Of Kitties and Leather Sofas

[joyful girl]

The problem I see most frequently with allergies and cats is that the nice people exhaust every option trying to cope with the cat and once they reach that point, the cat needs to be gone ASAP because the people have reached their absolute limit.

Many people assume that it's so easy to just find them another home, and the depressing reality is that there are faaaaar more cats than there are homes. It can take weeks or months to find a good home....I'm worried about what will happen if the owners are sneezing and wheezing and unable to cope, forcing them into a hasty decision. I see this a lot, and the outcome is never good.

Speaking personally, I have two perfectly healthy well socialized, fully vetted kittens who are now swiftly approaching adulthood. They've been in my home for the last 8 months, and available for adoption for the last 6. I've got them listed through a rescue group on Petfinder, advertised them on Craigslist (that was a disaster and a half) and put up fliers at vets, pet stores, etc.
Out of all of that, I've gotten a handful serious inquiries (Hi Entropy! ), and nearly everybody wanted babies. The adoption market for adult cats is almost zero. I couldn't even find homes for them when they were 6 or 7 months...everybody that inquired wanted them under 2 months.

So saying "Oh, we'll just find it another home" is pretty unrealistic...it will take far longer than you may think, unless of course you give it to the first person who wants a free cat, which I'm quite sure you're educated enough not to do.

I also notice that you say some cats trigger the allergies more than others...How do you plan to evaluate the candidates? If it turns out be particularly allergenic, how much time will it have?

At least with fostering, you can explain your situation to the group, and they can try to work with you. Many of the groups I work with keep the cats in cages, and the kitties get pretty stir-crazy...they would be thrilled to go to a home, even if it's just for a week or two on a trial basis. This seems to me to be far more responsible than getting one and then worrying about how to get rid of it down the road. Ask your local cat rescues if they have a foster-to-adopt program; explain the situation and see what they say. Some will be more receptive than others. Personally, I'd love to see a caged cat get a chance to stretch its legs in a home, even if it's short-term....at least it's a break from being cooped up all the time. Also, this may allow you to try different cats and see if some are less irritating than others.

I disagree with the statement that foster cats are necessarily special-needs. Most cats in rescues are there through no fault of their own...and no-kill rescues are often especially wary of taking in cats who have problems and may be hard to place. I personally turn away anything with a history of inapropriate urination, agression, or excessive fear...it's rough, but it means that I don't wind up with a freaky cat who will never find a home and who is doomed to shelter life forever.

joyful_girl may have been confrontational and less than tactful, but her information is 100% correct.

I was hoping you'd respond to this post because I knew you'd be a lot better at explaining then I am

I get too emotional to respond the way you do

[JLC]

so judy... if he's allergic to some and not others... how quickly does he know? could he spend an hour with a new cat/kitten and know if he'll be okay or does it take longer?

It's usually something he knows pretty quick. He breaks out into a red rash along his neck and face. If the cat is "mild" then that would only happen if he picked it up and snuggled with it...which he never does. If the cat is "moderate" then he'll start getting itchy and looking red within an hour or so of being in the same room with it. And if it's a "high" allergen cat...he knows it the moment he steps into a room.

As I mentioned in my original post...we had our first two kitties for EIGHT YEARS with no issues whatsoever. And before we were married, he grew up with the same cat for about 15 years. So it's entirely probable to find a kitty that doesn't bother him.

I'm fully aware of how difficult and heartbreaking it can be to try and rehome a kitty. We had a sudden and unexpected deadline of three days for getting rid of Sugar. Dean had an outbreak in the skin around one of his eyes and it had gotten so bad he had to see the doctor about it...which was, of course, an Air Force doctor...who told him, "This looks to me like an allergic reaction to something. You've got three days to get it to clear up, or I will be forced to officially diagnose it as an allergy."

It was hearbreaking, to say the least....and it was a huge blessing that we DID find a new home for her. Trust me....I'm not naive enough to just blithely think there's a loving home just around the corner for every unwanted cat.

The two kitties we had were adopted kitties that came from a situation almost identical to what you're describing, Jess. And that is how we'd look for another kitty.

I'm entirely open to the idea of attempting to foster a kitty from a rescue....so long as we could KEEP the kitty if all works out well. But just "testing" him around some random cat won't really help, because, as I say, he reacts differently to different cats in different situations.

