Pets And Asthma

Dear Mamas,

My 2-year-old son was recently diagnosed with asthma. We have since found out that he is very allergic to dogs and cats. The problem is that we have a house cat who we love. Do we have to give her up? My husband thinks his body will get used to the cat and that you can’t avoid everything. What do you think?

Leslie

Hi Leslie,

So sorry to hear about your son’s diagnosis. Asthma is sure on the rise these days so you can at least take comfort in knowing that he is not alone.

If you stay on top of it, by monitoring his exposure to the allergens that trigger an attack and keeping up with any medications that your doctor has prescribed for him, your son should be able to lead a very normal life. But because it is a chronic condition, it will always be there in the background and definitely needs to be watched for and treated when necessary.

So about the cat: since he is very allergic to her, we would advise you to find her a new home. Unfortunately, the more exposure to an allergen, the worse the allergy gets. So he won’t “get used to her” as your husband had hoped. Cat dander especially is very hard to get rid of and even gets into the air filtration system of your house.

So despite your best efforts, if you decide to keep Fluffy, your son will not be able to avoid constant exposure to the allergen that initiates an asthma attack. It comes down to a question about what’s more important – your son’s health or keeping your cat. Sounds harsh but there you have it!

Maybe you can find a good friend or family member who is willing to adopt your pet. How to break the news to your child will vary depending on his age. At two, it shouldn’t be too difficult to come up with a reason for her departure. If you know he won’t be seeing her again you could tell him that she needs to be in the country so she can get more exercise and do more hunting or something along those lines.

But if he will be seeing her or is older, you are going to have to go the tougher route and be more honest and direct. In that case, after explaining about asthma and allergies you could say something like, “As much as we all love fluffy, your breathing is the most important thing, and Fluffy wouldn’t be happy if she knew she was making you sick.” And then reassure him that you will find a wonderful new home for her where she will be very happy.

It’s a little tricky, for sure, but the important thing is that you don’t make your son feel bad or guilty about the cat leaving. We are sure he loves her, too and would be devastated to think that it’s somehow his fault that you had to let her go.

We know it will be hard but it’s just one of those things that come along when you’re raising kids. Good luck!

The Mamas