Cats & Allergies: 
3 Tips to Help You Cope

By Teri Champigny

If you have allergy problems but still insist on having a cat, or multiple cats for that matter, then below are a few tips to help you manage:

1. Reduce or limit your exposure to other allergens. Your best bet is to avoid outside substances that may cause an allergic reaction in addition to how your cats make you feel. For example, you will want to avoid aerosol products, cigarettes, perfumes, and cleaning solutions.

Also, if you are doing yard work then be sure to wear a breathing mask.  It is very common for an allergic reaction to break out while mowing the yard or trimming your plants. It is bad enough that your cats may be causing your reactions to start with, so please avoid, or at least control, the elements just mentioned.  As far as your yard work is concerned, it is best to have someone else take care of the job.

2. Create one room in your house that is devoted to being allergy-free. Doing this will give you an area of escape from any type of allergic-causing substances.  You will have a place to go to where you can breathe freely and that is absent of cats, excessive dust, or anything else that may cause your allergies to kick in.  The best place for this is your bedroom.  This means that your beloved pets cannot enter. 

You may also want to remove any material that naturally attracts dust.  Carpets, rugs, stuffed animals, etc. are all items that will attract dust and cat hair, which in turn may cause an allergic reaction.  Remove feather pillows and large down comforters as well. By keeping these materials out, as well as your cats, you will have created your private sanctuary where breathing problems are minimized.

3. Last but not least, do your best to keep your cats and any other pets that you may have very clean and well groomed at all times.  This is just common sense, but many people who have allergies forget that the cleanliness of their animals can greatly reduce the negative affects that they have on their breathing. These people also do not like to get so close to all of the hair that can fall off of a cat when bathing them, so the best possible scenario is to have a friend or family member who does not have allergies bathe your cats for you.

Your cat should be bathed weekly in clear water.  This will keep the dander levels down.  Soap is not necessary, unless your cat is really dirty, and may also contribute to allergies.  Clear running water is all you need to remove unwanted loose fur which will keep your allergic reactions minimal.