Living Normally With A Cat Allergy

An allergy is a reaction to a substance in the environment, these can be a range of things such as pollen, dust mites, animal hair etc. For some very unlucky people, they have an allergy to their cat.

Most allergy sufferers will suffer from more than just one allergy, should they ever be tested for them. And the belief that giving away the family cat will stop the allergy problems is often wrong as the other allergens still remain in the house.

The most common cat allergen is cat hair and cat dandruff. The symptoms of these produce themselves in the same way as pollen or dust mite allergies. These often include, swollen, itchy and runny eyes, a runny nose, coughing and in severe cases Asthma.

You should not even consider giving your cat away, as it is normally a combination of factors in your house that are causing you to have this allergy and therefore giving the cat away will not solve the problem.

You can ease the symptoms of cat allergies and in many cases prevent them from happening in the first place by following a few procedures:

• Do not let your cat in your bed room. As you sleep in the bedroom, you do not wish to get cat hair and dandruff on your bedding or around your bedroom, as this can make the allergic reaction worse at night, causing you breathing and sleeping problems when your body is trying to repair itself.

• Vacuum your cat. This sounds like a completely mad ritual, however you can remove a lot of the loose hair and debris this way. Most cats are happy for you to do this with a low suction setting and low noise. And for those cats that are reluctant, if you keep repeating the process they will soon get used to this new regular grooming process.

• Wash your cat once a week. This will help with the cat dandruff. Most cats are actually quite happy to have a bath, although using the bathtub is not a good idea. Use a large bowl or the kitchen sink, and make sure the water is only tepid.

• Clean your house regularly and thoroughly. Pay extra attention to your upholstery and carpets where cat hairs and cat dandruff my lie unseen. If you invest in a good vacuum cleaner you can purchase ones specifically for use in households with pets.

• There is also a range of injections available to desensitised you to the cat and these are carried out over two to three years, however this should really only be considered in severe cases.

If you only have a minor case of cat allergy you can try taking antihistamines available over the counter from your pharmacist. Often you will find that after a few months of taking these the allergy no longer effects you.

Written by Laura Marsh. For more information on cats and your family visit http://www.caringforyourcat.info