Hi, cockatiels + cockatoos = DUST FACTORY. Duh.

[freyalorelei.livejournal.com]

Date: December 17th, 2005
Title: The cat bird blues.
URL: http://blog.laurellkhamilton.org/2005/12/cat-bird-blues.html

I've taken a benadryl on top of all my other allergy meds, because I'm starting to itch. Some people joke about allergies, those of us who truly suffer from them, well, it's not so funny. There was an article in Cat Fancy magazine some time ago about the genetic altered cats that are supposed to be ownable by those of us with this allergy. A woman wrote in about the article saying, that those of us with allergies should just suffer through the allergy. It's just a little sneezing and itching. It's so much more than that for some of us. It's throat closing, breathing stopping, epi pen time. Unless the genetically altered kitties actually work, I will never own a cat. Not a horrible tragedy, as tragedies go, but for those of you who spent your childhood wanting a cat, but being raised by someone who hated them . . . You grow up, and think you'll have one of your own. Then in college I acquired this allergy. Most of my truly severe allergies were acquired in college. You rarely out grow adult onset allergies.

I don't know where I stand on the genetic alteration of animals. Especially when it's to allow people with allergies to own them. It seems frivolous. But, it would sooth something inside me to finally have a cat of my own. Funny, somethings you want when you're five never quite go away.

Truthfully, the thing I miss most about my allergies is birds. I lost my beloved cockatiel, Baby, when she was still quite young. She had not yet seen a decade. Many birds live much longer than dogs or cats. It is one of their many pluses. She passed away before I realized I was allergic to the birds. We found new homes for the canary and a cockatiel that we had inherited from a deceased relative. Snoopy, our yellow-naped Amazon parrot, stayed. If Baby had been alive I wouldn't have gotten rid of her, and Snoopy had been ours since she was a very little big bird. I did not realize how terribly allergic I was to Snoopy and her cage until I moved out and she stayed with Gary. I got the two pugs, Pugsley and Phouka, and he got Snoopy. I was home more and could do more exercise and socialization of the dogs. It seemed logical. But once I was in a bird free environment I felt so much better. Unfortunately the allergy shots will not help with the bird allergy. Because no one has been able to isolate the protein, or component that makes humans allergic to bird feathers. It is the feathers. I eat poultry just fine, but something in feathers is not my body's friend. I never owned a cat, so it's harder to truly miss what I've never had. But I had birds. I had a shoulder bird. Long after Baby died I would catch myself at the computer reaching up to scratch her head, and she would not be there. I would swear that I could feel her pressed against my cheek while I wrote. She was my muse for many of the first Anita books. I guess there are three things I feel better with when I work; tea or coffee, music, and animal companionship. Snoopy would sit on her perch, or her play area near my desk. She was a little big to be a shoulder bird. And also, as an Amazon she was more playful, not so much into the sitting around. Heck, we taught her to play catch with some of her smaller toys.

I don't ever expect to be able to own a cockatoo or a cockatiel again. Very high feather dander. Any of the bigger parrots are going to be out. But if I could just have a canary again. One little bird, to sing in my office. We had a canary named Snert, after Hagar the Horrible's dog. Snert was a character. He totally sold me on canaries. He was a Gloster Fancy with that Beatles hair-do. He would sing at the drop of a hat. He would come out of his cage and play on Snoopy's playground. He ate green peas like a hawk with a kill, stabbing through the pea with his little-bitty claws, and eating the pea hollow. He died, and we got another canary. The one that had to find a new home. Sigh. I don't dare get another bird, because an pet deserves a home for it's entire life, and I couldn't count on being able to do that for a canary, or any bird. I have the room to have that finch aviary that I dreamt of, but that is like totally out. Too many feathers.

It isn't a tragedy, but it is a little loss. I have the dogs, and I am grateful, and I am a dog person at heart, but I do miss the possibilities.

Um. Okay.

