Today, I decided to go thrifting to save some money. Ironically, I ended up having to pay for an emergency trip to the hospital because somebody was too lazy to wash the cat hair off their clothes. I'm severely allergic to cats. FML
Collection
Wild Nights Out
Last call, bad decisions and 3 a.m. texts you'll regret until noon. Cheers.
Today, I bought a kitten. I've wanted a cat for years and decided to finally buy one now that I have my own apartment. It turns out I'm allergic to cats. FML
Today, I rang up a very rude customer. He was covered in cat hair and so were his reusable shopping bags. I’m very allergic to cats. FML
Today, after my landlord has refused to fix the bathroom plumbing problem in my apartment for several days, I had to buy cat litter for myself. FML
Today, I got home after a spending a week recovery from surgery. My neighbour had been feeding my cat whilst I was away. Exhausted, I went straight to my bedroom where I soon discovered that my cat had shat on my pillows, duvet, and pyjamas. FML
Today, at work I got an urgent message from my boyfriend that there was an emergency and I should come home immediately. I took my last personal day of the month and drove the half-hour home. The emergency? The cat had vomited on the comforter. FML
Today, I had to take my cat to the vet. On the way there, he managed to get out of his cage, climb into the front seat, onto my chest, and howl in my face as I tried to drive down the highway. I ended up with stitches and still got charged for missing my cat's appointment. FML
Today, like every other day for the past two weeks, the strange cat that has adopted me inexplicably made its way into my house and curled up next to my head while I slept. I'm horribly allergic. FML
Today, I went to the doctor for allergy testing. Apparently, one of my worst allergies is cats. I'm a "crazy cat lady" who loves anything cat-related and has 3 cats. Allergy shots, here I come. FML
Today, I bought a Halloween costume for my cat. FML
Today, I was running late for a job interview so I took what I thought was a shortcut through an dank alleyway. I ended up getting chased by a pack of stray cats and arrived at the interview covered in scratches and cat hair. FML
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Top comments
marcranger 29
You don't bathe thrift store clothes in hydrochloric acid before you wear them?! Or am I the only one who's that afraid of other people's germs?
lolhailsatan 23
As a former secondhand shop worker, I will say that no, the store does not wash the clothes before they are sent out, big industrial size washers are mad expensive to buy and operate. However, if something has cat hair on it, we would lint roll the garment, or if it was completely covered, we would toss it. But anyway, i think it's common sense to wash the clothes before putting them on your body, so I'm saying YDI
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Comments (82)
ButteredHamster 3
Not to sound terrible, but who doesn't clean their clothes before wearing them? I shop regularly at Value Village and I once asked if they clean the clothes before they set them out. They said no. I don't think that is the policy everywhere, but to be safe I always clean my findings and you should too!
ChibiChibi_fml 28
Do you wash clothes before you purchase them or try them on? It doesn't actually say in the FML that the OP was wearing these things when the reaction happened.
neuroticallyyour_fml 17
I donate frequently to thrift stores and while I do my best to wash/clean all of the cat hair from the stuff I donate because I know there are people with severe pet allergies, sometimes you can't get every single piece of hair or dander off an item. Ultimately though, you are the person responsible for managing your allergies.
inolongercare 19
Why would you not wash the clothes before wearing them?!
ThymastarGT 11
YDI, wash clothes before you wear them.
annie_zoo 27
do you not try on clothes before you buy them?
hberri331 18
If you have severe allergies you should wash even new clothes when you buy them
bugluv3 7
If I had to take a guess OP was probably trying something on in the store
Cathrin 26
To everyone saying "YDI for not washing it before you wear it", the OP said they were severely allergic, so maybe their allergy was bad enough that just being in proximity to the cat hair-covered clothing was enough to set them off. Either that or they tried it on at the store to make sure it fit(most thrift stores don't do returns, so this would normally be a good idea if the store supplied fitting rooms) before having the opportunity to wash it.
Elisabetha Aarron 18
If they have a severe allergy you should take extra precautions and at least think about who may possibly have donated the clothes. If just by being around it makes them react maybe thrift store aren't the best place for them for this very reason, although some places do clean the clothes and some people do clean it before donating if you are that allergic then maybe spending extra for clothes to prevent these kind of situations is worth it.
Flarecraft 9
You deserve that. I don't care if I buy a shirt from Target or from a thrift shop. I wash it all cuz you have no idea what's on clothing. Take responsibility and don't be dumb.
catherinecas 30
It sounds like she was trying it on in the store since ambulance was called.
mistress_paz 30
This is why I wear something like bike shorts when I go thrifting so I can try on things over my clothes. One time I came across a suit that I think was previously worn by a corpse at a funeral--smelled so bad, LOL! Also inoculating yourself with Benadryl or another med that works for you before going into a high allergen potential situation. I'm glad you're doing okay, and hope you have better luck next time. I don't have severe allergies but my wife does so I know how serious it can be.
superwhovian 16
YDI if you are severely allergic you should not be shopping second hand but sorry you had a reaction because the previous owners didn't wash it