Q:

I got a kitten about 3 weeks ago. After a week, my roommate started experiencing typical symptoms of an allergy, but they were mostly pretty mild. Then 2 days ago, they got really bad. What are the chances that this intense reaction is just a cold?

 

A:

It could be either although allergies typically don't have fever, bony aches but intense itching of eyes, nose, throat and other respiratory symptoms. A trial of over the counter loratidine can help differentiate an allergy from a virus, as a virus won't be helped by an antihistamine.

~The Doc