Skin allergies (on me, from her)

[Helsinki]

Hey all!

There have been a number of threads recently where people mention their allergies are better with sphynx, etc, which led me to thinking.

From age 5-18 I had furry cats (often lots of them!) and never had allergies. I started dating my husband when I was 19, and on visits to his parents' home, their cat never gave me allergies.

My husband does have cat allergies - watery eyes, sneezing, and so on, which seems like typical cat allergies. I'm allergic to Zoa too - but mine is purely a skin reaction. Is that common? I never get sneezy or watery eyes or anything, but my chest, neck, and sometimes face will break out in hives if she's been rubbing against me (and oddly enough, it seems like the cleaner she is, the worse it is- but her shampoo does not give me reactions). It hardly bothers me at all but I am curious if it is common for allergies to be expressed this way.

Thanks!!

 

[admin]

Hey all!

There have been a number of threads recently where people mention their allergies are better with sphynx, etc, which led me to thinking.

From age 5-18 I had furry cats (often lots of them!) and never had allergies. I started dating my husband when I was 19, and on visits to his parents' home, their cat never gave me allergies.

My husband does have cat allergies - watery eyes, sneezing, and so on, which seems like typical cat allergies. I'm allergic to Zoa too - but mine is purely a skin reaction. Is that common? I never get sneezy or watery eyes or anything, but my chest, neck, and sometimes face will break out in hives if she's been rubbing against me (and oddly enough, it seems like the cleaner she is, the worse it is- but her shampoo does not give me reactions). It hardly bothers me at all but I am curious if it is common for allergies to be expressed this way.

Thanks!!

It sounds as if your reaction is to Fel d 1 - saliva, check out this thread - http://sphynxlair.com/community/threads/are-sphynx-cats-hypoallergenic.15521/#post-189563

"there are no cats including the sphynx that do not cause allergic reactions due to the saliva or sebaceous glands which carries the clingy Fel D 1 allergen that sticks to everything like carpets, sheets and furniture. In fact the Fel D 1 is so light, it can actually become airborne and your kitty may not even have to make contact with you to have the allergen effect you."

 

[Inflamed]

I can get itchy skin too from my boys' rubbing. My eyes don't water and I don't sneeze, but if I rub my eyes after I pet them, they get itchy and red too.

 

[andreanar]

I was thinking the same thing as admin. Since sphynx don't have fur, you are closer to their skin, which they lick.

 

[Helsinki]

Well my question wasn't "am I allergic to sphynx" (clearly I am) - it was more "this expression of my allergy seems weird, do other people get skin reactions too?"

Zoa doesn't lick her skin lol. Well barely anyway. She licks her bum and occasionally the only part of her neck she can reach. Must be the oils in her skin; seems odd though that the less of those oils she has, the more they bother me haha.

 

[Kyla L]

My husband has respiratory allergies to their dander and hair. He gets pneumonia when it gets in his lungs.

My breeder said she breaks out when they lick her, or when she gives them baths. So you are not alone in the when she is clean issue. Maybe it is because when they are clean they are releasing fresh oil and you are more allergic to it when it is "fresh."

 

[zoinks]

I had a similar reaction to our old DSH. She was 19 years old and in her final weeks spent a lot of time sitting in her litter tray and also grooming herself

Whenever she would sit on my lap and I had shorts on I would break out in a very itchy red rash on my legs where she had sat. I always thought it might have been the urine or excess saliva on her fur but I'm not sure.

I haven't had the same problem with our sphynxies.