Cat Allergy and Kid Questions - Plus an awesome Cat Video!

[kermitology]

I'd say get a kitten and give it regular baths. The dander is what would set your wife off, and so if you bathed the cat regularly, and from infancy it might get more used to them, then her reactions would be minimal I imagine. Allergy meds help too.

[Russic]

I have a Siberian ... he's awesome. You're more than welcome to meet him if you'd like, but I think a conversation with somebody at the SPCA, Meow Foundation or a similar organization might be beneficial. They'll have information on what breeds do well with allergies as well as what individual cats would fit in your household situation (obviously you wouldn't want an overly timid cat otherwise your kid might just have it living in fear the whole time).

When we got Oskar (our cat) we were informed that he needed a very quiet environment with little surprises as he was a bit of a spazz. I used to work with autistic kids, and one day I brought over a kid who (as you put it) had a hard time remembering to be gentle. He wasn't trying to hurt the cat, but he would make frequent lunges at Oskar and try to push him over. I was freaked out that my cat was going to pull an alien and attach himself to the kids face and dig in.

[OilersBaby]

Originally Posted by redforever

No way, if you get the wrong adult cat, your little boy is going to have some awful scratches. Bad enough for the adult cat to be moved to a new environment, new environment with active young boy will be double trouble. On the other hand, if your little boy is rough, that will change in a hurry((

A kitten usually adapts to its environment as it grows. We always got kittens for our kids, not one problem. We had dogs too, if I had to choose, dog all day long. They just bond so well with the family and there is nothing like the love between a little kid and his dog.

At work this morning, I asked a girl this question. She's someone who's fostered lots of cats and works with the shelters a lot to find homes for kitties. Turns out you are right. Sh said the same thing about getting the "wrong adult cat". So the best bet is to stick to a kitten, and you can kind of shape its behaviour in a way. It will grow with your son...and will get used to having a little boy play with it etc.

[photon]

Interesting, thanks for the kitten/cat info.

Russian Blue is another breed that seems to be less allergenic, and I like the looks of those. Seem to be hard to get though.

[arsenal]

Originally Posted by photon

Interesting, thanks for the kitten/cat info.

Russian Blue is another breed that seems to be less allergenic, and I like the looks of those. Seem to be hard to get though.

If you find a place that has them, let me know. That's the breed I want to get.

[photon]

Might be impossible, every website I've seen says "booking into late 2009" or "not taking any reservations" etc.. Wow, popular breed.

[User Name]

I used to have a cat (have a dog now!!), and i was alergic to it for the first couple of months, sneezing, itchy eyes etc. However I built up an immunity to it pretty quickly, after than I could rub the cat on my face and it wouldn't do anything...not that i ever did...