Quote Originally Posted by Eden View Post
If you've had a cat for a few years its not all that likely that all of the sudden you'll have developed terrible, untreatable allergies to it (and definitely unlikely in the huge numbers of pets who are given up)......
Actually, that has happened to two people I know -- one of them I live with, the other is a veterinarian. In these two cases, it was heartbreaking and life-changing. Asthma is not a joke.

Having said that, it is true that people make all kinds of excuses when relinquishing a pet to a shelter or rescue. I'm sure many of those allergies are fictional, or at least manageable.

Badger, good luck deciding on a cat. It is heartbreaking to visit a shelter at all, but there's a happy ending awaiting some lucky feline!