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Those involved with cat rescues - please help
I think a few of you have experience with cat rescues. I hope I won't get flamed over this. I don't know what to do.
Ethan is allergic to cats. We have two that we love dearly. We do not want to rehome the cats but may be forced to. Ethan is our #1 priority and we cannot continue medicating him or having him suffer.
We have tried confining the cats to half of our upstairs so that they still have familiar, comfortable quarters, can sit in the windows, lay in the sun, get exercise, sleep comfortably, etc. I'm afraid that it's not enough. I'm concerned that Ethan is continuing to be exposed to their dander even with the measures we are taking (confining them, washing our hands and changing clothes whenever we touch the cats, etc). I recently read that continued exposure could lead to asthma. I just cannot put my son's health at risk. He has enough food allergies that we have to worry about.
So... I'm looking for suggestions. I can't imagine sending my girls to a shelter and I'm so afraid of how they'll transition no matter where they go. What are my options? Foster homes? Who can I contact? We plan to give it a bit more time to see if Ethan improves but it isn't looking like that will be the case.
Thanks for any helpful suggestions you can offer.
Re: Those involved with cat rescues - please help
I'm in Mechanicsburg.
Just a little info about our girls in case, by chance, you know someone who is interested in adopting.
Ellie is 7 years old, black short hair, easy going, adjusts pretty easily, likes attention but does well on her own. She does have some type of allergy/asthma but is healthy. She licks most of the fur off of her belly and coughs sometimes but doesn't require meds. We used to take her for predinisone shots but learned that she does better w/o them.
Kylie is 4 years old and quite the baby of the two. She bonded with me and followed me everywhere. Once Ethan was born and I didn't have as much time to give to her she bonded even more with my husband and loves to cuddle with him now. She's a tortishell calico. She loves to play fetch and to be pet.
Both girls are front declawed, spayed, have been VERY well taken care of, have all of their shots up to date, and are healthy.
I think that they would be fine if they were split up. They like each other but do not depend on each other.
TTC since Jan 07. Dx with PCOS Jan 08
I have one carrier. Kylie must be in a carrier when she travels b/c she would try to climb down by the driver's feet. Ellie would be fine in a carrier but she prefers to sit on the floor in the back or on the back seat (I know, I know, that's dangerous and she should be in a carrier). She's kind of like a dog and likes to look out the window when we take her anywhere.
Gah, this just breaks my heart even thinking about them going somewhere!
TTC since Jan 07. Dx with PCOS Jan 08
TTC since Jan 07. Dx with PCOS Jan 08
TTC since Jan 07. Dx with PCOS Jan 08
I have a call into my younger sister...she is moving into a house in the next month or so...she's grown up with cats all her life, just as I have. I will let you know her thoughts once she gets back to me. I've also already talked to Steve. I really think he'd be ok with Ellie since she's more "active" shall we say and I could see her being a better match for Max, but then again Kylie is younger and they say if you bring a new cat into a home it should be younger than the resident cat and Max is only 5-ish. Steve's still skeptical. He's really fearing Max becoming territorial and that he'd start marking. I know regardless, whether we bring in one cat or two, or even a dog for that matter, it'll be a tough transition, it will not be easy and they will not all be instant friends right off the bat.
For what it's worth, I just had a heart-to-heart with Max and asked him if he wanted a sister and he just looked at me for a bit then meowed. I'm taking that as a yes! lol
Can you email me a few pics of each of them so I can forward them to my sister?
Another quick question...remembering back to when you were going to adopt a dog and you had one there for a day or two, how did the cats do then?
OMG, wow. You are amazing. I'm going to email you now.
TTC since Jan 07. Dx with PCOS Jan 08
Thanks Jen!
TTC since Jan 07. Dx with PCOS Jan 08
Aw, I'm so sorry! I really hoped this won't happen. You've worked so hard to prevent this. I'm sure this a really hard and painful decision.
On the other hand, thank goodness for good friends. Way to go Charlene!
If it doesn't work out, I'll definitely keep my eyes and ears open.
Christina - someone posted a very similar scenario recently on Pets, and she got some really good suggestions. I'm trying to find the post and will give you the link. Hopefully you can find something that works out for both Ethan and the cats!
ETA: Here it is! There are a few (but not many) flames in the post, but there are also some great suggestions and information. I hope something in here can help you! http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/19824154.aspx
Here is another post on the topic, which was a spin-off of the one I just posted. Again - lots of strong opinions on it, but wade through to the information that may help you. Dixie_and_Indie specifically has a bunch of information in her reply, as she was very allergic as a child.
http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/19834611.aspx
Who says he is allergic? Children cannot really be allergic at 6 months old and continued exposure will actually lessen the chance that he develops bad allergies. Also, cat dander stays in your home for at least one year after the removal of the cats, so his symptoms won't clear up anyway. Do you have HEPA filters in your house? How often do you vaccuum?
Please contact Pittieboo over on Pets for her advice before giving up your cats. Her son had some major issues but now lives quite comfortably with two very fluffy pups.
Don't even try to rehome your cats now. It is kitten season and no one will take them until at least the fall. Don't you have family that could take them in? Your cats will languish in a rescue for months. I do have experience with them and many of our older cats sit in a cage for months or even years. Personally I think a little allergy medicine for your son isn't going to hurt him any.
I think you're out of line giving medical advice.
