Keep My Boyfriend or My Cat?

So your boyfriend comes to pick you up at your apartment for the first time, stands in the living room and starts to sneeze his head off. Turns out he is allergic to cats. What do you do?

1. Look for a new boyfriend
2. Get rid of Ginger your cat
3. Find a way to keep both

In our experience, we’ve found the vast majority of pet owners who are allergic to their pets, or have friends or family that are, find ways to manage it. That way they don’t have to give up their beloved cat or dog.

Why are you allergic to your pets? First let us say it’s not the smell of the cat urine. It’s actually related to a protein under the pet's skin. Cats, dogs, horses, rabbits, hamsters and other furred animals have a protein in their saliva and urine that is a common allergen.

While the allergic reaction is the same, the protein is different for each different animal. But these individual proteins are very similar. Many people that are allergic to cats are also allergic to dogs, rabbits and horses.

How do you deal with the allergens? If you have allergies, is an aquarium full of fish your only option for animal companionship? Fish can’t snuggle up with you on the couch.

So what do you do? Actually there are some 4 simple things you can try without spending a ton of money. 

For many years allergists and other physicians routinely  recommended that people with allergies of any sort not have any pets in the home. Often, that is just not practical. Our pets have become family members and I don’t’ know about you but it is very hard to kick a member out of the family!

#1 Clean

• Keep the litter box clean. The urine is rich in allergy-causing protein. 
• Sweep or vacuum regularly to pick up the fur. Vacuum with a HEPA filtered vacuum cleaner. And speaking of vacuum cleaners, stay away from the models without a bag. You don’t want to expose yourself to allergens when you empty a dust container.

#2 Grooming 

• First, brush your cat regularly to remove dead skin cells and fur. Ideally, brush the cat outside. 
• Resist the temptation to frequently wash the cat. The more you wash, the greater the chances you getting chewed up and it will dry out the cat’s skin. 
• Instead, we wipe the cat down with Allerpet C Pet Solutions to remove loose dander. As a bonus, Allerpet also conditions, which can slow down the shedding process. 

#3 Use Anti-Allergen Products

Dander anti-allergen or denaturing agents are available in spray and powder form. We recommend sprays in most situations. Anti-allergen sprays are easy to use and when used properly are very effective. 

#4 Many pet owners find relief from allergies by running a HEPA air cleaner. Run the air cleaner in the room where you and the cat spend the most time. 

#5 Now for the really hard part. Keep the cat out of the bedroom and especially off the bed. You don’t want your bed covered in dander.  

As pet owners and allergy sufferers we believe the benefits of pet ownership simply outweigh the drawbacks of allergies for most people who share their lives with a dog, cat or other four-legged or feathered family member.

As far as your boyfriend is concerned, that is a tough one. 

Till Next Time!

Cheryl