Cat Allergies

I am 23 years old and live with my parents who have four cats before we had these four we hand one other one i have grown up with cats and a number of foster dogs from local shelters plus a dog my parents adopted right after their honeymoon...so animals and me go together

My dad grew up with a cat allergy he couldnt be in a house where cats lived...he would get itchy, cough and sneeze but he grew out of it, because we now have four and they don't bother him...the last two years or so whenever i am near the cats i get the same symptoms my eyes water, cough, stuffy nose its like a sudden cold. Is it possible that i have received the same allergy my dad had? are allergics hereditary?

[nancyjac]

Allergies aren't hereditary but they can come and go. Some people outgrow allergies and others get them when they are older.  My little brother had a lot of allergies when he was a kid (including pet dander) and outgrew them, while I didn't have them as a child but became more prone to them as an adult.  

[AnnieBrooke]

Has the cast of characters changed, or is it all the same cats?  It's possible that you have something else bothering your allergic system a little bit and that, on top of the cats, is making you more sensitive to the cats.