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“Cats Are Staying”: Woman Refuses To Rehome Cats Because Of Ex’s New Wife’s Allergies
Would you give up your beloved pets because of someone’s else’s allergies? What if that person doesn’t even live in your home? Many fur-parents would balk at the idea, and we can understand why. A lot of us see our animals as part of our family, and our home is where they belong.
One woman says she was mortified when her ex demanded she rehome the two new cats she recently adopted. He shares joint custody of their daughter and had originally agreed to let the child live out her dream of having pets. But now he’s done a complete about-face—claiming his new wife has “deathly” allergies. He wants the animals gone, and now the mom and daughter are left not knowing what to do.
RELATED:
It was a dream come true when one little girl finally got two pet cats
Image credits: TatyanaOt (not the actual photo)
Now her dad wants her to rehome them because his new wife is “deathly allergic”
Image credits: benzoix (not the actual photo)
Image credits: SuperAccountant943
The woman gave some more info in the comments section
Why do cute, furry animals make some of us itch and sneeze?
About 10% of Americans suffer from pet allergies, and most of them cite cats as the culprits. In fact, cat allergies are twice as common as dog allergies. For some, it’s a very serious matter, and more than a fifth of those with allergic asthma have severe flare-ups after encountering a cat.
While many people blame cat fur or hair for their runny nose, itchy eyes or wheezing chest, that’s actually not the real problem. “People with cat allergies are really allergic to proteins in the cat’s saliva, urine, and dander (dried flakes of skin),” explains the WebMD site.
Dander can remain airborne for a long time, fanned by the tiniest bit of air circulation. And experts back up the dad’s claim that it also collects easily in upholstered furniture and sticks to your clothes. Dried saliva can also become airborne. While pet saliva can stick to carpets, bedding, furniture and clothing, notes MayoClinic.
So why do some of our bodies react act so negatively to such cute animals? Well, basically, our immune system sees them as a threat. When we encounter a foreign substance like pollen, mold, or pet dander, our immune system produces proteins known as antibodies.
“These antibodies protect you from unwanted invaders that could make you sick or cause an infection,” say the MayoClinic experts.
“People with allergies have oversensitive immune systems,” adds WebMD. “Their bodies mistake harmless things – like cat dander – for dangerous invaders and attack them as they would bacteria or viruses. The symptoms of the allergy are the side effects of your body’s [attack] on the allergen, or trigger.”
Image credits: benzoix (not the actual photo)
You love cats but you’re allergic… Now what?
There’s no easy way to say this so we’ll put it bluntly. The best way to avoid cat allergy flare-ups is to avoid cats and their dander altogether. Apart from the obvious, like not adopting Mr. Whiskers, there are a few other measures you can take.
“When around cats, wear a mask with an N95 respirator, and wash your hands with soap and water if you touch them,” advises WebMD. Their experts add that you should also beware of any visitors who own cats. “Even if your house guests leave their cats at home, they can bring the dander with them on their clothing and luggage,” reads the site. “This indirect exposure can cause serious cat allergy symptoms in some people.” Like baby daddy’s pregnant wife.
Sometimes being around cats is unavoidable. In this case, WebMd’s team suggest you plan properly. “If you have to stay in a house with cats, ask that the cat be kept out of the room where you will sleep for a few weeks before arriving,” they suggest.
“Also, start taking allergy medication a few weeks beforehand,” they add. “Once an allergic reaction starts, it can be tough to control, but taking medicine can prevent it from happening in the first place.”
If you already own a cat, and suddenly realize you or a family member is allergic, the experts say it’s probably best to rehome it. But not everyone will be willing to take that advice.
Before crying over spilled milk, try the following, suggests WebMD:
- Use HEPA air filters
- Bathe and brush the cat regularly
- Reduce exposure to cat dander
- Keep your distance and limit exposure to the cat by letting another family member look after it
- Restrict the cat to certain areas and don’t allow it to roam free
- Try bathing the cat to reduce the amount of allergen
- Clean your home well and often
- Get rid of carpets and drapes that can trap dander
Image credits: benzoix (not the actual photo)
“Rehome the wife”: netizens stood united in their support for the cats
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What do you think ?
The Starsong Princess 5 months ago
Tell them you’ve developed an allergy to babies so their new one is going to have to be rehomed. Anyway, this is not your problem to solve.
