Monroe Chat

I thought I'd post in the forum about our 'Lil Sugar' whilst promoting Trenton Animal Rescue Center.

Our Daughter had always loved cats, but due to allergies (her own and DH's) we had never thought about owning a cat.

I thought long and hard about it and talked with both her Pediatrician and Veterinarians, and was told she would be alright if we considered getting a kitten and took precautions to keep the dander down (frequent vacuuming, bathing the cat and hands away from eyes/mouth and hand washing)

I approached TARC and inquired about buying a calico kitten (Daughters favorite breed) we went back and forth for a while, eventually they found one for me.

She was to be a Christmas present, so we prepared, buying all the necessary requirements (good gracious!) To my absolute JOY they even suggested that Sugar was delivered Christmas Eve by Father Christmas himself (a retired Grandfather who dressed up as Santa, along with his 'elf' - I believe that was his son) ~ how wonderful is that ???

She has been with us for 5 years, much loved and ever so slightly spoiled We have never had allergy issues (I don't bathe her anymore ) and to this day can't be a bigger supporter of Trenton Animal rescue

Sugar is one of the best loved cats I have ever met. She truly is well loved.

She's adorable!!! We had a Pekenese when I was a kid, named Sugar. When you say Trenton Rescue, do you mean the Animal Friends Humane Society in Trenton? They do work VERY hard at trying to place the animals in great homes like yours! Speaking from experience, running an adoption center is exhausting work but incredibly rewarding! Nothing like that smile as the new family goes home together! (We normally got adoption photos - you can view some of them here:) http://www.catnipandcarrots.org/page/adopted_pets.htm

While I love all cats (definately a cat person), solid grey tabbys and calicos are my favorite colors. My little calico, Pooh, weighed 5 lbs her entire life. She lived to a ripe old age of 17. She never meowed - she peeped. I sure do miss her. Heck, I miss them all. http://www.catnipandcarrots.org/page/in ... allery.htm

If you do have cat allergies, apparently you can eventually develop an immunity, I know I did! When I was about 6, my dad brought home a tiny calico kitten from the old Acme Drive-In (he was manager there part time at nights). We named her Baby but I started breaking out in hives so after a visit to the doctor and diagnosis of a severe allergy, one day Baby was gone. (I should ask mom just where she went!). A couple years later, I found a tiny calico kitten at my aunts house in Gravel Switch, KY. Brought "Billie" home and again, the hives. No more cats until I was in my 20's, when I got my big tabby, Frisco.

Oh, my point (and I do have one!), if you have allergies and still want a cat, get a short haired one and the lighter the color, the less antigens in the saliva that cause the sniffing, sneezing, watery eyes, etc. As for drugs to control allergic reactions, Alavert seems to work very well.

"Research has revealed that Fel D1, a small protein found only in cats, is produced in the sebaceous glands of their skin and saliva and is responsible for 60% to 90% of allergic responses to felines. The biological function of this protein is completely unknown at this time. Cats groom themselves constantly and spread their saliva across their fur in the process. There, the saliva ladened with Fel D1 dries, and because it is several times lighter than air, floats throughout the cat's environment."

Animal Friends Humane Society - yes Mam .... Sorry, I had Animal rescue etched in my brain

I must add that although we were told to 'bathe' our kitten (so that she would get used to it) - Honestly would NOT advise anyone to bathe a cat ... I believe I may still have scars

We purchased wipes by Simple solution " Allergy relief from cats" basically you wipe over your cat with the wipes and it is supposed to relieve allergy issues. I can say that other than a few baths, one or two wipes, we never had cause to use them or be concerned about allergies.....

Sugar is considered 'medium haired' (sure I have worded that incorrectly) and yet we have not had issues.... The Vets that I spoke with suggested that both DH and Daughter would build an immunity to potential issues IF we got a kitten (I believe this really was the key factor.)

I must add that DH and daughter have many allergies, so the fact that neither of them has issues with Sugar, leads me to believe in the info I was offered by our Pediatrician and the Veterinarians, was accurate.

However... this is just my opinion, in our particular case

EDIT:// You mentioned weight.... although Sugar has both wet and dried cat food, daily ... she is still a wee lil thing, I can't offer an actual weight, but tiny .... and yet she is a muncher (If only I had her metabolism LOL)

No kidding on the metabolism. Our pup grazes all day and is never without access to food, and well, you know how little he is. Maybe I should graze...

HRHPatey wrote:Animal Friends Humane Society - yes Mam .... Sorry, I had Animal rescue etched in my brain

I must add that although we were told to 'bathe' our kitten (so that she would get used to it) - Honestly would NOT advise anyone to bathe a cat ... I believe I may still have scars

We purchased wipes by Simple solution " Allergy relief from cats" basically you wipe over your cat with the wipes and it is supposed to relieve allergy issues. I can say that other than a few baths, one or two wipes, we never had cause to use them or be concerned about allergies.....

Sugar is considered 'medium haired' (sure I have worded that incorrectly) and yet we have not had issues.... The Vets that I spoke with suggested that both DH and Daughter would build an immunity to potential issues IF we got a kitten (I believe this really was the key factor.)

I must add that DH and daughter have many allergies, so the fact that neither of them has issues with Sugar, leads me to believe in the info I was offered by our Pediatrician and the Veterinarians, was accurate.

However... this is just my opinion, in our particular case

EDIT:// You mentioned weight.... although Sugar has both wet and dried cat food, daily ... she is still a wee lil thing, I can't offer an actual weight, but tiny .... and yet she is a muncher (If only I had her metabolism LOL)

Cat bathing really depends on the cat. My parents' cat loves to take baths and has come close to jumping in when someone is already occupying the tub. My cats on the other hand, do NOT like baths and have panic attacks. But they have no issue with touching the water if my wife is in the tub or right after we take a shower.