Cats and CF?

[anonymous]

The doc said NO cats for our daughter, but she has one on the other end of the house, not in her room, no carpet, new heating/filter system, no drapes. At school they have sand in the playground, so all the neighberhood cats go potty in there, How do you escape cats?? WE love ours and she can't see him or play with him..she cried when the allergy doc, get rid of her cat....then he said..ok, but keep him away and now she sleeps with a cat blanket....the cat is far away form her....What can you tell me about Cats & CF and what have the docs said?? Thanks!!

 

[anonymous]

Cats themselves are not a specific danger to Cf patiens. I grew up in a house w/ three! But your daughter may be allergic to their dander and that could complicate her breathing from time to time. How old is she? Most docs will tell you that children tend to grow out of their allergies with moderate exposure. Does this doc have alot of experience w/ CF? He may just be covering his bases. As far as the giant litter box at school goes, just make sure she isn't playing with poop and tell her to was her hands when she comes in from recess. Toxicity can sometimes be caused by extreme exposure to feces, but this is usually a problem fro people with really weak immune systems. Since I moved off to college, I've kind of grown INTO a cat allergy. When ever I go home for longer than three days, I get the sneezes. But I use Flonase twice a day, every day and it helps a ton! Carpet and drepes are ok, too. Just keep 'em clean. Debbie22 yr old w/ CF, CFRD

 

[anonymous]

When our daughter was diagnosed our dr. said that it was not necessary to get rid of any dogs/cats that we had but that he did not recommend we get any once they were gone. We chose to give our cat to a family friend for our own piece of mind but it was not an easy decision, and took us almost a year to give her away. Our clinic nurse feels that the bond between child and pet is beneficial to CF patients and does not discourage it at all. I guess it is a matter of opinion and if you feel it does not hinder your childs health then the decision should be left up to you.HeatherMom to Ashley 3 yrs old

 

[Diane]

I don't know of a problem with cf and cats either. I have had animals my whole life ( dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, rodents) and not once was i ever told to get rid of any of them. I never had a problem with any of them, but as Debbie said, i also grew "into" having alergies. I am allergic to dogs, cats, trees, grass, mold, dust....this ,that and the other thing like everyone else. I take "Zyrtec" and it does help. The only problem i have with dogs and cats is.. if i pet them and rub my eyes, other than that its fine. I currenty live with 8 iguanas, 1 skink, and 2 cats <-- had them for 14 years. Maybe you could get an air purifier. It would be a shame to take an animal away from a child that loves him.... unless there was an obvious serious problem. And the playground sandbox problem.... oh gosh i am not proud of this, but when my friends and i were kids and played in a sand box, we found some "buried treasures" and never washed our hands afterwards. Kids rarely understand the importance of handwashing. The only thing you can do is try to make it a routine to wash the hands whenever they come in. Good luck<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">~Diane 39 / cf /. diabetes / b. cepacia

 

[anonymous]

Dear Diane and all...Thanks for your replies..Well, Alex is is bonded to her cat and I told the doc they were part of our family, we would not get rid of them and we'd be careful.....The cats don't like to leave our room, they are a bunch of spoiled babies....in spite of them banished to our rm, they spoiled and they watch TV all day....they love it and they have lots of room to run around. I am sure Alexis has also found BURIED treasures at school too....that's was so funny that Diane you found those at school....you made me laugh. WEll, THANKS evryone for your input.....we have lots of animals, llamas, goats, hens, rabbits and dogs.....I appreciate your info. We have her wash her hands when she walks in the door, at school, who knows if she washes??? If I ask her school/aide to make sure she washed her hands at school, they'd call out social services on us for being demanding.....REALLY!!! Thanks everyone!!

 

[AbsintheSorrow]

I don't have allergy problems, so I can't say as far as that goes... Because if there are allergies, I would say cats could be a problem. But I've grown up my entire life surrounded by pets. At all times we've had a cat or two and 3-5 dogs. All of which were hairy. Our favorite breed of dog is golden retrievers and they shed a hell of a lot. My doctors have never told us to get rid of the dogs, or the cats. We've even asked because I used to work at a kennel and a vet, and she said it was no real problem. I can't say one way or another about allergies, but as far as pets go, that shouldn't be a problem. I've literally grown up surrounded by pets and pet hair. Right now we have a cat, and... 4 hairy dogs. Besides, if the child loves the cat, and it's not living in her room, there's no point in taking it away. As I've said before, you cannot lock a CF child in a closet. Even if it gives her an extra few months in the end, it's not worth it if she is deprived of things she loves. I concentrate more on quality of life than quantity. I mean, I don't ignore my meds and my treatments, but I still do what I want and have a life that I enjoy.