Bookworm 5 months ago
I'd tell them she needs more testing since she's been around daughter after daughter was around cats long before I got my cats. Clearly her allergy is to something else.
Leyre 5 months ago
It sounds like they are trying to get the daughter away from her mother, because the sudden allergy thing sounds suspicious. I have animal allergies and have always been asthmatic, Having horses several yards away I have needed to go to the hospital a few times. My mother started riding horses, and after being with the horses she would go to my aunt's house, change, shower and I have had zero problems.
TerathNinir 5 months ago
The woman's line is weak. Best it is ended now, before another weakling is spawned. 😞
Tabitha 5 months ago (edited)
The new wife was OP’s “friend” before the affair and breakup. OP would’ve already known her “friend” was deathly allergic to cats. But that’s not the case. This “allergy” is total b******t and a power play. If I was OP, I would demand a statement from her doctor saying she’s been confirmed to be that deathly allergic to cats, as well as copies of the ER visit, stating she was having an extreme allergic reaction to cat dander. What do you want to bet they won’t have any documentation of this supposed allergy? That’s right, they won’t, because it’s non-existent. Time for OP to call the lawyer with all the proof she can get, and take the ex and the lying b***h to family court to settle the matter once and for all. Hopefully the judge will see how toxic the ex’s home is and give OP full custody, with supervised neutral location one hour visitations by the ex WITHOUT the lying b***h being anywhere around. He needs to be told if the lying b***h shows her face anywhere visible to that location, the supervisor will immediately end the visitation, and the ex risks having NO contact with his child at all, at least as long as he is with the lying b***h. Watch their relationship fall to pieces real fast after that,
spacer 5 months ago
ive had a coworker who also acted all hysterical around their cat allergy, shed flip if she as much as found a cat hair somewhere and i wasnt allowed to sit on a couch if she was going to sit there later and all i could think about is how she even functions when out and about. you cant avoid getting in contact with cat hair in public but i generally think she acted like that as a power play as well. its hard to explain without meeting the person but she was something else.... happy i dont have to deal with her any more
Gene Perry 5 months ago
Here's the plan ... keep the cats, hide them away. Don't tell the new wife. Tell he that you ditched the cats. And, I'll bet that her allergies will magically disappear.
CartoonCasey 5 months ago
2 showers and change of clothing for a 6 year old STILL causes her to break out into hives? That's not allergies. That's a psychopath. If she was that deathly allergic to cats, she wouldn't be able to interact with human society. She would crippled just going to the grocery store.
Xenia Harley 5 months ago
First off, kittens don't usually create as much of an allergic reaction. It is a grown cat that will likely cause more problems. I agree with the one comment that the new wife is trying to find a way to ban the daughter from the house. She sounds like a real piece of work, cheating with her best friend's man, now being a real controlling byatch.
tori Ohno 5 months ago
This would get laughed out of family court if he tried pressing charges legally. I'd stop bathing the kid and putting her in fresh clothes and tell them that I actually Did do it. That'll test the theory that it's just a power play. If she really is allergic, wouldn't that be a hoot! But I doubt she is, and I don't believe the hospital story for an instant
JayWantsACat 5 months ago
The extreme "allergic" reactions seems, at least, exaggerated if not completely fabricated. Unless OP is lying, the wife would have had the same reaction to the daughter previously visiting cats. The wife would also have constant reactions from visiting public spaces because tons of people have cats.
Deborah B 5 months ago
Pregnancy could conceivably worsen allergies, but really she sounds like she's being a drama queen about it. Cat allergies are caused by cat dander and saliva. Tell your ex to keep clothes for daughter at his place, so less cross-contamination happens, and make her shower and change clothes right before pick up, and if they think necessary, daughter can change again as soon as she arrives. That will get rid of any allergens she's carrying, and there shouldn't be a problem. Absolutely no call for getting rid of pets at your house just because your daughter is visiting there.
Robin Roper 5 months ago
Two sets of clothes, two backpacks, shower and change into clean clothing right before the exchange. Keep a pair of shoes in an area that will not impacted by the cates to be worn to ex's house then returned. Ex's new wife is being a drama queen.
