: Cimbi Is Ecstatic With All Of The Attention

Once again, Cimbi (and Cheryl and I) would like to thank everyone who is sending in ideas for dealing with allergies and offers to re-home her. She is especially excited with the number of Uptown residents willing to open their doors to her. After all, she is Harlem Fur. We are getting back to everyone who writes in, which is taking a little bit of time.

I should also clarify Marley's situation, as I may not have been as clear as what I could have been. Don't worry, it has a happy ending.

As I wrote before, Marley was literally deathly allergic to something in our apartment. A couple days after he came, Marley would dry cough day and night between breathing with his mouth open. Two trips to the vet and X-ray examinations from two veterinarians showed that Marley had an allergic reaction that was causing his throat to close, making breathing incredibly difficult. Our vet told us Marley did not have a simple cold. He lives off of Central Park West in the 80's, so he has to be good to afford that address.

For nearly two weeks, Cheryl and I tried antibiotics, two different inhalers, and pills to suppress Marley's reaction. Additionally, not knowing what was causing the allergic reaction, we switched out Marley's food and litter, and cleaned the apartment as best we could without using harmful cleaners. The only noticeable effect this had on Marley was his medicine drying out his mouth and making his bowel movements hard enough to cut diamonds. He hated the pills and inhaler mask, and grew increasingly less trustful of Cheryl and I when we picked him up, least he should be pumped full of some new medication.

Cheryl and I both agreed that all of this was horrible for Marley. If it had just been her allergies alone causing problems, I know Cheryl, against my recommendations, would have held onto Marley as long as she could have. For his health as much as hers, however, we wanted to get him somewhere outside of the apartment as soon as possible.

Also, as I wrote before, I called known no-kill shelters in the area (I think eight in total), but all said that they were full. I finally went back to the 110th Street shelter, armed with the medical reports and his small portable pharmacy to argue Marley's case. And as I wrote before, the person working intake at 110th Street was impressed with how much effort we had put into Marley's allergies. As a result, they said they would take extra consideration of Marley. They kept their word, and found a rescue organization that took Marley. This is not a lie that they fed me. I spoke to the general manager about Marley, and this is really what they did for the little cat.

I would like to add that I am disappointed some people, although just a small minority, have such a negative view of the people who work and volunteer at the 110th Street shelter. Granted the facilities are not the most uplifting I have seen, but the people who work and volunteer there do care about animals. This is where we adopted Cimbi from two years ago, and the staff was incredibly helpful.

When I first came in to surrender Marley back to the shelter, they were not happy with me at all, as it seemed Marley simply had a cold. However, after reading over the vet reports, and seeing what we did do for him, they were very helpful in working out the best possible solution. As I said, the person working intake that day told me they would watch out for Marley, and they did.

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The NYT piece on no-sneeze cats, the one where Cimbi is quoted, is first on the most e-mailed list.

Posted by: huntgrunt | October 7, 2006 06:01 PM

Hi! I am a cat lover, live in PA, have 3 cats, and am very allergic to them, as well as a multitude of other things. The only thing that has helped me is Flonase. By spraying it in my nose once a day, I have been relieved of my horrible symptoms. I remember about 20 years ago, I went to an allergist and after numerous tests, and what was found out, he had the nerve to tell me to get rid of my animals!!! I told him that before I would get rid of my pets, they would have to get rid of pine trees, house dust, dust mites, mold, mildew, certain grasses and weeds, etc. I still can't believe the nerve of that doctor!! Hope this helps.
Madeleine

Posted by: Madeleine | October 7, 2006 09:18 PM

Hi. I just read the article in The NYT. I have had cats since childhood and am not allergic. I do have a lot of sympathy for those people who are allergic and find it difficult to own kitties. I admire all of your work and determination regarding Cimbi and Marley.

Posted by: Kortnie | October 8, 2006 11:04 AM

For those allergic to cats, I suggest you first try getting a Siberian cat from a notable and respectable breeder. They have also been known to be hypoallergenic. Many people with cat allergies have been able to live symptom free with a Siberian cat. try it before spending $4k on a cat. I have 2 myself and they are wonderful cats. You can get 5 Siberian cats for $4K. Also go to siberianmessageboard, a yahoo message board. Many siberian owners can testify to this.

Posted by: valerie | October 8, 2006 11:34 AM

As the owner of a Siberian cat for the past two years (my asthmatic husband is violently allergic to other cats, can't be in a space with them more than 20 minutes before he starts having trouble breathing), I'd like to second the previous comment. Siberians are the most incredible cats - silky long fur, intelligent and gorgeous, with great personalities (they resemble Main Coons and are about the same size). Their saliva is lacking the FEL D-1 protein, which is the most allergenic component of cat saliva (and hence dander, which is the dry spit that flakes off cats' fur after they lick themselves).
You can read a little about them at http://cats.about.com/cs/breedprofiles/p/siberian.htm, and a web search for "siberian cats" will turn up a number of breeders' websites. They generally cost $600-$800.

Needless to say, I think that the people promoting the $4000 cat are running a big scam.

I don't think the message board Valerie mentioned above is accessible to non-subscribers, but if you subscribe (via Yahoo) it's a great place to learn more about Siberians.

Posted by: Susan | October 9, 2006 10:21 AM

I haven't read anything in the comments disparaging the shelter on 110th Street or its volunteers. I frequent the shelter and many of the volunteers are wonderful. But the fact of the matter is, most of the animals that go through the shelter system in this city are euthanized -- you can read the statistics on www. nycacc.org.

Incidentally, I was in the shelter today and there was a little orange cat that fit Marley's description. I know you said he was gone, but it made me wonder. Middle cage on the east wall in the adult cat room.

Oh, and don't get any more cats. I sympathize with wishing you could have a cat, but seriously, it is not fair to the animals. You should never have gotten a cat if you knew your S.O. was so deathly allergic. So irresponsible, but I've seen enough to know it's pretty much the norm in our world.

Posted by: SadForYourCat | October 10, 2006 12:24 AM

Ah, I see you've started moderating the comments. Are you afraid that people will see the truth, that most people think it's sick and sad that you brought a cat into a home with someone who you knew was allergic to her and are now throwing her away. I seriously welled up with tears when I read that post. I have been reading this blog for a while and I knew this would happen. Poor Cimbi. Poor all animals in this world.

Posted by: DissaprovesOfDissent | October 10, 2006 12:26 AM

Hey SadForYourCat / DissaprovesOfDissent (you have the same Internet address), I was out and my Treo battery was dead. Approval should be back to a normal rate.

Even though I don't agree with some of the comments, I do approve those that are critical of my decision- if on topic. The only comments I am blocking are the insanely ad hominem. I don't think someone writing I "married the wrong woman she is black" contribute anything to the dialogue, so they do not make it on here.

If you have a photo of the cat you saw at the 110th Street shelter, please send it along. I have a photo of Marley, and could post a side-by-side.

Posted by: harlemfur | October 10, 2006 10:33 AM

I'd just like to second what someone else posted about wiping the cats down with Allerpet - it neutralizes the FEL D-1 protein in their saliva and helps tremendously with allergies. Good Luck!

Posted by: t42itoz | October 10, 2006 02:55 PM

Hi Chris - It's Rachel!

Okay...I have been under a rock, but can I ask if you are giving up Cimbi??? :(

Posted by: Rachel | October 24, 2006 03:20 PM