1. Yes, she would be allergic to both a cockatiel AND a cockatoo...they're the two dustiest parrots you can possibly get. Our cockatiel of 15 years died last month, and while Mom was just as upset as I was to lose Chicken, she admitted that her allergies improved 110% afterwards. And we still have a lovebird. It's just the nature of cockatiels to leave thin coating of white powder wherever they go. It's not uncommon to develop allergies simply by owning them. Oh, but she developed allergies in college...which means she would have been susceptible before getting a cockatiel! RESEARCH PLZKTHX.

2. I don't ever expect to own a cockatiel or a cockatoo again right on the heels of Snoopy, our Yellow Naped Amazon parrot, stayed. YOU NEVER MENTIONED OWNING A COCKATOO, LAURELL. Why would you own "again" what you never had in the first place?

Oh, and behold her tragic suffering at the unforgiving hands of dust particles. "I have allergies! I am in PAIN!" Yeah, you and a quarter of the population, honey.

Comments

[dwg.livejournal.com]

I'm amused at this:

Some people joke about allergies, those of us who truly suffer from them, well, it's not so funny.

I have an allergy to hypoallergenic dog shampoo. I found this out when I was on work experience at the vet. I joke about it now, but at the time I came out in a red, itchy rash that went all the way up my arms. I'm also allergic to certain soaps - and ironically, they're usually the hypoallergenic ones. Regular, industrial-strength or OMGITSGONNAKILLYOUWITHTOXICICK! stuff, I'm perfectly fine to be around.

Granted, my allergies aren't the kind that might kill me (well, fingers crossed and knock wood) and mercifully I can eat peanuts and shellfish with glee.

But hey, there's drugs for allergies. You should see me clamour around for OMG GIFF MEEE DRUUUUGS! when it's a bad hayfever day. I'm like a crack addict looking for a fix, only less shakes and more sneezing.

[naeko.livejournal.com]

That makes it sound like she believes comics make bazillions all over the world making fun of allergies.

[dwg.livejournal.com]

And that's even before the three major comedy festivals pick it up as a theme.

[pith]

Gentle reminder to quote only what you need, please & thank you. =)

Oy. Allergies aren't fun. I know this. I have various allergies that can make a lot of things (such as living in springtime) a huge pain, but ... dude, you learn to deal. There are people with terminal diseases. That kind of suffering is worth a whole blog entry. Sneezing and having the itchies? Not so much.

[saadiira.livejournal.com]

Hey, in this case, I'd say it's her blog. Allergies...well, they can be a real bitchmonster. It's ok to complain. (I am blessedly free of most of them. Save for an unfortunate reaction to lemon kitchen softsoap and nickle in jewelry, metal in general in piercings...pretty much all good.) Even those little ones would be ok for a blog entry, though. Why not? Lots of people can sympathize/empathize with it.

A very wise and decent man once said, when asked how he could stand to listen to people go on and on about their petty little problems, day in and day out, that when they came to him, it may just be the worst day of their life. If it's a stubbed toe, or fatal illness, it's still the worst day of that person's life. Someone should be there to listen. And this, well, this is a journal. If that won't listen, what will?


Really, besides, this was a relatively sane entry. Not to jump on her too bad for those. lol. Considering in particular, the alternatives...

-Dira-

[tsula.livejournal.com]

dude, if she's such a wimp when it comes to allergies, she needs to move the fuck out of Missouri. This region is like a little allergin culture farm. At least in MISSOURI though you can buy all the allergy meds her little heart desires without Big Brother keeping track of how many pseudoephedrine products she purchases in a year. Because OMG!holy meth cookers BEWARE! Oklahoma's all full up on labs. We're number 1, baby! get your own turf. *coughs*


Though I think it's damn funny, in a bitter sour grapes kind of way, that I'm allergic to aforementioned pseudoephedrine... considering it's in 99.9% of all allergy meds. HA! I have to iron will my hayfever and common colds.