Wish I had a cat

[pegkerr]

I adore cats. I am however, dreadfully allergic to them, which seems awfully unfair. When I was growing up, we had cats, and I got an allergy shot once a week. Somehow, I'm not willing to do that anymore. So: no cat.

Usually, I just accept this as an unhappy but given fact of life, but tonight, especially after reading wicked_wish's entry here and elisem's entry here, and remembering various amusing things scott_lynch has said about his cat, like this or this, I really wish tonight that I had a cat. Something alive to snuggle with me and head bash me and sit on my lap and purr. Or do ridiculous things around the house that will make me laugh.

Comments

[von-krag.livejournal.com]

I think there is a hairless kitty that allergy sufferers can live with. I also know this past yr. and a half has been much better mental health-wise since I got Miss Tobi-Ko. I find it real hard to not respond to her when I'm down in the depths and she wants me up and around.

[hotarunokokoro.livejournal.com]

you have something better than cats... you got kids!
=^.^=

[ex-radparker580.livejournal.com]

There's a "grass is always greener..." point behind that comment. Peg, are you sure you want more independent mobile entities that can knock stuff over?

[peacockharpy.livejournal.com]

Or do ridiculous things around the house that will make me laugh.

What, the kids and husband don't ably fulfill this need? *ducks*

Actually, having just spent the day cleaning (and finding evidence of the not-so-fun things that the cats have done around the house, mostly involving peeing on my belongings), I present myself as... the Antidote to Cat Wanting!

*does a grouchy pirouette*

[jbru.livejournal.com]

Have you considered one of the more allergy-friendly breeds? And have you seen baaaaabyanimals? I find it lovely mental health break, but it might also be an additional tug on the "must have a kitty" heartstrings.

[d-aulnoy.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure whether Sphinx - the hairless cats - cause allergies (given the lack of fur, one assumes lack of dander, but they still groom themselves, and it's supposed to be something in their saliva which causes the allergic reaction), but curiously enough, the most hypo-allergenic cats of all are supposed to be Siberians. They're enourmously puffy cats, typically with seal-point markings, supposedly very intelligent and loyal. Sphinx are also tremendously bright, but they don't like to be touched much (senstive skin). If you're really craving a kitty, both breeds are worth looking into ...

[pixelfish.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, Sphinxes are not hypoallergenic. I've looked this up.

[leiabelle.livejournal.com]

They're not so cute when they poop in your pantry and chew up your laptop's power cord. *glares at kitty*

[sienamystic.livejournal.com]

No, or when they drag the bathroom mat into the litterbox. Or wake you up at three am because they're galloping around the house chasing each other, and one of them lands on your bladder.

[malinaldarose.livejournal.com]

Perhaps rather than a shot, you could get something like Zyrtec (which I was taking for years for unexplained hives), which would be easier to deal with.

[pixelfish.livejournal.com]

I'm dreadfully allergic as well. I am so allergic that petting my MIL2B's puppy who had merely scuffled once with a cat caused my arm to break out in hives. It looked like the Lord of the Rings in Braille. :(

Well-meaning people also keep asking me any number of questions which I have already researched in trying to resolve the issue. Like, have I tried Claritin? Of course, I've tried Claritin. It DOESN'T work. (At least for me.)

Or then there's the, "Well, if you just don't pet it...." Nope. Two hours into a visit to a friend who has a cat I will be sniffling no matter what. An evening of playing games at a friend's haus, and I will be wheezing for the next day.

Recently I got a prescription for Zyrtec, because it actually works unlike the Claritin, and the pharmacist, after hearing a description of the wheezing, recommended that I ask my doctor for an epinephrine needle. You know, the kind anaphylactics stab into their legs when going into allergic shock. That's how allergic I am.

And yet, I love kitties so. Its distressing.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

We're all three allergic, too. I visit other people's kitties, but it's not the same thing, and I always feel bad having to wash my hands thoroughly after petting them.

