I notice you seemed mystified by the fact that someone could be allergic to
ferrets and not cats ... well it happenned at our house too.
 
In layman terms, an allergic reaction is simply the body freaking out over a
minor irritant (such as dust, or animal dander).  Normally, you will not
react strongly with your first exposure to the irritant, but as time goes on
the reactions get worse.  Many people will react to one animal's dander and
not another's, some people react to darn near everything.  Cats are common,
but we have learned that ferret allergies are not uncommon.
 
My fiance (Gord) and I own an iguana and one of the longest haired, fattest,
black cats you have ever seen.  To date, he has never reacted to her hair or
dander which are everywhere - including in the sheets of our bed.
 
The two of us fell in love with ferrets on first sight.  We brought home our
first in Febuary and by the fall of that year we had 4 ferrets in our home.
After the introduction of the ferrets Gord gradually experienced more and
more of what we assumed were severe sinus colds.  Another pair of ferrets
passed through our house and wound up being donated to our local zoo's
docent program, however, we did notice that the fully scented female of that
pair caused his eyes to water and throat to close when she "poofed" in his
direction.  We assumed the odour was just particularily strong.
 
The next spring he wound up flat on his back with another severe sinus
problem.  After putting up with being stuck on the couch for a week he went
to the doctor.  By the time he arrived at the doctor's office he had started
to clear up a bit.  After looking him over the doctor said "This ain't no
cold my man, you are allergic to something".  The doc concluded that the cat
was unlikely since Gord has been around them most of his life, the next
suspect was the ferrets (the doctor thought it was more likely their musk
and not their dander that Gord reacted to since his strongest reactions had
occurred when they "poofed" in his direction).
 
As our "orignal four" were descented, and with miss "poof" (aka Bratnick)
now living at the zoo, we waited another couple of months to see if it might
just go away, but it didn't.  The musk in their fur and around their cage
was enough to set him off.  One minute of playing with them and he'd clog
right up, just going near their enclosure started to set him off.  I tried
bleaching the cage and bathing the ferrets twice a week, washing bedding
daily, conditioners, coat treatments, extra litter changes ... but Gord kept
getting worse.
 
Gord is unable to take any antihistimine long term so keeping the ferrets
was impossible.  Finally we found a new home for them and a month later his
reactions were almost completely gone.  Now the only time he reacts is when
he plays with a ferret ... in 5 minutes he is a big, swollen sinus.  We take
comfort in that our babies are in wonderful homes (the zoo and a family who
adores our "original four") where they can get the attention that Gord's
allergies prevented.
 
Unfortunately, I know we are not the only family to experience such an
annoying tragedy.  It is very upsetting to take the time to be a good pet
owner only to learn that your own body is what will prevent you from
interacting with a pet you adore.  There are no "allergy shots" for ferrets,
not even a test to check for a reaction (by the end we didn't need a test
though).
 
I hope our experience can serve to educate others.  Ferret allergies may be
less well known mainly because fewer people are exposed to ferrets as
opposed to cats, dogs, etc.  People who are susceptible to allergic
reactions should be aware of this.
 
PS - I am so glad your new pet is bringing you so much joy.
 
Lorraine(<-not allergic to ferrets)
Gord (<-I didn't plan it)
Maggie (<-meow, shed, shed)
[Posted in FML issue 1773]