Really interesting reading some of the replies to this thread! I didnt think things like exposure therapy would work but im definitely learning too! My girl is allergic to pet dander and its been a learning process for us all on how to navigate it

I developed a cat allergy in my 40s. I grew up with cats among many other animals so I was shocked when I developed an allergy. Lucky I’m a dog person. I have cat sat for my sister and anti histamines worked, but it was only short term

I was very allergic to my cat when we first brought her home. I had red puffy eyes, itchy all over, and felt like I have feathers up my nose. But I loved her too much to say no, so it was exposure therapy for me. It took a few months for my body to get used to her, but now it’s perfect. I suspect I was only mildly allergic, anything severe would probably need medication

Whilst I’m not allergic to cats, I used to get allergy reactions during the end of winter/spring time of year and couldn’t let my cats into my bedroom during this time.

As someone who is also highly allergic to cats, I feel your pain! I have never had a pet cat and even going to someone’s house who owns a cat can be painful.
I do however know friends that have cats and they live with allergies. They have gone through allergy clinics and done immunotherapy and they couldn’t be happier!
It has helped reduce their allergies! From memory it was expensive though.
You could also try buying an air purifier to remove allergens from the air, have cat free rooms, furniture covers which you can frequently clean and bathe your cat occasionally. Good luck with it!