My Apologies to the Cats

...



Blog readers may remember the excruciating rash that I had for the entire month of June. I was fairly certain that it came from contact with tomato plants, but the doctor I visited convinced me that it had come in contact with poison oak, by way of the feral cats.

Since that time, I've been washing my hands and arms like a maniac, every time I pet the neighborhood cats. I feel like Lady Macbeth, with a tube of Technu. The cats, of course, are clean as clean can be. And it really is unlikely that our little neighborhood supports poison oak plantations.

As it turns out, the tomatoes are the culprits. The other day, I was tying up our gigantic tomato plants, and I neglected to wash my arms after I finished. Some green tomato sap got on my arms, but I didn't realize it at the time. In the morning, the sap was still there, and under the sap stains, I had that same familiar itchy bumpy blotchy rash.





Tracking down allergies is a tricky business. Twice, I've had such severe allergic reactions to hot peppers that I've ended up in the emergency room. But there's no standard test for pepper allergies, so my suspected allergy to members of the nightshade family isn't "official."




I'm itching, and waiting to get another visit with my doctor. Meanwhile, the cats are laughing at my stupidity.

Comments

Christine said…
Ick, how could you be allergic to something so darn tasty?! As an aside, I really don't know how in the world you manage to capture such totally adorable kitty photos- maybe think about starting a side business of those silly "hang in there" themed kitty calenders?
You know, I have a rather hideous skin reaction to Zucchini plants. Took me a while to nail it down. It's not the fruits, but the leaves. When I rummage under those plants to get to the little zucchinis, the spines on the leaves seem to inoculate whatever allergen I have issue with into my skin. Would be a shame if you're allergic to tomato plants, but at least you'll know what causes it. Glad the kitties are forgiven :)
DJ said…
That last pic of the kitties is hilarious!
Pre said…
Based on the title of this post - the feral cats can read internet blogs too?

What clever felines! ;-0

'Maters are in full-on yumminess here in CO. Yay summer.

pre
martha said…
hilarious cat photo!!
biobabbler said…
Yikes--whattanightmare, but so glad (and impressed) you are figuring it out. You probably already know, but I googled nightshade family and found this link very practical http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=62 re: very common foods/drugs that are from the nightshade, how some of the compounds work, etc. Good luck!
Post your photos on Etsy.com and you'll get orders for sure! Your kitties, birds and bugs are fabulous!
Lisa, your photos are priceless. I just laughed and laughed at your kitty pictures. Do save them for something like a cat calendar.

And the evil tomatoe.....words fail.
Anonymous said…
Tomatoes and potatoes are related to each other - be careful if you grow any of those as well!

Annalisa
Lisa said…
I cant take credit for the Evil Tomato.

And it *kills* me that the demented kitties photo is out of focus and has so much crap in the background. I *wish* that were a better photo, because it makes me laugh so hard.
Stefaneener said…
Oh you poor dear. Tomato plants make me break out also, so I tend to wash very carefully after touching them. I suppose a bee-suit approach to working in the tomato patch would be the cautious way to go.

Maybe the old-timer's long sleeved buttoned up shirts were just a smart way to go in general?

(my verification word is "sting," which seems appropriate.)
Marissa Dupont said…
That sucks about your rash, but at least you know what the culprit is. And thank goodness it isn't the kitties. I've always said that even if I was allergic I'd still keep my cats. And those two are the most beautiful feral cats I've ever seen! I'm glad at least one of them is getting along with Linguine too. Maybe eventually they won't have to be outdoors all the time. :)

Popular Posts