I would guess it's something other than cats since when you were in Europe
it would hardly have been the cats causing it.

Karen

Im no expert, but I think its possible.
Also, your husband could be allergic to things besides the cats. The allergist
should be able to pinpoint his allergies through a series of tests.

good luck!
pam

"Enjoy every second of your life...it may end at any time and you may come back
as some loser with bad taste." -my friend JoeyJojo

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Actually, yeah, that's possible. When I quit my job, they had to retire my
chair, because the next person sitting in it was so allergic to cats she had
allergy fits just sitting at my old desk.

Sherry

It could be, but there are ways to work on this. The doctor should be
able to help. My mom gets monthly shots that keep her allergies at
bay. I have found nasal crom to be a nice over the counter spray that
really helps. I also found another product that works well for me. It
is called Nasal Guard. It's an ointment that you rub on the outside of
your nose, and it helps prevent you from inhaling the allergens, thus
reducing or preventing the allergic response.

I've been thrilled with it since I have trouble swallowing pills, and
I find that most of them don't do me any good anyway.

Meghan & the Zoo Crew  
Equine and Pet Photography
http://www.zoocrewphoto.com

Who do you love more..? Your husband or your cats? It's women like you
who give marriage a bad name. Do you think your husband is LYING to
you? My ex had three of those friggin' Shitz-sue dogs that crapped and
peed all over my carpet constantly. I was told that I had to get used
to it. That wherever her dogs went, so went she. Well, let me tell
you, all FOUR of them ended up living in her car, and that's only
because I was good enough to let her keep that car. It was mine too,
you see.
If your husband tells you that your cats are a problem, especially
where his health is concerned, BELIEVE IT. Why would he lie? Does just
he hate cats? Or do they go about shredding and clawing everything of
his to tatters and you won't do anything about it?
Get it together before you tear it apart, lady. That's the view as
seen from my vantage point.

                                 IBen G.

Yes, that is very possible.

Solution #1: Dump husband and keep cats.  ;-)

Solution #2:

You've mentioned several of the ideas in your post. Make sure you get a
filter than can filter out animal dander. The allergies come from the
protein in the saliva of the cats which lands on the fur when they lick
themselves. When it dries it flies all over the place.

After touching the cats your husband should wash his hands immediately.

Regular passing of the vacuum to keep the hair down will help, but make
sure your vacuum isn't just redistributing the finer dirt by blowing it
out the exhaust end.

There are over the counter medications that work wonders for allergies,
I have been taking Claritin for a few years after developing allergies
to my own cats.

yes.. is its entirely possible.  people with cat allergies aren't allergic
to the whole cat, but the saliva that dries and flakes off.. there have been
studies that the saliva is present in rooms in a house that cats have never
entered.  Your cats probably climbed all over your clothes you brought to
Europe, and he was reacting to that.

There are allergy shots that have been reported to be highly effective for
this sort of thing.  Hopefully your husband will be willing to work with you
to find a solution to this.. and if you have never suffered from allergies,
hopefully you can put yourself in his shoes for a bit to help him..
allergies are no fun..

Easy to solve  Get rid of the husband. Teehee

No seriouly there are all kinds of medications for allergies. Ones for
seasonal allergies, cat dander, dust.  Trust me I know 'cause I suffer also.
He should talk to his doc.  He can have an allergy test done to find out
what the culprit is.  He can also have a serum made specifically for his
allergy.  Good luck.