Pet owners know that their fur babies are more than just pets—they are considered family. Cat owner and actress Alexandra Sedlak (@itsalexandrasedlak) recounts a period when her cat sneezed in her eye, causing an allergic reaction.
In the two-minute TikTok, Sedlak recalls the terrifying moment when a small normalcy turned into an allergic nightmare.
Sedlak states in her viral TikTok video that a few years back around Christmas, she fell asleep nose-to-nose with her pet cat.
As they both continued to drift off to sleep, she says her cat sneezed straight into her eyes, causing an immediate allergic reaction that later ended in her eye being swollen shut.
“No warning full blown sneeze, straight into my eyeball,” Sedlak recalls. “Because that’s how quickly it got infected. I’m telling you within seconds of her sneezing into my eye… and closing my eye after that, I immediately knew something was wrong.”
Sedlak says she felt she was going to lose her eye because it was so painful and infected and looked like she got “punched.” She says she took a Benadryl to combat the infection.
“We still snuggle but I wear goggles,” Sedlak added in the caption.
Pets and allergies
According to WebMD, About 10% of the U.S. population has pet allergies, and cats are among the most common culprits. Cat allergies are twice as common as dog allergies.
“These allergic individuals, then, are sensitized to one or more allergens in cat saliva, urine, and dander. However, these allergens often stick to animal hair and dander and are easily dispersed; plus, they can become airborne and linger suspended in the air.
Those allergic to cat allergens may experience symptoms when allergens are inhaled (either via direct or indirect contact with a cat),” according to thermofisher.com.
Viewers weigh in
Viewers chimed in expressing concerns and shock about how one sneeze from a cat could cause this health scare.
“I have never experienced this myself; it sounds more allergic than infectious. My cats have sneezed in my face plenty. It’s gross, but it never caused that,” commented one viewer.
@itsalexandrasedlak we still snuggle but I wear goggles. #fyp #cat #catmom #storytime #eye #health #sneeze #psa #themoreyouknow #holidays #medical #allergies #horrortok #petlover #iykyk #scary #safety ♬ original sound – Alexandra Sedlak
“If you’re allergic you’re allergic to their saliva. So this makes sense,” stated another.
Sedlak confirmed in a reply that she was indeed allergic.
Other viewers expressed worries about their furry animals sneezing which could potentially cause the same allergic reaction.
“Wait my dog has sneezed in my face/eyes several times but, nothing has happened..should I be concerned?” one asked.
“My cat has sneezed in my face lots of times, same with dogs. But this was like a projectile straight into my eye. I didn’t have a chance to close it,” the TikToker replied.
The Daily Dot reached out to Sedlak via TikTok comment.
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