Cat allergy is your body’s natural defenses reacting to allergens from cats. Cat Allergens themselves are harmless; our body’s response to the causes of your allergic symptoms.
Cat Allergy Causes
Your cat allergies may be caused by exposure to your cat’s urine, saliva, skin, feces, and dander (tiny scales from their skin or hair). If you have cat allergies, you should wash your hands immediately after handling your cat.
Cat Allergy Symptoms
Cat allergies usually cause nose, eye, skin, and respiratory (lung and throat) symptoms. Some of these allergic symptoms are;
- Sneezing
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Red, itchy, or watery eyes
- Itchy nose, throat, or roof of the mouth
- Coughing and wheezing
- Hives or a rash on the chest and face
What is Cat Dander
Dander is small particles, small flecks of skin that sheds from your pet’s body. If you are allergic to dander, this can be a difficult problem for you, but fortunately, there are ways to prevent it from taking over your home and worsening your health.
How Long Does Pet Dander Stay in a House
The time it takes to get rid of pet dander in the house may depend on the type of animal. Cat dander may take four to seven months to be completely removed from your home after your pet leaves. Dog dander takes less time and is easier to eliminate because it doesn’t float as much as cat dander which is also more sticky.
You can build up an immunity to pet allergy, dog or cat, over time through exposure.
If you have pet dander allergy symptoms like wheezing, itchy eyes, coughing, runny nose, sneezing, and shortness of breath and still want to keep your pet, here are some tips that may help improve your health.
How To Reduce Cat Allergy
There are several measures you can take to prevent and reduce cat allergies. Some of the ways to prevent cat allergies are listed below.
Spay or Neuter Your Cat
Spaying or neutering your cat will help reduce allergen production in your home and causing fewer allergic reactions for you.
Bathing Your Cat
It can be challenging to bathe your cat, but bathing your cat once a week will help control the build-up of dander on her skin. Doing this can decrease the allergen building by up to 84 percent. Use a shampoo formulated for cats.
Bathe your cat with Burt’s Bees Tearless shampoo and use Burt’s Bees Dander Removing Spray for dry baths.
It has excellent anti-dander properties, build with Colloidal Oat Flour and Aloe Vera, which will soothe your cat’s irritated skin and slough off dead fur and dead skin. Use the shampoo with a conditioner formulated for cats to help soothe and moisturize their skin. Follow the directions on the bottle and ensure you rinse your cat thoroughly to remove all the shampoo to get her clean.
Avoid bathing your pet too often. The more you wash her body, the higher the chances you will dry out her skin, which is not the goal. A pet’s dry skin will produce more dander. Additionally, you can use wipes made for pet grooming or apply Allerpet Pet Solutions to remove loose dander.
Brush your pet daily, outside, to keep the dander down.
Frequently Washing Your Cat Bedding
Pet bedding accumulates allergens, so wash it frequently and consider replacing your pets’ beds every few months. Donate lightly-used beds to your local animal shelter for homeless dogs. If you’re worried about cost, try discount retailers like TJ Maxx and Marshall’s.
You may also be able to get toys, poop bags, and treats—at a fraction of the cost. If you plan to order the beds online, check the available deals.
Change Your Cat Diet
Feed your dog a diet that contains omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids, which promote good skin and coat health. Ensure your pet has constant access to clean fresh water. Proper hydration is essential for your dog’s overall well-being and comfort and maintains healthy skin and coat.
Cleaning Your Cat Litter Box
Dander contains a protein that causes allergic reactions. The protein is also found in your pets’ urine and saliva. Every time your pet empties her bladder, the protein from her urine can stick to her skin. Purchase dust-free litter. Make sure you are wearing a mask while cleaning the litter.
Using a HEPA Filter Vacuum Cleaner
HEPA stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Air. Your Carpet will absorb your dander like crazy, and you will need to make sure the dander doesn’t build up on surfaces, such as upholstery or carpeting, which will help reduce symptoms in allergy sufferers.
Dust first, starting with the highest areas in the room, and vacuum afterward. This removes the most particulate matter from surfaces and helps keep things clean. If you can, remove your carpet for wood flooring. This will prevent excessive dander from lingering on your carpet.
Avoid wall-to-wall carpeting, where allergens can hide. Try using tile, wood, and linoleum, as it is easier to clean allergens from those. Cleaning carpets will be a bit more challenging, but if you have carpets, steam clean them every 2-3 months and vacuum or dust at least once a day, if possible. Use throw rugs that can be washed or taken outside to the air. Don’t use a bagless vacuum; those expose you to allergens when you empty the dust.
Replace carpet with smooth flooring if you can, as carpets are the primary harborers of allergens in
the home. Your carpets can contain 13 times more cat allergens than smooth floors.
Using a HEPA Air filter
HEPA air filters disrupt and remove dander buildup from your home. HEPA filters trap air contaminants in a complex web of fibers, essentially filtering the dander particles from your home while producing cleaning air. The filter trap 99.97% of particulates.
Get the filter on amazon.com or visit allergyandair.com to see a list of pet dander air filters. A properly maintained, high-quality air filter can set the foundation for creating an excellent air quality that is relatively free of dander and other allergens.
Making Certain Areas of Your Home Pet Free
Keep your pets off the carpets, upholstered furniture, and beds to reduce exposure to dander, and use allergen-resistant bedding will help fend off any dander that does find its way into bedrooms. Airborne cat allergen levels are much higher in rooms where cats are physically present, so be sure to restrict your cat from rooms.
Vacuuming and frequently washing any furniture, fabrics, or materials that your pets come in contact with.
Does Your Pet Have a Health Problem?
Pets with dry skin flake easily, which can be a problem for them, especially during the
Getting the right treatment and answers from your veterinarian will allow your pet to groom herself better, preventing the development of dander on her skin.
What If You Can’t Get The Pet Out of Your Room?
Use allergen-resistant or plastic covers on your pillows, mattresses, and box springs. These covers are useful for controlling your contact with dust mites. Wash your bedding, uncovered pillows, and stuffed toys in water 130 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter each week and dry them in a hot dryer cycle to kill dust mites.
Cat Allergy Test
You should try managing and reducing allergies by proactively limiting your exposure to cats allergens and treating your symptoms. Schedule an appointment with your doctor to do a cat allergy test. Your doctor will be able to confirm if you are allergic to cats, provide treatment and tips on more ways to reduce your allergic reactions.
Cat Allergy Summary
An effective plan to control animal allergens in your home must include a system for regular cleaning because pet allergens tend to cling to surfaces such as furniture, bedding, and fabric, and lifting the allergens from these surfaces in your home takes a good amount of effort and energy.
A properly maintained air filter can set the foundation for creating excellent air quality that is relatively free of pet dander and other allergens.