Is my Granddaughter allergic?

My granddaughter coughed a lot when she was a toddler. My DD was concerned enough to take her to the GP. He referred her to the asthma clinic where she was diagnosed with asthma.
Granddaughter also suffered from allergies, but she wasnt allergic to the two cats that they had.

Toddlers frequently have snotty noses. Allergies to cats are usually due to the cat's dander, which causes wheeziness and itchiness or redness of the skin.

My late mother-in-law was always having a go at me because one of my sons had Eczema and Asthma, from birth, and she insisted it was my fault because we always had a cat. He's now 36, has lived in his own place for 9 years (never had any pets), and he still has Eczema (the worst it's ever been) and Asthma. Try not to criticise your Granddaughter's parents - it will cause a rift.

My two eldest grandchildren always had snotty noses and coughs when they were little. All fine now though. My two other little ones are going through it now as well. I wouldn't worry Lynniepie it's perfectly normal.

There is an excellent homeopathic remedy called simply Cat Fur available from Galen Homeopathics in Dorset. It's cheap to buy, very effective, and has meant that my middle granddaughter, who was very allergic to the family cats with streaming eyes and nose, is now perfectly able to tolerate them...... and in fact, they have six cats plus a dog!

I would say at that age, frequent cough, colds & runny nose isn't uncommon at all. You have raised the subject with the child's parents and that really is where your responsibility ends.

I don't know the best approach, though, if the parents are convinced it is not a reaction to the cats.

If she sometimes looks pale then it could well be one cold after another and she will build up immunity.
My DC was worse from Spring onwards.
Bengal cats are supposed to be less likely to cause allergies than other breeds or moggies though.

Yes, they encounter a lot of bugs at that age, but I would definitely keep an eye on the situation. I used to think that my baby DC got a lot of 'summer colds but it turned out to be hayfever which was quite debilitating at times . She is also very allergic to cats and had to go to hospital when she was house sitting where there were cats.

I think it might me a good thing to build up her immunity
I once had a lodger arrive and on seeing my cat told me he didn’t think he’d be able to stay as he didn’t realise I had a cat (he’d never asked) anyway the first couple of days he stayed in his room then ventured out, and he had all his usual reactions and said he d look for somewhere else, however a few days more down the line and he said his reactions were disappearing and he was able to stay out his period without further trouble He had built up his own immunity

I have a cat allergy, diagnosed by the doctor. My symptoms are mainly my eyes (red, itchy, and swollen), and my breathing (can become quite wheezy). I was told by my doctor these were the most common symptoms. Does your granddaughter have these symptoms too? If not it’s far more likely to be toddler James, my grandson is 2, and I don’t remember the last time I saw him and his nose wasn’t running! My son seemed to have a cold so often when he was a similar age, I took him to the doctor because I was concerned about his immune system. It was nothing at all, just the joys of toddlerhood.

Try not to worry

I remember my daughter’s first winter, when she was 18 months old. I spent the whole season wiping her runny nose, and then it just stopped, and that was that. She never really got colds after that. Has she always been like this, or is it recent? Are there older siblings possibly bringing bugs in from school/ nursery, as in my case? It’s most likely a normal reaction to viruses. Allergies tend to cause more wheeziness than coughing, and runny eyes as well. If she seems otherwise healthy, eating, playing, sleeping etc. well, I would try not to worry. What’s she like away from the cats?

They do say that having more than one cat/dog in a family is good for building up defences against allergies. Many young children suffer from colds and snuffles (they only have tiny noses and get bunged up quite quickly).
Does your DGD go to nursery? If she does she may well be picking up colds and snuffles there.

I'm allergic to cat dander - but I do have a cat. If I forget to wash my hands (after stroking her) and touch my face, my eyes will stream, swell and close. I can get wheezy too. It's the same if I touch anywhere she's been.

She is not allowed in bedrooms and if I have a lie down on the sofa, I use my special clean pillow, kept in a cupboard. Antihistamines sort out any reactions.

Three year olds often have a succession of colds, rhinitis and post nasal drip, especially until they learn to blow their noses properly. It may be nothing to do with the cats.

I doubt it's allergies my Grandson is 13 months and has had a snotty nose for months on end. The GP thinks it's normal if he mixes with other kids which he does.

Does she go to nursery/childminders/play groups? If so, it’s very likely just her catching colds from other children. DD had a near constant cold around that age as she had started nursery 6 months before and it was winter.

My siblings both have a cat allergy and they both had runny noses when living with the cat, but also constant itchy eyes from touching the cat or things the cat had touched. The doctor said that was the most common symptom, does she get this?

Either way I wouldn’t really worry, and having ‘sleepless nights’ seems a little over the top. It obviously isn’t life threatening and lots of young children grow out of these sorts of allergies anyway. Plus, if you’ve broached it with the parents there is nothing else that you can actually do.

Also, how often do you see her? My mom is always having digs about DD ‘always being ill’ but she sees her every couple of weeks, so throughout the winter months DD is over one cold and then onto another by the time she sees her again. She’s fine in between.

If she goes to nursery or groups then she is constantly meeting new bugs!

Bengals are usually pretty good for allergies. Female cats better overall and toddlers always seem to have runny noses. If she is generally happy I wouldn't worry x