"Personally I think a little allergy medicine for your son isn't going to hurt him any."
Wow. I can't believe you typed that.
Sorry you have to go through this Christina! I really hope you come to decision that makes all of you happy - cats included! I know you want to do what is best for Ethan and also what is best for your cats. I'm sure you just won't throw them into a shelter somewhere. Hang in there and I hope a solution comes your way very soon!
While I appreciate your experience with shelters and rehoming cats, your last sentence was out of line. You have NO idea what the long term effects of medication are. No one knows. Plus the medication has caused learned behaviors that are affecting other areas of his life such as EATING!! He doesn't want anything NEAR his mouth because he thinks it's the medication. He's been spitting out milk and food. It's a serious issue. 6 month olds can CERTAINLY be allergic to cats. If you saw him then you'd feel differently. When he comes into contact with cats w/o medication his eyes itch, his nose runs, his eczema flares up into oozing patches. If that's not an allergy then I'm not sure WHAT it is. His skin and RAST test came back with positive results. I had concerns about false positives but when you put the positives tests and the symptoms together then I'm inclined to believe it's a TRUE positive. There is more than one school of thought on exposure and allergies. I've been reading as much as I can about allergies since Ethan was about 2 weeks old. Yes, one school of thought is that continued small doses of exposure can lessen allergies but the other thought is that continued exposure can worsen allergies and lead to other more serious issues. No one knows for sure. Allergies and the way individuals react is complex. You can't predict what continued exposure will do.
Yes, even if we rehome our girls then there will still be cat dander in our home but it will decrease. There won't be continued additional dander. We vaccum daily. We have looked into a HEPA filter but it is not in our budget. We're looking into room filters right now. We have confined the cats to half of our upstairs. We are TRYING but as I said, I cannot have Ethan continue to suffer the way he is. I cannot imagine having our cats sit in cages for months either so I'm looking for other alternatives.
TTC since Jan 07. Dx with PCOS Jan 08
Well, I'm sorry that I didn't just say, "how awful for you to go through this," like everyone else. I personally would give my child allergy medication before putting a pet in a shelter which is what you are looking to do. You asked for opinions from people in cat rescue. I can tell you that they will sit in a cage if you can even find a place to take them in. I do believe at least one of your cats also has some pretty major health problems which won't increase her adoptability.
Just like anyone else you can take or leave what anyone says to you on here. I know your child is your first priority, but at the same time people with an "all or nothing" mentality over whether to keep pets or children drive me batty. At least give Pittieboo a page. She does have a child who had similar problems as a baby and she may be able to give you better advice.
I highly disagree that her approach is "all or nothing". Like she's said she has and is taking a number of approaches to try to make the situation work for both baby and cats. Rehoming the cats was never her first thought or intention.
As for those of us who responded with sympathy for her situation - its called being supportive something that I think she needs right now as it isn't an easy situation seeing your child suffer and your beloved pets being the cause.
You're entitled to your opinion and I'm certainly entitled to disagree.
I wasn't looking for sympathy. I was looking for suggestions. I am NOT looking to put them in a shelter. REread my original post. I was asking about foster homes & asking what my options are. You have experience in this area but chose to criticize me instead of answering my questions.
Honestly, you can't say what you would do in this situation unless you are living it. You don't know what it's like to watch your child suffer while loving the cause of that suffering. You are seriously wrong with your suggestion that I have an all or nothing attitude over my child or my pets. Like I said, I am trying to make this work but when your child is refusing to eat food due to medication then your options are limited.
Ellie doesn't have "pretty major health problems" either. She was dx as having asthma and we were advised to treat her with prednisone shots but after more research, time, and a second opinion we realized that she's healthier w/o the shots (which can cause major health problems if used long term). She has stopped having hacking, coughing fits, thank goodness. Again, I'm not looking to give them up to a shelter. I'm hoping to find homes for them IF it comes down to that.
Thank you for your suggestion on paging Pittieboo. I will do that.
TTC since Jan 07. Dx with PCOS Jan 08
Thank you to those who offered support. I appreciate it.
TTC since Jan 07. Dx with PCOS Jan 08
You're right Pep. Christina should just put Ethan in foster care, instead of looking for a loving home for her cats. I mean, afterall...babies are a lot of work!
Don't worry Christina, I know how hard you are working, and how devestating this decision must be. Some people will just never understand. I hope you find a solution soon. I wouldn't medicate Brynne either. Most of those medications aren't tested on infants anyway.
I just read through this post and I feel compelled to respond. Pep, I think your response was ignorant and judgemental. Christina made it clear that she loves her cats, but ultimately the health of her son comes first. Any good mother would say or do the same to keep their child healthy. I have a Boston Terrier and I ADORE him, but earlier this year there was a question as to whether or not he was causing an allergic reaction in my 1 year old daughter. She had a cronic runny nose, rash and dry cough whenever she was around him and touching him. I was devestated and tried giving her medication each day for two weeks, but she refused it and I always felt like I was torturing her when I had to give her a dose. I cried many times and beat myself up over the decision to possibly have my dog live with someone else. Luckily, the summer came and the allergy went away so we were able to rule out the pet dander.
Christina, hang in there. Know you are making the right decision for your son and that ultimately, that is what matters most! I hope you are able to find a good home for your two cats (hopefully with friends or family so you can visit!) and that Ethan is back to himself again soon.