horrible allergic reaction yesterday

So, I stopped by the vet's office yesterday morning to get a new prescription for one of my cat's medications. While there, I met the resident cat for the first time when he crawled into my lap. I petted him for a while, got my script, and left. About 10 minutes later, standing at the elevator in my office building, my right eye began to itch. Without thinking, I rubbed it. It started to itch more. By then I realized it must be the cat. Now, I am allergic to cats, but my own don't bother me very much. My dogs don't either, but each new foster dog bothers me for a few days and then I adjust.

So I got up to my office and washed my hands. Then my eye started to burn. I rubbed it and it was like lighting it on fire. I rushed to the bathroom to see if there was something in it and there wasn't, but it was blood red and the actual eyeball looked puffy. I started to panic.

I got in to see the eye doctor, who told me it was a severe allergic reaction and there was fluid under the conjunctiva. She gave me some eye drops and I went home to put an icepack on my face. At some point the other eye started to itch and burn, but not as badly and I was careful to not touch it at all.

My eyes stayed all red and sandpapery and swollen for the rest of the day but they're better today. I called the vet's office and talked to the vet who owns the clinic. He said it took him 4 months to figure out that it was that cat that caused his eyes to burn, and now he is careful to never touch him. Isn't that strange?!

Apparently, he was not supposed to be out where the people are. I had suggested a bottle of hand sanitizer and a warning sign, LOL. :shock:

 

wow, that is the srtangest thing I have ever heard. Sounds like a toxic cat :shock: :shock:


glad you were able to get in the dr right away

 

I know how you feel, I react like that.....but worse....to rats and its instant (only California rats :shock: Im fine with English and Geman rats :shock: :shock: ) I have to be careful with long haired cats but if they get really close to my face, just a bit of asthma though, I dont react any other way with them.

Hope your feeling better now.

 

That's exactly how I described it to my mother!

That's a whole other story. :x My doctor wanted me to wait for 2 hours. I figured the emergency room wouldn't be much better. The eye doctor only had me wait for an hour.

 

At the vet I work at, we have two resident cats. One is up front and greets everyone who walks in, as long as they don't have a dog, lol. He is fine, and has never caused me or anyone else that I know of an allergic reaction. Sophie on the other hand for some reason causes nearly everyone to have an allergic reaction, so she stays in the vet's office in back all day. She is long hair and looks like she has some dandruff, which is probably what causes the severe reactions.

 

This guy has short hair, but it looks oily and dandruffy. He has a lot of medical problems, poor guy.