[JLC]

Just a thought--I saw an interview with a woman on the news months ago. She was talking about genetically-engineered "dander free" cats. They're expensive, the article I'm linking says $3500 in the US. And the first litters weren't supposed to be born until early this year.

I'm not really sure what to think of it--but you might find it interesting, even if it's not a viable option

http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/10/27/b...ats/index.html

EDIT: Here's the company's actual website: http://www.allerca.com/html/pricingreserve.html

Certainly looks like an interesting alternative. But in addition to the huge price tag....it seems unlikely that such kitties would be available to some "average Jill" like myself for quite awhile yet.

[recycling goddess]

we were very fortunate with our rescue kittens we fostered this fall. 2 of the kittens... the first ones who we caught from the litter (dumped at a farm) were females so we took them and gave them a forever home.

next were two males... and the foster home decided to keep them.

then a female and a male... i found a home for the female and the male went to the petstore and was sold.

the female came back and so we kept her... and gave her a forever home. which is why i now have 6 cats/kittens LOL

so ya... if he knows that quick judy... then a foster kitten situation should work well for you.

and hey... situations happen to everyone. whether it's an allergy, a death in the family... etc. just because you have to find a new home doesn't make you a bad person... just makes you human... and IMO gifting that kitten with a wonderful home for as long as possible is better than it living it's life in a rescue.

[joyful girl]

I'm entirely open to the idea of attempting to foster a kitty from a rescue....so long as we could KEEP the kitty if all works out well. But just "testing" him around some random cat won't really help, because, as I say, he reacts differently to different cats in different situations.

I couldn't imagine a rescue not letting you adopt the cat. In fact I think they'd be thrilled that the cat would be able to stay in the same house and not be moved again.

[JLC]

As far as allergies, I have always been allergic to cats. I just live with it. Its not horrible and I can live with a little sneezing and itchy eyes sometimes. I would never give my cats up. Good luck with whatever you decide Judy!

Dean would happily live with the usual mildness of his allergies as well. It's just that 1/1000 chance that it flares up like it did that one time and threatens to derail his career....that's the only thing that's kept us from owning cats for this long.

[slartibartfast]

I'm entirely open to the idea of attempting to foster a kitty from a rescue....so long as we could KEEP the kitty if all works out well. But just "testing" him around some random cat won't really help, because, as I say, he reacts differently to different cats in different situations.

That's why foster-to-adopt works really well in situations like these. You normally still go through the application process, but it's understood that if an outside adopter applies for your foster-baby, you get the right to choose to adopt it yourself. If you go this route, make sure the group you are working with understands your concerns. It's good to have everything clearly laid out beforehand so that expectations are realistic.

If you were closer, I'd offer up any of my available ones on a trial (there are actually 7 out of this litter, divided between three homes), but I'm sure there is not shortage of needy kitties where you are either. :-)

One other thing to consider...the allergens are in the saliva (you probably know this already) and itty-bitty kittens have less surface area and also groom less meticulously, so a trial with an adult would probably provide you with more accurate data of the allergenic potential.

[AzureN1ght]

Certainly looks like an interesting alternative. But in addition to the huge price tag....it seems unlikely that such kitties would be available to some "average Jill" like myself for quite awhile yet.

Yeah...I read their website some more. The price tag is not only huge (closer to $4,000 than $3500), but the wait period was 12-15 months for a kitten! Well, it COULD be 5-9 months if you're willing to cough up and additional $1900!! Those prices are CRAZY...but I guess it's no more crazy than spending thousands on a one-of-a-kind BP morph

Sounds like the way your hubby's allergy works, you'd be able to find a kitty who works for you. Hope you can find your forever-kitty without too much trouble

[JLC]

If you were closer, I'd offer up any of my available ones on a trial (there are actually 7 out of this litter, divided between three homes), but I'm sure there is not shortage of needy kitties where you are either. :-)

I did find myself tempted to PM you and ask for pictures. However, I really am just in the "big toe touching the water" stage and only seeking information. It will not be a quick or impulsive decision. I have family up in the D/FW area and will even be there next weekend...Tulsa isn't THAT much farther up the road. So...maybe someday. But yeah...there's tons of kitties here, too.

IF/when we get to that point...I'd like to make an effort to choose a breed of cat that is naturally laid back and adaptable to changes, because we move quite often. Is there a way to look for such traits in a kitty?

[stangs13]

How about asking you friends to borow there cats for a week and see whitch ones he is allergic too? Like a smell test..lol. Good luck!

On the other hand..you could get a nice little dog.