How can my allergic boyfriend and my cat co-exist?

Question

We may move in together and I do not want to give up my cat.

Answer 1

I know what you mean....my husband is allergic to cats also; but praise the Lord he wasn't allegic to my cat. She is a Persian. All I can tell you to do is pray, pray, pray!! If my husband wasn't able to be around my cat; we probably wouldn't have been able to get married. We just got married last October. LOL.

Answer 2

I have a pet cat that I'm allergic to. When people are allergic to cats, it not the cat or the hair. It's actually two proteins that are in the cat's saliva and dander that are the culprits. The proteins are produced in the cats salivary glands and sebaceous glands of the skin. Cat dander is five times smaller than household dust particles so it floats in the air much longer than dust before it settles.

Addressing the cat:
-Daily grooming will help remove loose hair and dander
-Bathe the cat weekly with plain water. A study at UVA Asthma and Allergic Diseases Center found that plain water removes 79% of allergens compared to 44% removed by soap and water. (This may sound scary... but a wet towel down works for me!)
-Don't let your boyfriend to the grooming or bathing.
-Avoid anything that will cause your cat to have itchy dry or scaly skin since that is where dander comes from.

Adressing your home:
- Most effective change is to replace carpeting with hardwood flooring.
- Get a HEPA filter (it really does work for me!)
- have the non-allergic person do the litter box duties.
- keep the bedroom cat-free.
- Wash cat bedding regularly

Addressing the allergic person:
- over the counter allergy remedies can reduce the sensitivity and discomfort of the allergens
- prescription meds
- allergy shots from allergist can reduce sensitivity to cat allergens "Allervax-Cat"
- most people with allergies can acclimate to their "own" cats over time.

Answer 3

He's not actually allergic to cat hair , he's allergic to cat dander. Yes he can take medication to help a lot, but who wants to do that all the time. You need to go to your vet and you can get an oil/spray that reduces the amount of pet dander your cat sheds. Also if your cat will allow it, give it a bath once a week. Not easy if the cat is not used to baths, but if you can, it helps a lot. My sister is very allergic also and she has two cats, this is how she copes. Good luck.

Answer 4

Speaking as someone who has a fairly severe allergy to cats, they may not be able to....or your bf may live on antihistamines and be kinda "snotty" all the time...he probably can't touch anything the cat has touched (furniture or whatever) and then touch his face (rub his nose or eyes as people often do) without having a reaction...

If his allergy is very bad at all, he'll find it difficult to ever be comfortable living with a cat...he might can get on allergy shots for it, you'd have to discuss with him if he'd be willing to do that...

Answer 5

make the bedroom a designated "no-cat room", get the cat groomed on a regular basis and get him to an allergist, he may be able to get allergy pills or shots to help.

If none of this works, you will have to make the decision between the man or the beast.

Answer 6

Hi,

it is maybe possible to buy an air purifier to clean the air always from cat hairs.

Generally ... I wouldn't trust somebody who is allergic to animals. Animals have a very fine sense for good and bad people.
If somebody is allergic to animals .... hmmmm, then is maybe something strange with this person.

Answer 7

Put either the boyfriend or the cat in a plastic, germ-free bubble.

Answer 8

My personal favourite is keep the pet close, and keep the human in their own place : far easier to get along, but if you must keep them together, get the boyfriend to a specialist and treat the allergies

Answer 9

Your boyfriend could start taking the shots, so that his allergy would eventually go away.

He should talk to an allergist about that.

Answer 10

He has to get allergy shots and you have to keep cat clean.