What can i do to reduce cat allergens in my house?

Question

ok so i have 1 cat and 1 kitten, but the problem is that we discovered yesterday that my mom is allergic... we both love our cats and she does not want to get rid of them. she loves them as much as i do. so i need some help! anyone have any theories as to reduce the dander or what not.. getting rid of them is a last resort. I need good answers that will really help,she already got some medicine and im already keeping them out of her room but its not enough. thanks and any help is much appreciated!

thank you!

Answer 1

People are not only alergic to cat "dander" but also cat saliva which is spread on their fur by grooming. You can get cat bath wipes to quickly wipe them down. This could help to lower the allergens that the cat produces.

Keeping the house clean is important as well...dusting and vaccuming and doing laundry often are important. Using air conditioners and furnaces spread the allergens around. More expensively you can try those ionic breezes...they are said to catch allergens. Yet, I have not owned one and not sure if it works with cat allergies...I am not allergic.

Hope somethiing works for you guys.

Answer 2

The other suggestions are all good. I'll just add one thing I didn't see mentioned. My boyfriend was HORRIBLY allergic to basically everything, but especially cats. He went to an allergist and did the whole pin prick test thing and he reacted to cat dander so fast that it scared the doctor.

What he ended up doing was getting allergy shots. What they do is introduce small amounts of the allergen over the course of a year (2 injections/week) and eventually your body builds up an immune resistence to the allergen. We now own two cats and he still has some symptoms, but not anything near what he used to have. So if that's an option, maybe your mom should see an allergist. My boyfriend also takes Allegra sometimes if it's really bad. So if your mom just has occasional flair-ups, then perhaps something like Allegra might work.

I hope everything works out! Good luck.

Answer 3

How can a person reduce allergic symptoms to a pet?
If you or a member of your family is part of the 15% of our population allergic to pets, there are things you can do to help keep allergic reactions under control and make your home a much more comfortable place to live. Even if you do not have allergies, these tips are helpful if you have guests in your home that are allergic to animals.

* We spend from one third to one half of our time in our bedrooms. By keeping the animals out of the bedrooms at all times, we can greatly reduce the symptoms of pet allergies.
* Install a good "HEPA" air cleaner.
* Close the ducts to the bedrooms and use electric heaters.
* Clean and vacuum regularly.
* Bathe your pet weekly.
* Do not allow your pet on the furniture.
* Do not allow your pet in your car. (Or use car seat covers when your pet is in the car.)
* Brush your pet daily and use an allergy-reducing spray such as Allerpet.
* Keep your pet's skin healthy by feeding a high quality food and a fatty acid supplement.
* Wash your hands after handling the pet, his toys, bed, etc.
* See your physician and discuss possible immunotherapy or medications.

Answer 4

We use a vacuum at least every day, sometimes twice a day for the common areas kitty hangs out (Bisel Pet Pro is really good at getting cat hair) and we have a 3M Allergy Reducer air filter in our furnace / AC which also seems to help a lot. Other than that, kitty gets regular combing and wet-wipe baths (a wet cloth available at pet stores for a quick bath) to help remove dander. I have found Flonaze (rx allergy nasal spray) is really helpful with pet allergies, too.

Answer 5

The purple Dyson Vacuum is the pet one, that's supposed to cut down on pet dander, hair and allergens, but it's also a 800.00 vacuum.

Answer 6

you have a big problem but easy to fix. I have the same ploblem with allergies and a cat my brother has, unless the cat is very very very clean I get allergies, so you may have to shower the cat often.
Another option is getting a different breed one that does not shed hair this is more costly but there you go two options to choose from

Answer 7

vaccum 3 times a day

Answer 8

my best anwsers have already been given but let me reinforce... vaccum as often as possible and bathe your kitties as often as possible... at most pet stores you can find shampoos specially formulated for allergy sufferers and those really do seem to work.