We appear not to be allergic to dogs, but this is one reason we're getting a poodle when we get one: people who are allergic to dogs are often not allergic to poodles, so as many friends and relations will be able to come here as possible. (My vet also taught me how to pick out the kind that don't yap, and they're very bright dogs, and the guys don't like big dogs.)

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

I especially think my cat is cute when she wakes us both up crying at midnight, 2:15, and 5. I suspect you can make it without one. =)

[eugie.livejournal.com]

I'm dreadfully allergic to both cats and dogs, which is a most unfair turn of fate. I need a fuzzy beastie around me to be happy. But I'm not allergic to skunks! Except, err, skunks don't purr. They occasionally go "roink" when they're not happy, and Hobkin makes the most adorable noises when he's asleep and dreaming, but no purr . . .

[scott-lynch.livejournal.com]

(Awww... you're making my little Loki quite the LJ star. Yesterday I managed to read all of Steven Brust's Taltos while laying on the bed on my right side, with Loki curled up sleeping on my left forearm. This, of course, is her version of "helping the human read," just as sitting on my lap and randonly slapping keyboard keys is her version of "helping me write.")

Interestingly, Jen is also slightly allergic to cats, though the reaction can be controlled by a combination of regular cat-baths and good house hygiene (dust, vacuum, etc.). We were visiting friends last night who keep four cats; Jen remarked on the way home that two at one time was probably the limit for her in our future.

[cmpriest.livejournal.com]

you cannot fight the purr power, baby.
and they don't get too much more ridiculous than spainy-cat and her envelope collection.

Wishing for a cat

[skg.livejournal.com]

You think so, right up until the moment that the cat knocks something into the toilet just as you flush, and you spend your entire day off having the toilet taken out completely to remove said object.

[aeditimi.livejournal.com]

I *adore* cats. It's my husband who is allergic to them (and to real Christmas Trees, another thing I adore and miss). I am constantly reminding him that I have sacrificed my ability to have a cat to live with him and not have him stuck with needles all the time.

I have found, however, that having an infant has curbed my cat-craving for the time being. Although she's nowhere near as furry, and not as sturdy to bat around with, my daughter is warm and snuggly and does silly things, most of which involve a bodily function and its corresponding facial expression...

All this is to say that I recommend babies in lieu of cats. Of course, in the long run, they're a bit more work, I hear... :)

[sraun]

Puppies!

There is some truth to the fact that Mac's behavior is rather cat-like. He's rather standoffish and quite proud.

If you'd like to visit puppies some time, feel free! Chances are we'll be hosting the April 16th Minn-StF meeting.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't you know: I'm allergic to dogs, too! But not badly enough to rule out possible future puppy visits.

Antidote to "Wish I had a cat"

[davidschroth.livejournal.com]

http://www.livejournal.com/users/frostfox/6421.html, wherein frostfox explains how Maximum Damage Trouble Is My Middle Name Mason got his name.

The follow-up posts are pretty hilarious. At least I found them so...

Cats!

[nwl.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear you're allergic. Do you collect cat pins? I have in the past and have a nice collection of them. Sure, it's not the same, but you can keep them close to you.

Re: Cats!

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

I have a cat pin! I will pull it out and wear it tomorrow.

[sheryll.livejournal.com]

You can borrow my Evil!Purr C for a day and dispel any notions of ever wanting a cat again. He's a watch cat and a screamer, with a penchant for climbing the wall unit to knock over glass vases to see if he can roll them onto the floor. He sits on a chair in the dining room window and growls at passersby. Should another cat consider a visit to our porch he literally screams at them. Nearly gave Nyssa a heart attack the first time she heard him. Not a pleasant sound at, oh, what was it last night? 1 a.m.? :)

[cheshyre]

If you want, I could share some less-pleasant cat anecdotes to help you overcome this feeling.

Disgusting cat-things involving vomit and urination and sometimes having to launder all the bedding every day for a week...

Sometimes I think cats are cute as a defense mechanism so we don't kick 'em out in the snow or at least make 'em pay for their room & board...

[romancoat.livejournal.com]

Too too true! They are at their cutest when they have been naughtiest.