I have always had slight allergy to cats: burning ears and face, stuffed and itchy throat and itchy eyes. It was annoying but not that severe so I just managed to get used to the symptoms if cats were around all the time. This is what I remember from about ten years ago, the last time I have been exposed to cats.

Recently, after a long, no-cats-around break, I have visited relatives with two cats. I was reminded about my allergy in 5-10 minutes. But this time it was really severe. My nose was running non-stop, eyes were tearing, throat was dry and stuffed to the point that breathing was difficult. Sneezing and coughing were bad. After about three hours I had to leave, because it never got better and I started to suffocate. After about an hour without cats everything was back to normal.

I have gone through this several times lately with the same result for different houses with cats: I can't get used to it because it is much worse than used to be long time ago. I was wondering if all this means that a pet cat is out of question for me? Is there a chance that these symptoms would eventually go or be not as bad if I always have a cat or two around? Don't want to deal with anti-allergy medicine. Would appreciate any comment or suggestion. Thanks, H.

Although no cat breed has been scientifically proven to be hypoallergenic, there are anecdotal reports that a few breeds may be less allergenic, either because of the type of coats they wear, or because they produce less of the protein (Feld 1) which creates dander. Here is a list of those cats.

Devon Rex
Sphynx
Siberian

From Cat Allergies - Cat Breeds That Are Believed to be Least Allergenic (http://cats.about.com/od/allergiesandcats/tp/CatAllergies_Breeds.htm)

My younger son has a rescued "alley cat" Farrah Faucet, and has no problems at his house, but when he comes over to visit at our house with three cats in it, he gets all stuffed up unless he has taken an antihistamine beforehand. We probably have a build-up of dander on the furniture and carpet (even though we vacuum religiously) and brush our cats with a Furminator brush.

Your body has been away from cats long enough so that you've become more susceptible to dander, methinks.

I'm with wg. You're body no longer has the immunity it used to. You can slowly build it back up, if you really want to. Spend just an hour or so in a house with cats, once or twice a week. When that becomes bearable, go up to two hours at a time and more often.

Eventually, you should be able to visit people who have cats without becoming completely miserable and having to leave. It may take a year or more to get to that level, though. You may never be able to have a cat as a pet.

Have you thought about getting allergy shots? You wouldn't have to worry about remembering to take medicine before visiting houses with cats, and it lasts a lot longer than an oral medicine. Just a thought.