ok..I love my Mother-in-Law. She is a very sweet lady , loves my children and we get along great. But only problem I have with her is her cats. She got 3 cats and she has asthma. I really don't understand why she even bother to have cats. But each time I go see her..I load up with allergy medicines so I won't get sick too bad. But this past Christmas...well, I got sick for couple weeks. Imagine to drive back to home was very long for me. (from KY to NY~ 14hr drive) I have told her occassionally that cats makes me sick and I don't even touch them. I told my husband that I may not be able to visit/stay in her house anymore. I just don't like being sick.
2007-01-29 03:01:53 · 18 answers · asked by Jadesparrow 3 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Allergies
Probably if she cared about you enough and knew when you were coming to visit she could board the cats out for the few days. For some people though, pets are like family, and she might not be able to do without them for so long. Why not ask her if she would do this for you?
2007-01-29 04:45:07 · answer #1 · answered by Anthony F 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Health is first!
Allergic reactions is something you can't control and the more you get exposed the more chances you get of doing your last visit (literally speaking). Now you got to be understanding that she can't get rid of them just for you (you do not live there) and they are may be her only company. But simply tell her and your husband that you are done, don't be week. Sleeping over at a near motel won't solve the problem.
Allergies usually don't get better, some can kill in the worst cases, and medicines are not 100% affective. There are no cure for all allergies so there's nothing you can do about it. Just don't go, even if you have never had a life threatening reaction that doesn't mean you can't have one in the future. Many people die every years from allergies they thought they have under control.
Meanwhile check this site about some new treatments.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/04/000428074407.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4379743.stm
2007-01-29 03:51:45 · answer #2 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe the situation needs to be taken a bit more seriouslly. Now obviouslly she is not going to get rid of her cats but maybe your husband needs to let her know how sick they are making you and maybe while you are visitng you can get a hotel room and when you go to visit maybe she could keep the cats in a spare bedroom with food and water or even outside for a while. Try and plan things when you visit so you are out of the house as much as possible. Good luck!
2007-01-30 06:52:35 · answer #3 · answered by BabyDolll128 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oh, that is hard, I know I'm also allergic to cats. I usually just stay away from them and there hair, but if they roam all over her house you have a problem. I know if I don't touch them or get any of there hair around my eye's I'm usually okay. You might suggest to your husband to speak to your mother-in-law, and ask him to try and come up with a solution. Ask to put the cats outside while you visit, in a different room, or if your staying over night a motel, even though its more costly. Good vacuuming also helps get rid of cat hair, and that is the main problem. Hope this helped.
2007-01-29 03:18:47 · answer #4 · answered by K_Seeks4Answers 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have two choices.
1..when you visit, stay in a motel near her house. If she wants to see the grand kids, you can drop them off (if you trust granny) or have the hubby take them for the visit. This will also provide you some free time to relax. If they want to go out to dinner, sight see, etc. then you join them. But if they choose to stay at grannies, then you are not obligated to go.
2. Just don't go anymore. Let the hubby take them and you can enjoy the quiet time again.
The bottom line is simple. You should have to be sick for two weeks because of allergies or from obligations of visiting. If you knew you had to be exposed to the flu to two weeks to visit the President, would you do it? Not me..he's not worth it. None of them are. Then why do it for anyone else? If granny fails to accommodate you with the cats, she obviously doesn't care for your allergies, then why should you care about visiting.
Put your foot down and stick to it.
2007-01-29 03:11:28 · answer #5 · answered by S H 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you can afford it, you might want to buy a high quality air purifier to take with you to your Mom-in-law. The more often it turns over the air in the house, the better. It's just logical...If the allergens can't stay in the air, you'll have less problems.
We were having a major problems last winter and bought an "Austin" purifier. It's about as good as you can get...equivalent to what labs use in their clean rooms. It ain't cheap, but it is amazing.
You won't find this in a department store. We got ours through "The Allergy Relief Store," but I'm sure it's available on other locations as well.
2007-01-29 03:25:16 · answer #6 · answered by kathy_is_a_nurse 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God you poor thing.
I too am allergic to cats, sad thing is I love them.
Your health is much more important than staying with your Mom-In-Law.. Stay at a hotel next time and limit the time you spend in her home.
Have you tried to speak to her about this? I'm sure she can't help but understand your side of this. I mean after all, it's her cats that are making your visits to her uncomfortable.
Maybe next Christmas she can make the trip to see you guys instead? Doesn't hurt to ask.
Good Luck
2007-01-29 05:25:13 · answer #7 · answered by Aunt Henny Penny 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I work in an animal clinic and we have lots of cats their. A lady who works there is allergic to them and she just takes allergy meds everyday and is fine and if she has to touch them she uses gloves. Cats wont hurt anybody with asthma so thats ok for her. I doubt she will get rid of her cats but maybe before u come she could board them somwhere for a couple days some places are really cheap about boarding cats maybe your husband can talk to her about that.
2007-01-29 05:08:32 · answer #8 · answered by Amy D 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should go to an allergy specialist for this problem and tell the Dr. that you only need medicine for when you visit your mother in law. He might give you an inhaler and tablets to start a day or so before your visit. This worked for someone I know.
2007-01-30 19:17:16 · answer #9 · answered by Cookie Preston 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Does your mother-in-law know of your allergy? I have the same problems..cats and dogs. I always have my inhaler when we go to visit and all the family is aware of my situation so if we have to leave early, they know why. Sometimes I suggest to my hubby that we drive separately so he can still enjoy the time with his family, if it's not too far away.
We've stayed in hotels and that's works fine too because they know how difficult it is for me when I get really bad. It doesn't seem that anyone in our family is offended. They all understand my health comes first.
2007-01-29 06:30:55 · answer #10 · answered by momma mia 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