How to Cope With Cat Allergies

Pet allergies are common, none more so than cat allergies. Not surprisingly, the best advice is to remove the cat from your home altogether, particularly if you suffer significant allergic reactions such as sneezing, itchy or watery eyes, runny nose, nasal congestion or itchy throat or mouth. But if parting with your feline friend is not an option, these steps should be taken to minimize your exposure to the allergens that cause your symptoms.

Things You'll Need

• Air filters or filtration devices
• Allergy medications
• Soap and water
• Vacuum

Instructions

1. Keep your pet outdoors if at all possible and, if not, then restrict your pet to as few rooms as possible. At a minimum, keep your pet out of your bedroom. Limit exposure to allergens for the six to eight hours that you sleep by maintaining a cat-free environment in your room.

2. Avoid hugging, kissing or petting the cat. Recognize that cat allergens are found on its fur and saliva. Refrain from close contact whenever possible to avoid exposure to these allergens.

3. Wash your hands and face after any contact with your pet. Make sure to avoid touching your face or rubbing your eyes and nose until you have cleansed any area that came in contact with the cat. Keep plenty of soap and towels in wash-areas, such as the bathroom or kitchen so that such cleansing can be done conveniently.

4. Fit your air conditioning and/or heating unit with a central air cleaner, such as the HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Arresting) filter. Consider the use of a stand alone air filtration device in one or more rooms as well, such as the Ionic Breeze. Use the air cleaner or air filtration device at a minimum of four hours per day.

5. Place your cat’s litter box(es) in an area that is not connected to the air supply of the home, or any filtration devices. Avoid contact with the litter box if at all possible. If not, use latex gloves and a facial mask whenever you must clean the litter box.

6. Remove carpet in your house and replace with vinyl or hardwood flooring. Carpet can trap cat hair and dander in the fibers, exposing anyone to the allergens even after the animal has been removed from the home. Vacuum your floors at least twice a week if replacing carpet is not an option, and vacuum your upholstered furniture. Consider using a vacuum with an available HEPA filter.

7. Consider allergy shots (immunotherapy) for your cat allergies, particularly if you cannot avoid the animal. Improve your allergy symptoms in the first six months with weekly injections, and reduce the amount of medication previously required with your cat allergies. Understand that with immunotherapy, allergy and asthma symptoms caused by the cat can be decreased when allergy shots are given for at least three years.

Tips & Warnings

• Special allergy blood tests or skin tests are a helpful method for diagnosing allergies to cats (or any animal). Consult an allergist to inquire about such tests and any further information regarding cat allergies.

• To gain confirmation about a pet's significance as an allergen, the pet should be removed from the home for several weeks and a thorough cleaning done to remove the hair and dander. It should be understood that it can take weeks of meticulous cleaning to remove all the animal hair and dander before a change in the allergic patient is noted.

• Allergy shots are best administered by an allergist-immunologist. Not only is this the safest and most effective way to approach allergy shots, the body’s own allergic responses are highly individual and sensitive: any administered immunotherapy should be left to professionally trained specialists.

• Shorthaired cats--or any animal--do not cause any less allergic reactions than longhaired ones. This is a common misconception. It is the dander--the skin scales--which contain the allergens; it is not the length of the hair. Allergens are also found in the saliva and urine of cats as well, and this should not be overlooked.

• Isolating your cat to one room will not limit the allergens to that room. Air currents from your air-conditioning and heating unit will still spread the allergens throughout the house; though the overall level of allergens may be reduced by isolating your pet to a specific area rather than allowing the cat to roam throughout every room in the house.

• If considering a "trial" removal of your cat for a few days or weeks to determine the affect on your allergies, understand that such a short period of time may be of little value. It takes an average of 20 weeks for allergen levels in houses with cats to reach those levels found in homes without them.

Resources

• Mayo Clinic – About Pet Allergies
• Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America – Overview of Pet Allergies
• Locate an Allergist (online tool)