I'm so sorry that you have to give up Cimbi. Allergies are horrible, I've been very lucky not to have them with animals. All the best to Cheryl and Cimbi and you!

Awwww - I am so sorry that it had to come to this. But I am glad that you are taking care of my BEST FRIEND in the world. Her health is more important than the cats. Not that I don't care about them, but they will get adopted and have good homes. You can't adopt Cheryl out. But then again she can always come live with me. Again thank you for taking care of Cheryl. I love you both.

So sad! Any chance there's an allergen in your home that's causing Cheryl and tabby to be sick? What's her doctor say?

Oh NOOOOO! Cimbi IS Harlem Fur. I would take her but my hands are quite full trying to train little Nikki. Is there the possibility of keeping Cimbi and finding a home for the orange tabby? I know Cimbi has to be very attached to you two. Do I have to start a save Cimbi campaign?

I too am allergic to cats (but not as bad as your wife), but have an Aby that we adopted several years ago.

We deal with the allergens like this (which may be helpful if you decide to try to keep Cimbi):
1. Our cat is an Aby, which produces less of the protein fel-d-1, which is the actual allergen. Females also produce less of that protein and neutered females produce even less. Is Cimbi neutered?
2. We try to wash our cat, Athena, every week. She hates it, but not violently. It will reduce the protein that is on her fur (from washing herself and from dander), which means less in the air and on furniture. If washing doesn't work, there are also liquids on the market that you can wipe Cimbi down with.
3. We used to let Athena in the bedroom - that didn't work for me at all. Now, she is banned from the bedroom at all times. She didn't like that concept so much to begin with, but has settled into it.
4. You may also want to get an air purifier. Make sure it is HEPA, which is important because cat allergen in the air is very very tiny (and therefore, stays in the air for a long time).
5. Make sure you vacuum carpets and upholstered furniture with a HEPA vacuum cleaner (if it is not HEPA, it will just throw tiny particles back into the air). There is also an "allergen reducing" Febreeze on the market that essentially traps those particles into the fabric so they aren't kicked up into the air.
6. Wipe down solid surfaces - cat allergen is a very "sticky" particle and wiping things down once a week or so may help - especially places that your wife sits, sleeps, eats.

Hope everything works out!!

Any news on Cimbi's new home? Any chance the "allergen reducing" Febreeze did the trick? Keep us posted!

Sounds like mild allergies. Cats used to put my son in the hospital with severe asthma. My daughter got wheezy and broke out in hives. I heard about Allerpet and how well it works so while the kids were at RU we got cats and Allerpet. It really works. People who swear they can't go to a home with cats have no trouble here. No bath needed. Just wipe the cat down once a week. DONT get the wipes on the market They stink and will give everyone a headache. A $10 bottle of the bath per year per cat is all you need. Better deal than $4K, especially with all the cats being euthed out there.

There are several brands. Make sure the bath is for allergies. The brand I have now is Simple Solutions Allergy Relief from Cats.

Good Luck,
Barb

My two younger sons have cat allergies. But they were adamant about not giving the cats away (each has one that they picked out as young kittens). So we tried different allergy medications. Why finally worked the best was Xyrtec, a relatively simple and inexpensive anti-histimane. My youngest still wakes up coughing and feeling crappy, but as soon as he has his medicine, he's fine.

Hope you can find the solution without giving up on your cat. Maybe an allergist could help?

Have you tried feeding your cat a raw food diet? When I started my cat on a raw food, my allergies improved remarkably. For more info:

Nature's Variety
Raw Instinct (kibble)
www.naturesvariety.com

The Honest Kitchen
Prowl (powder+water)
www.thehonestkitchen.com

Instincts (powder+raw meat)
www.felinefuture.com/

Others:
www.meatforcatsanddogs.com/links.html

Sorry, to hear about your problems with allergies and your cats. It is so easy to get attached to our animals. Are you still interested in giving up Cimba for adoption. I currently have an outdoor cat, indoor cat and a mini dauchsund. She loves to play with the indoor cat & my daughter will be taking her soon to live with her. The dog 10 months - is used to a companion. (the outdoor cat is only in part of the day). I don't know how your cat would react to a dog. If it comes to adoption keep me in mind.

Sorry to hear of your medical problems with your wife. My heart goes out to you.

Pam Gordon
203-923-6004

We're interested and eager to give Cimbi the love and care it deserves. We're a gay couple soon to be living in the Flatiron district. My other half works across the street from where we will be living and I work 12 blocks away. Our move-in date will be the 20th of October. We're homebodies and would enjoy Cimbi's company.

This is none of my business, but PLEASE don't give Cimbi to anyone who refers to a cat as "it." That's just a no-brainer.

Am so sorry to hear about your dilemma with Cimbi, and am very sorry about Cheryl's health, too. We recently became cat owners (were adopted by a fat, sassy, neutered male about 6 y.o.) and he recently got in a fight ... it's been sleepless nights w/antibiotics & pain meds for us ... bottom line, it's not allergy related, but they sure become your best friends and I can't imagine being in your predicament. My heart goes out to you all ~ best of luck!

Hi I had read about your site in the NY science times. Have you tried the allergy treatment NAET? It has worked wonders, as an alternative treatment. I would check it out b/f giving up :)