WWYD: exposure to cats

[Deleted User]

My brother and his wife just had a baby girl the day before yesterday and we are planning on going for a visit later today. We got the all clear for this visit from the doctor on Monday at our one month check up. What I forgot to mention is that they have a cat.

DH has pretty strong allergies to cats and I am now worrying about exposing DS and him having a reaction. He never had to have breathing support in the hospital, not even O2 and he is breastfeeding. We also have an indoor dog so he is exposed to some animal dander. What do y'all think about going over to their house for an hour or two? Is there information I am missing? TIA.

KTZ17

We have a cat and DD has been around him since she got home from the hospital. She's even been more interested in him lately and grabs at his fur. We haven't had any issues. That being said, no one in either of our families is allergic to cats. Maybe you should check with your pedi about it. I wouldn't think that just being in a house with a cat would be a problem. I wouldn't sit the baby on a carpet or purposely have the baby touch the cat, though. Edited for typo.

brachysira

I can't imagine our DD without the cat.  He has a scratching ramp and every time she scratches it, she crawls up and scratches it too.  Since you don't have a history of breathing problems, an allergic reaction doesn't seem to me like it would be worse than your DH's, which might not be fun, but wouldn't be life threatening.

Missa_g

I'm allergic to cats yet we have three of them. My allergy is minor as long as I'm around cats frequently, it gets much worse if I ever go weeks away (like while in the hospital). I was concerned about my boys inheriting my allergy but we were told its usually (emphasis on usually) an allergy that takes awhile to develop and their first reactions, if they had any, would be minor. Thankfully my boys are not allergic. I would suggest calling your pedi to verify its okay and also find out what to do if there is a reaction.