many allergic to cats. This article will discuss how to treat cat allergies.
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Things You'll Need
- Visit to allergy specialist
- Over the counter allergy medicine
- Prescribed allergy medicine
Instructions
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If you are in a room with a cat and you start to have an allergic reaction, first get yourself out of the room or situation. Walk outside and get some fresh air. If you remain in the room, even if the cat steps out you are still be exposed to the allergen.
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Identify the allergic reaction as a cat allergy. You want to be sure that you are having a cat allergy, as exposed to a reaction to the roses in the room or dust. The key symptoms of a cat allergy include sneezing, wheezing in the chest, red itchy eyes that may also burn and rashes or hives on the skin. Other symptoms include a sore throat, stuffy nose and coughing.
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As a temporary fix for treating the cat allergy you have just encountered, if you have an inhaler, use it. This should help with the wheezing chest symptom. Try drinking some water, which should also help with the wheezing as well as the sore throat and dry feeling. Tylenol can help with any headache symptoms. Take an over the counter medication. Benadryl works well for allergies.
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Make an appointment with an allergy specialist. You want to get tested to see what your allergens are, to make sure that cat allergy is one of them.
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Get prescription medicine to deal with the cat allergies. One medication that may be prescribed is Flonase, which is a nasal spray that helps relieve allergy symptoms by getting rid of congestion. Zyrtec helps treat indoor and outdoor allergies and is in the form of a pill. It is an antihistamine, so can make you drowsy. If you have a severe allergic reaction, the doctor might prescribe a corticosteroid such as Decadron to help with the asthma, skin condition and allergy itself.
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Remove the cat from your living quarters. It will help not to allow the cat into your bedroom, as many allergies build up while you sleep. You could also limit the cat being anywhere else you frequent in the house. Your best option is to have the cat stay outside at all times, or perhaps in one room of the house where you will not generally be.
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Remove the allergens from the home. Vacuuming frequently can help eliminate much of the cause of cat allergies, a protein in the cat's saliva that gets on the cat's fur and into the home. Use an air purification system that pulls cat allergens out of the air. Keep the windows open often to let in fresh air and get rid of the air full of cat allergens.
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Desensitize yourself to allergens in general. If you take good care of yourself by eating well, drinking enough water and getting enough sleep, you may be able to make yourself less sensitive to allergens. You can also figure out what other things you do that help you eliminate the cat allergies. It may be that drinking lots of fruit juice helps you build your immune system and decrease your reaction to the allergens that cause that runny nose and troubled breathing. Figure out what works for you over time and stick with it.
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You may find that the worst cat allergies appear when you are in a closed-in room with a cat. Try just being outdoors with your cat if you just can't stay away. This may lessen the allergic reaction since you will breathe in less of the cat protein responsible for causing the allergy.
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Try alternative approaches to dealing with cat allergies. One such option is called tapas acupressure. This is a technique you can learn yourself, where you use your own fingers to influence your energy system. A second therapy, which should be done by a practitioner, is EFT or Emotional Freedoms Techniques. The energy system of the body is accessed by tapping points on the body and speaking the problem verbally while the tapping takes place. You can find out more on the website listed in the resources.
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Get rid of the cat. No one wants to hear this, but if you try all of the other steps and you still have no luck, you may have to accept that it's the cat or you. Of course, the cat's going to say you should be the one to go!
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Tips & Warnings
One way to discover on your own if you are allergic to your cat is to take a vacation somewhere that there are no cats and see if your allergies go away. Make sure you also factor in the possibility of other types of allergies that still may be present on the vacation!
Beware using steroids to treat allergies or any other medical condition. Make sure you read the warnings and side effects before you take a steroid such as a corticosteroid for your allergy.
