When Doug Familia told his wife, Nancy, he wanted to buy a cat for his stepson, she balked. Nancy knew that 8-year-old Anthony wanted a kitten, but she also knew that her husband had severe allergies to cats.
“Don’t bring a cat home if it’s going to be a problem,” she warned. Doug assured her that he was going to buy a Siberian, a breed that the pet store had advertised as hypoallergenic.”
But within an hour of the kitten’s arrival at their Yonkers, N.Y., home, 41-year-old Doug was coughing and wheezing. His eyes became itchy and teary. He could barely breathe.
“What are we going to?” he asked Nancy. “I don’t know what you’re going to do,” she replied, “but we’re keeping the cat.”
Because Doug already had become attached to the cat, he quickly made an appointment with an allergist. Soon he was taking antihistamines and regular shots to desensitize him to the feline's dander. The therapy worked so well that these days Doug barely sniffles when his fluffy friend pops up on his lap to cuddle.
Americans love their pets and many are loath to part with their furry friends — even if it means coping with allergic reactions that include hacking, wheezing and watery eyes. Warnings of health risks don’t deter them, even though studies have shown that nasal allergies to substances like pet dander and pollen can hike the risk of asthma.
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