Saturday, January 01, 2005
I'm very sad.
It seems apparent now that I have been having an allergic reaction to Smacky. It may be something else, possibly my new apartment, but since the time between moving in to my new place and getting Smacky was only a few months, it's hard to tell which may be the cause.
The symptoms have been a persistent nasal drip, congestion in the chest and throat, itchy eyes and throat... all the typical symptoms. The symptoms have been affecting my regular exercise and running. I haven't been able to run as fast or as far while being unable to breathe. Strange, huh? (Sarcasm alert)
At first I thought it was a cold but it hasn't gone away, and I notice it far more when I'm at home and particularly around Smacky.
I don't recall ever having a reaction to cats like I've been having, though. I've been avoiding thinking about it, because I do not want to have to give Smacky up. But in researching it (thank you, InterWeb!) I've discovered that I chose exactly the wrong kind of cat -- turns out male, dark-colored, shorthair cats produce the strongest allergic reaction.
Well, that's not entirely true -- unaltered males produce the least amount of allergic reactions. So I'm going to finally get Smacky neutered. He's not going to like it, but it's necessary. Even if I give Smacky away, I'm going to get him neutered. Shelters won't take him otherwise. But hopefully having him altered will decrease my reaction to him to the point where I can keep him.
Other things I'll look into are changing the cat litter I'm using. I do notice a strong reaction around his litterbox. I'll see if I can find another type.
The worst part is, I now need to clean my apartment waaaaaaaaaaay more often than I'm used to! That sucks. But I suppose it's a benefit, too. Bleah.
Other online suggestions I've found are replacing carpets with wooden flooring and using air filters. I'll think about getting a filter for the bedroom. I have started keeping Smacky out of the bedroom, which is also sad.
I have been bathing him regularly but I understand there are specific shampoos for reducing the amount of allergens cats produce; I'll try one of those, too.
If anyone has any tips, post 'em on this comment.
Comments:
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You just have to get used to the cat allergies. I am so allergic to cats, yet I have three. The allergies go away after a few months. defiantly get him fixed ASAP. Horny cats are annoying cats. Mew!
Suggestions:
Try fixing the flea problem and see if that fixes the allergy problem. Fleas are dirty, nasty things. I know you are adverse to using chemicals but it may be better than the alternatives (getting rid of him). The drops that you put behind the neck worked well for me.
Try allergy medicine (a.k.a talk to your doctor). Claritin is not for "indoor" allergies, Zyrtec would be a reasonable alternative (the terms indoor and outdoor is an oversimplification, a doctor or the intarweb could clarify). Once again, taking allergy medicine may be unsavory, but since something like Zyrtec would work for your grass/cedar allergies and the cat, you would really only be expanding the time of year that your regularly take an allergy medicine.
You shouldn't get rid of him if you can help it. From the perspective of an on-looker he makes you at least as happy as your Ipod - which is a feat.
--
Caleb
Try fixing the flea problem and see if that fixes the allergy problem. Fleas are dirty, nasty things. I know you are adverse to using chemicals but it may be better than the alternatives (getting rid of him). The drops that you put behind the neck worked well for me.
Try allergy medicine (a.k.a talk to your doctor). Claritin is not for "indoor" allergies, Zyrtec would be a reasonable alternative (the terms indoor and outdoor is an oversimplification, a doctor or the intarweb could clarify). Once again, taking allergy medicine may be unsavory, but since something like Zyrtec would work for your grass/cedar allergies and the cat, you would really only be expanding the time of year that your regularly take an allergy medicine.
You shouldn't get rid of him if you can help it. From the perspective of an on-looker he makes you at least as happy as your Ipod - which is a feat.
--
Caleb
#
posted by 
:: 1/02/2005 3:33 PM
:: 1/02/2005 3:33 PM
oh, and your potw.txt include doesn't work on the "perma-linked" posts...you might try using an absolute path like:
/var/www/bamoon/html/potw.txt
in your include.
--
Caleb
/var/www/bamoon/html/potw.txt
in your include.
--
Caleb
#
posted by :: 1/02/2005 3:34 PM
:: 1/02/2005 3:34 PM
I thought I'd fixed the includes by having it be an absolute path. Actually, poking around a bit, I found that the sidebars are only broken on the 2005 posts... then I remembered how I'd fixed it on the other posts. I had to make a symlink in each directory that Blogger creates to organize the permalinked posts.
So I'm fixed for as long as a) I'm still using Blogger and b) it's still 2005.
I'm working on getting rid of Blogger... I have a basic outline of the new site style in mind.
So I'm fixed for as long as a) I'm still using Blogger and b) it's still 2005.
I'm working on getting rid of Blogger... I have a basic outline of the new site style in mind.
I have a crazy idea about how to export your blog posts to something else (mysql for instance) using the "permalinked" pages. So crazy, in fact, that it just...might...work.
Cheers to symlinks. One more reason why *nix kicks ass all over windoze.
Cheers to symlinks. One more reason why *nix kicks ass all over windoze.
#
posted by :: 1/02/2005 8:40 PM
:: 1/02/2005 8:40 PM
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