ThisIsMe 5 months ago
I have several friends with severe cat allergies, so they don't come to my home. But I have been to their houses, even spending the night, and they have never reacted to my being there. I don't take special precautions like showering and changing just before I go. This is ridiculous.
Craig Reynolds 4 months ago
No reason to give up the cats there is a special cat food called Purina LIVECLEAR (Chewy carries it) that eliminates cat allergies over 80%. It causes the cats' immune system to target the protein in their saliva that triggers allergies in people. There is also a cat food topper called Pacogen that does the same thing. You will have to Google that one. Neither is cheap, especially the Pacogen, so make the EX pay for it.
Megalodon Meg 4 months ago
Lmao imagine trying to tell your ex what they can or can't have in their own home and lives while also being the f*****g worst to just shrug and be like "yeah you adopted them probably from a rescue or shelter and you and kiddo love them but just get rid of your family members for me thanks " like, no lol If you adopt an animal that's the same commitment as adopting a kid. That's your animal now. You don't get to give them back because they're inconvenient in general and especially because of someone not in your own f*****g house. Crazy.
Janelle Collard 5 months ago
Sounds like cheater's new wife developed "convenient" allergies. This reeks of trying to control OP + her daughter. Allergy shots are not started on pregnant women but can be continued if they've already been started. (Thank you, Dr. Google!)
JB 5 months ago
I wouldn’t give up my cats for anyone but very few of you appear to understand that anaphylaxis typically builds up over time with exposure to the allergens. According to the dr who prescribed my exe’s EpiPens, it’s a literal lottery which exposure tips you over from reaction that can be dealt with using OTC antihistamines and a full blown reaction that can kıll you. Too many assumptions that the situation is impossible, it’s a power play. Ex nearly died at work when his previously controlled allergy tipped over into full anaphylaxis. He was really lucky a coworker had an epi, realized what was happening, applied it and called 911. Hives don’t send you to ER, nor do runny nose, runny eyes or the other reactions; anaphylaxis does and it can come out of nowhere.
Uncle Panda 5 months ago
I think OP is in the right but don't believe at all that she's not enjoying the upset. Both 'parents' need to get over their breakup.
The Starsong Princess 5 months ago
Tell them you’ve developed an allergy to babies so their new one is going to have to be rehomed. Anyway, this is not your problem to solve.
Bookworm 5 months ago
I'd tell them she needs more testing since she's been around daughter after daughter was around cats long before I got my cats. Clearly her allergy is to something else.
Leyre 5 months ago
It sounds like they are trying to get the daughter away from her mother, because the sudden allergy thing sounds suspicious. I have animal allergies and have always been asthmatic, Having horses several yards away I have needed to go to the hospital a few times. My mother started riding horses, and after being with the horses she would go to my aunt's house, change, shower and I have had zero problems.
TerathNinir 5 months ago
The woman's line is weak. Best it is ended now, before another weakling is spawned. 😞
Tabitha 5 months ago (edited)
The new wife was OP’s “friend” before the affair and breakup. OP would’ve already known her “friend” was deathly allergic to cats. But that’s not the case. This “allergy” is total b******t and a power play. If I was OP, I would demand a statement from her doctor saying she’s been confirmed to be that deathly allergic to cats, as well as copies of the ER visit, stating she was having an extreme allergic reaction to cat dander. What do you want to bet they won’t have any documentation of this supposed allergy? That’s right, they won’t, because it’s non-existent. Time for OP to call the lawyer with all the proof she can get, and take the ex and the lying b***h to family court to settle the matter once and for all. Hopefully the judge will see how toxic the ex’s home is and give OP full custody, with supervised neutral location one hour visitations by the ex WITHOUT the lying b***h being anywhere around. He needs to be told if the lying b***h shows her face anywhere visible to that location, the supervisor will immediately end the visitation, and the ex risks having NO contact with his child at all, at least as long as he is with the lying b***h. Watch their relationship fall to pieces real fast after that,
spacer 5 months ago
ive had a coworker who also acted all hysterical around their cat allergy, shed flip if she as much as found a cat hair somewhere and i wasnt allowed to sit on a couch if she was going to sit there later and all i could think about is how she even functions when out and about. you cant avoid getting in contact with cat hair in public but i generally think she acted like that as a power play as well. its hard to explain without meeting the person but she was something else.... happy i dont have to deal with her any more
Gene Perry 5 months ago
Here's the plan ... keep the cats, hide them away. Don't tell the new wife. Tell he that you ditched the cats. And, I'll bet that her allergies will magically disappear.
