Hello Lenny,
Yes, being around cats could potentially be a serious problem for eczema breakout. Pet dander is one of the many allergens that trigger eczema breakout. Here are a list of additional allergens that trigger eczema breakout: certain foods (specific to the individual), dust mites, pollen, drying soaps/detergents, dishwashing liquids/household cleansers, dry air, paints and other chemical toxins.
It is imperative that you find out what triggered you son's eczema breakout so that you can rid the trigger from his environment. Did his breakout begin after an immunization shot? Was baby formula the culprit (finding the right one is key)? Could dust mites or pet dander be the culprit? Is the baby's soap or detergent a culprit? When did the breakout start? These questions will help you to pinpoint the source of breakout so that you can begin the road to healing.
In order to successfully heal the skin of eczema these three factors have to be addressed: INTERNAL, EXTERNAL, AND FOREIGN. You have to restore health to the immune system, rehydrate the severely dehydrated skin with a natural vitamin enriched (steroid free) moisturizer, and identify the allergen so that you can rid it from your child's environment.
Borage Dry Skin Therapy (pediatric form) lotion by Shikai or NaturalDerm Skin rash cream are two fragrance free lotions developed specifically for atopic dermatitis/eczema. You may want to give one of these a try. Restoring the moisture barrier to your son's dehydrated skin will be important in the process to healing the skin of eczema. The moisture is the skin's defense against harmful allergens. In eczema sufferers that moisture barrier is depleted; thus making them vulnerable to attack from allergens and prone to breakout.
These are some of the vitamins and herbs that promote the skin's natural healing process and are what you should look for when choosing baby washes or lotions: vitamins A,C,D,&E, aloe, chammomile, calendula, colloidal oatmeal, manuka, evening primrose, ginseng, gingko biloba, witch hazel, jojoba oil, shea butter, echinacea, and borage oil.