I'm not allergic to cats but I think I've heard of a shot she can get for that?

I'm allergic to cats and various other things ... I was on allergy shots for many, many years ... they helped. I have 4 cats these days and am no longer on allergy shots. I do take an over-the-counter generic Claritin daily ... it also helps.

But it sounds like your friends symptoms are pretty severe if she suffers just from being around other peoples cats ..

There are numerous ways to cut down on the allergans that a cat would produce, frequent bathing (if you can get the cat to allow that), frequent vaccuming, etc.

She should really google "allergic to cats" and read the info that comes up. There are tons of links ...

Thank you both. How wonderful to hear of your success, Pam. We have both done some reading on the internet, but I wanted to check here for success stories. Sounds like the "multi-pronged" approach works the best. Try everything.

Before she adopts a cat, she should get the de-sensitization, have the results tested, and have her allergies field-tested by some heavy exposure to cats that aren't hers.

She could stay with someone who has cats, borrow a cat for a couple of weeks, etc.

But don't get the cat and then try to control the allergies.

lazygardens, what great advice !!!!