Cat allergy and eczema

Please no judgement or negativity. My little one has eczema. It seems to be managed all over her body apart from her cheeks. We’ve had some blood tests and we initially found out that she is anaemic but the allergy tests have come back now and I reviewed through the NHS app ahead of my telephone appointment this morning. She was only tested for cat dander and dust mites. I have two cats, who are very much part of this family and I have had for seven years. The blood test says that she’s got a cat allergy however from my research, it seems to be mild. Anything over 0.35 is classed as an allergy she is 0.73. Today on the call to the doctor, he point-blank said to me I have to get rid of my cats without any discussion about the severity of her allergy or any other options. I’m devastated but also would really like to get a second opinion. As much as I really want to help my little one, I really would like to explore all options and exhaust them before worst case scenario, rehoming my cats. I’ve already limited access to the cats. They are no longer allowed in the bedrooms, and I’ve bought an air purifier. I’m hoovering every day and trying to open windows when I can, weather permitted. I’ve also cut dairy from my diet as she’s exclusively breastfed to see if that would help. It did for two days, but then she flared up. My question is, how do we know that it is only the cats that is affecting her without more testing? I really want the GP to refer me. Is there anyone else in a similar situation?

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We’ve just rehomed our cat, it’s devastating. We originally made the bedrooms cat free and I spent hours hoovering her room to try and get rid of any cat hair etc. then we resorted to installing an air purifying system into the house which would remove all cat hair/dust etc from the air which helped a bit. But it still wasn’t enough for my little one. We rehomed our cat through a charity, and they found the perfect person for her, and we get sent photos of the cat every Sunday. We were tested on mould, dust mites, cat hair, dog hair, pollen, trees etc - ask for further testing or you can pay for it privately which is usually around £250. If you have health insurance you may be able to get it for free x

@Danielle G I’m so sorry you had to go through that. It’s so heart breaking. How bad was the allergy? I’m going to move home to a bigger place. Was going to do it later but now I think if I do it sooner it might help. Give the cats the space to go out more. Like you, I want to try everything first within my power.

I’m sorry you have to go through this. My little guy has eczema and allergies and one thing I have noticed is that it’s best to see multiple doctors before making a big decision. Is her allergist a pediatric allergist? How old is she?

Sorry I’ve only just seen this, I think she was 0.37 or something so a lot less than yours! Can you ask someone to look after the cats for a week or two and see if it makes a difference? Or you could pay for a sitter for a couple weeks, it won’t be cheap but that would give you the answers you need 😔 It was a bit easier for us as we new the cat didn’t like having young children so we new we were doing the best for her 😞 x

@Diane just a gp and I’venow seen a couple. Today one has given us antihistamines but this doesn’t sit right with me either. I think I might go private. She is 7 and a half months old. She doesn’t seem to have any breathing issues. It’s just her eczema which flares up, but it’s never constant so I don’t understand if we are living with two cats. This afternoon it’s really cleared up a lot. Makes so sense

I asked every doctor, allergist and dermatologist I saw if his eczema flares could be from my dog. I was told no that baby’s don’t develop pet allergies until about 2 or so. I don’t want to give my dog away but his eczema was so bad that he was loosing weight and sleep so I would have done anything to help him.

Any chance the cats can become outdoor cats? I know pets aren’t just pets and family members! Would be sad if this would have to be your outcome. Maybe allergy medication? Idk if that’s even possible for a baby x

@Shaianne dr now has given us some antihistamines, but I just don’t know how I feel about them. She had some last night and her face continues to clear up. The cats do go outside when it’s warm enough to have the window open and I was always going to move to a bigger place so I think I’ll have to move that forward.