Anyone Have Cats in the Home?

@picartist I have a cat, had two when I was diagnosed summer of 2024 (both seniors), one died last year, the other still with us (over 18 years old!) This is my second generation of cats, my first generation lived similarly long lives. I am a cat lady through and through. I can honestly say I have no idea if or how my cats may play a role in my NTM infection. They are indoor only (but with a Catio, though no grass/soil). But what I can tell you is that I don’t want to live in a world that doesn’t have cats. Like you I don’t have pet allergies. I have no history of lung issues, no asthma, no COPD, no history of lung infections. My NTM infection literally appeared out of the blue. That said, it did a lot of damage before it was discovered. I have BE in most my lobes now (and yes, my NTM specialist thinks in my case the NTM came first, the BE second). I have not (yet) had any exacerbations. When I was first diagnosed I posted on another site about my kitty litter possibly being a source of NTM (it is grass based) and someone posted an article on cats (and other animals) possibly being vectors for NTM, telling me when this generation passes I should think about refraining. I will see if I can find the article, but I did not find it compelling. Especially for an indoor only cat. I get how pets that go outside can drag in dirt, but so can humans, and so we take precautions for that, or don’t, but to not have pets at all?! Yikes. I myself could not do it. I do not want to do it. And I am 59. If I were in my 80’s I can honestly say there is not much I would deny myself, certainly nothing that offers as much love and companionship as pets. But I am sure others feel differently. I know perfectly healthy people who won’t have pets because they view them as vectors of dirt and disease. And I suppose if I had frequent infections that could be reasonably linked to my cats, and my quality of life was significantly impacted, I might reevaluate (but probably not 🙂 ). But I see many in our community turn their lives upside down in ways that have no actual proven impact, no data to show it will make any real difference. And ok, if your fine with it, more power to you. I myself haven’t been in a swimming pool since diagnosis. We all have our own comfort zones. But in your 80’s it is all about quality over quantity. Have you discussed your concerns with your doctor? What do they say? One option is to work with a shelter for a trial run: explain your health issues and that you want a cat but if you start having exacerbations you might need to bring back. Many shelters will take back their animals if necessary and most need fosters so you could offer to foster for a period as a way to see whether it fits with your health and if it feels right you can formally adopt and if not, no harm no foul, you helped them out for that time. Just something to think about. From a clearly cat-biased lady!

@bayarea58 Thanks for your comments. I have been involved in animal rescue and Humane Society shelters for quite a few years. It started with my wife fostering kittens years ago and took off from that. I'm evaluating things now and I do have a daughter and sister-in-law big on rescue so with a donation to take care of medical, etc., I am confident they will take any cat I adopt after I'm gone. However, I expect to live quite a few more years. My overall health is good and I am not "letting the Old Man in," unless he breaks down the door.