CartoonCasey 5 months ago
2 showers and change of clothing for a 6 year old STILL causes her to break out into hives? That's not allergies. That's a psychopath. If she was that deathly allergic to cats, she wouldn't be able to interact with human society. She would crippled just going to the grocery store.
Xenia Harley 5 months ago
First off, kittens don't usually create as much of an allergic reaction. It is a grown cat that will likely cause more problems. I agree with the one comment that the new wife is trying to find a way to ban the daughter from the house. She sounds like a real piece of work, cheating with her best friend's man, now being a real controlling byatch.
tori Ohno 5 months ago
This would get laughed out of family court if he tried pressing charges legally. I'd stop bathing the kid and putting her in fresh clothes and tell them that I actually Did do it. That'll test the theory that it's just a power play. If she really is allergic, wouldn't that be a hoot! But I doubt she is, and I don't believe the hospital story for an instant
JayWantsACat 5 months ago
The extreme "allergic" reactions seems, at least, exaggerated if not completely fabricated. Unless OP is lying, the wife would have had the same reaction to the daughter previously visiting cats. The wife would also have constant reactions from visiting public spaces because tons of people have cats.
Deborah B 5 months ago
Pregnancy could conceivably worsen allergies, but really she sounds like she's being a drama queen about it. Cat allergies are caused by cat dander and saliva. Tell your ex to keep clothes for daughter at his place, so less cross-contamination happens, and make her shower and change clothes right before pick up, and if they think necessary, daughter can change again as soon as she arrives. That will get rid of any allergens she's carrying, and there shouldn't be a problem. Absolutely no call for getting rid of pets at your house just because your daughter is visiting there.
Robin Roper 5 months ago
Two sets of clothes, two backpacks, shower and change into clean clothing right before the exchange. Keep a pair of shoes in an area that will not impacted by the cates to be worn to ex's house then returned. Ex's new wife is being a drama queen.
ThisIsMe 5 months ago
I have several friends with severe cat allergies, so they don't come to my home. But I have been to their houses, even spending the night, and they have never reacted to my being there. I don't take special precautions like showering and changing just before I go. This is ridiculous.
Craig Reynolds 4 months ago
No reason to give up the cats there is a special cat food called Purina LIVECLEAR (Chewy carries it) that eliminates cat allergies over 80%. It causes the cats' immune system to target the protein in their saliva that triggers allergies in people. There is also a cat food topper called Pacogen that does the same thing. You will have to Google that one. Neither is cheap, especially the Pacogen, so make the EX pay for it.
Megalodon Meg 4 months ago
Lmao imagine trying to tell your ex what they can or can't have in their own home and lives while also being the f*****g worst to just shrug and be like "yeah you adopted them probably from a rescue or shelter and you and kiddo love them but just get rid of your family members for me thanks " like, no lol If you adopt an animal that's the same commitment as adopting a kid. That's your animal now. You don't get to give them back because they're inconvenient in general and especially because of someone not in your own f*****g house. Crazy.
Janelle Collard 5 months ago
Sounds like cheater's new wife developed "convenient" allergies. This reeks of trying to control OP + her daughter. Allergy shots are not started on pregnant women but can be continued if they've already been started. (Thank you, Dr. Google!)
JB 5 months ago
I wouldn’t give up my cats for anyone but very few of you appear to understand that anaphylaxis typically builds up over time with exposure to the allergens. According to the dr who prescribed my exe’s EpiPens, it’s a literal lottery which exposure tips you over from reaction that can be dealt with using OTC antihistamines and a full blown reaction that can kıll you. Too many assumptions that the situation is impossible, it’s a power play. Ex nearly died at work when his previously controlled allergy tipped over into full anaphylaxis. He was really lucky a coworker had an epi, realized what was happening, applied it and called 911. Hives don’t send you to ER, nor do runny nose, runny eyes or the other reactions; anaphylaxis does and it can come out of nowhere.
Uncle Panda 5 months ago
I think OP is in the right but don't believe at all that she's not enjoying the upset. Both 'parents' need to get over their breakup.
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