Welcome to the Wednesday Cats of Catster! Each week, we share a narrative from certainly one of our cat-loving Catsters. This week is about Wes and his fiercely cuddly Russian Blue, Raphael.

There it was, in vivid pink letters. They weren’t ashamed to inform me that I used to be allergic to Raphael.

In some ways, it was one thing I ought to have already identified. Though getting him was among the finest issues I’ve ever accomplished, it did include its challenges. Why did I all the time appear to have a blocked nostril nowadays? Why was I crying when no romantic comedy was on the TV right this moment? These have been the questions I requested myself as I labored via bins and bins of tissues, my grocery order changing into laden with an increasing number of objects for sneeze assortment.

However I couldn’t admit the reality to myself or anybody else. “Possibly you’re allergic?” “Not possible,” I’d retort, with bloodshot eyes and a nostril twice its regular dimension.

Two issues although began to make me really feel like I wanted a solution. First, any time I went away and Raphael was at dwelling, my problematic nostril would immediately turn out to be….not so. Second, I used to be identified with Bronchial asthma final 12 months (maybe on account of just a few unlucky Covid collections). My physician knowledgeable me that if I used to be allergic and didn’t comprehend it, that may very well be exacerbating any signs I could be scuffling with.

That was it. I needed to know. Though I knew. I needed to know.

And now I do know.

Just a few vials of blood, just a few pages of paper, and a telephone name have been all it took to show somebody’s cat world the other way up.

They knowledgeable me that it was sufficiently extreme that I shouldn’t:

1. “Cuddle Raphael”
2. “Kiss Raphael”
3. “Even strategy a cat you have no idea”

This was worse than when the dentist informed me glowing water was dangerous to your tooth (“Now they’re even making an attempt to take water away from me?! What’s left?!”). Have been they making an attempt to kill me? To tear out my coronary heart? Apparently they weren’t making an attempt to kill me, however my cat could be.

I informed them in no unsure phrases that though I might nearly restrain myself from petting an unknown cat, I merely couldn’t resist snuggling, cuddling, hand-holding, kissing, petting and usually nuisance-ing my little boy, Raphael. In any other case, what’s life for?

Regardless of the heartache I felt, I don’t remorse getting the checks accomplished. It’s all the time higher to know than to stay unsure, and it’s helped me make some important adjustments to ease the burden:

Maybe probably the most important is that I now take a each day (or each different day) antihistamine. For my degree of allergy, I’ve discovered this to be fairly efficient at decreasing any issues I face, and it’s made cuddling with Raphy significantly simpler.

I attempt to clear the flooring greater than I did. Beforehand we’d go over them just a few days per week, and mop them as soon as per week. Now to elevate the dander out, we throw the home windows open and attempt to give the flooring a going over as soon as a day. It’s laborious to inform what distinction this has made, truthfully. However maybe the very act itself makes my mind really feel higher.

Lastly, I now solely cuddle Raphael as soon as a day and provides him a kiss each different day…

Okay, you caught me on that one, clearly not. I kiss him as usually as I can and cuddle him as a lot as he’ll let me. If something, typically he appears extra allergic to me than I’m to him!

I believe having a pet is a privilege, not a proper. Life adjustments, and throws issues at you, and it’s important to roll with it. I’d by no means choose anybody for making a choice that they really feel they should make, however my relationship with Raphy gained’t change one bit just because I do know that he makes me sick. I gained’t enable it to. As a result of it isn’t his fault, and he wouldn’t do it if he might assist it. Hopefully, someplace in that pretty mind of his, he is aware of how a lot he means to us and that nothing might cease us from loving him.

Now, I’d like to know, has something surprising occurred after you bought a cat that attempted to face in the best way of your love? Did you uncover some nasty allergic reactions, or was one thing else the offender?

P.S. If you happen to’re studying this after studying an announcement on the web site that I’ve died from anaphylactic shock, please get a tiny pair of handcuffs and arrest that felony cat!