Allergic to Cats

[cat fellow]

Everyone was so helpful on my last question that I thought I would see if there were any ideas on another question.

I am allergic to cats. Not enough to be seriously dangerous to my health, but enough to make me uncomfortable. I've been told that there are lotions or shampoos that you can rub on a cat to reduce the dander. Does anyone have any advice on this subject?

Many thanks.

 

[sfell]

There are many things you can do to lessen the severity of your cat allergy for example:

1. Use hypo-allergenic air filters in your home or change the regular ones more frequently.

2. Try bathing your cat once a month (if you bath more often it can dry out their skin). Sometimes once a month can also but you just have to watch and see how your cat responds.

3. Brush you cat frequently out doors to get rid of excess fur and dander. This may cause your allergies to flare up at the time but will prevent the allergens from being in the house.

4. Air purifiers. Their are a variety of them on the market and are very popular right know. I have heard from many people that they really help with their allergies.

5. House Clean more frequently but this can really be a pain in the rear.

I don't know of any special shampoos that help with people allergies. There are some for cats with allergies. Hope this helps some. I am sure others will have more suggestions.

 

[julieb]

If you already have a cat that you love, this will not be much help, but there is a breed of cat called Maine Coon that is considered to be "hypoallergenic". They only have about 0.1% (compared to a regular cat) of the chemical in saliva and dander that people are allergic to.

My brother and I are both allergic to cats, me at about a 3 and he at 4++, which is the highest measurable, and our family had Blue Mew, a Maine Coon cat, with us for thirteen years before she died last year. Blue slept on both our beds with no allergic reaction from either of us. Sometimes Jon would get a bit sniffly if he got his nose in her fur, but he is very allergic.

Another question: how long have you had your cat(s)? If you are not too allergic, sometimes you can build up a tolerance. I am not allergic to my 3 "regular cats", but I am a bit reactive to other people's cats. If you have not had them for long, give it a bit of time and see if your allergies settle down.

Julie