Actually, allergies can be overcome with repeated exposure, while people can actually gain new allergies with age. My father, after taking a lot of medicines for heart trouble, was tested for allergic reactions by basically being injected with small amounts of everything to see what reacts, and it turns out he was allergic to basically everything they tested him for... except cats, because Mom has cats, and he gets exposed to cats daily. He even turned out allergic to dogs, in spite of having dogs his whole life up until getting married.

... That said, though, when a cat is lying down like that, trying to snuggle WILL result in kicks to the face. In fact, I tend to take that pose as "Dangle a sock over me, I dare you! I will RIP AND TEAR!"