CATastrophe Allergy

 
Sharing the “air up there” with your

When my hubby, Dave, returned from 3 months living with his mom (that’s a story for another blog post) while looking for work  out-of-town,  he was grumpy (no sleep from pain),  in pain (from a torn bicepital tendon) and wheezing (he’s got adult asthma) after 15 minutes back on home turf.   Now it’s always easiest to blame your allergies on the first thing you see (yes, it was me – but that’s why he takes Benedryl – just kidding).  In this case it was my daughter Polly’s cat, Elijah.

Elijah is not a breed I’m especially fond of … he’s a small part Mackeral Tabby (complete with the “M” on the forehead which she thought was a ‘sign’ he was to belong to her – her last name begins with an “M”), but a bigger part Siamese.  Very classical Siamese.  Ever since watching “Lady and the Tramp” as a child, I’ve never liked Siamese cats.  LOVE cats … just not the Siamese variety.

Before Dave left home for his mother’s place- oops – his out-of-town job quest, Elijah was an iddy-biddy kitty not more than 5-6 weeks old.  Very adorable, even for a rotten Siamese.   Grandkids loved the little fur ball, my daughter Polly (short for Pollyanna, so you’ve got to know where this is going) promised to take total control of the wee beastie  (yeah, right)  and all we had to do was try not to trip when he got under foot.    Dave’s allergies didn’t seem to be bothered, so needless to say we were totally unprepared for all the sneezing and wheezing that erupted when he returned home.

After a couple weeks of trying to sweep, mop, dust, change bedding, and generally keep the house tidy, Dave suggested that perhaps it was just the Siamese brand of cat he was allergic to … that maybe cat hair and dander were different on different breeds of cats – the Siamese being a really old breed dating back to Siam – yada, yada, yada.  While I’m not particularly fond of Elijah kitty’s ancestry, here are just the facts … Dave.

While it’s been believed for years that a cat’s hair was the allergen culprit, it is now recognized that it’s the DANDER which is the cause of allergic reactions (not to be confused with dandruff, the flaky-white ‘snow’ you see on people’s collars).  SO…let’s review some STUFF.

Dander is dead skin cells, and every living creature covered in skin has dander.  We as people have dander – losing skin cells like crazy all the time.  The fur (hair) on an animal may shed but that is not dander, nor is it the cause of your allergies; the length of the hair on your pet – long vs short – makes no difference to the amount of dander your pet produces.

If you’re a cat lover with allergies, know that your pet’s skin growth cycle is approximately every 21 days.  So no matter the breed. your cat can and will produce dander –   IF your cat has skin – which I’m sure it does.

While a few breeds of cats may have slightly faster skin growth cycles which may result in a higher dander level, most cats are pretty much the same, give or take, even the Siamese, Dave.

Fact tidbits: **older cats produce more dander than younger ones, because – like humans – they tend to have drier skin as they age (little Elijah is only 3 months old!); **whole cats produce more Fel D1 (the allergen that makes you wheeze) than neutered cats ;  **male cats, particularly if they’re NOT neutered, produce more allergens than the females.

Black Cat

Blue Cat (Grey Cat)

Brown Cat

Calico Cat (tri-color)

Colorpoint Cat (Siamese)

Mackerel Tabby

Red Cat (Orange, Marmalade)

Tortoise shell Cat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THINGS TO DO – - – FOR YOUR CAT

• Bathe cat once weekly, thoroughly wash your cat’s face and ears as well as his/her body to cut down on dander;
  
• use hypo-allergenic pet wipes between weekly baths (these wipes are fantastic at neutralizing the dander allergen);
• Use a vacuum hose (at the lowest setting, possible) on your cat’s fur (some cats will like this, others just tolerate it, and those hating it will still lose a lot of their dander and loose fur into the hose before they jump out of your hands).

THINGS TO DO – - IN YOUR HOUSE

• Be the new Mrs. Clean!  Twice yearly (at minimum) wash your walls and ceilings with hot, soapy water;  re-paint those tacky looking walls when needed.  Reducing pet allergens isn’t the only reason to practice cleanliness;  my grandmother ALWAYS did a Fall and Spring housecleaning, wall-washing included!
• Put a HEPA filter on your vacuum and use that vacuum on everything!  Again, this isn’t a new notion;  my mom even vacuums the grill on the back of her refrigerator twice a year.  Go around baseboards, over windowsills, drapes and lamp shades, too.
• Hardwood and/or tile flooring is always best for preventing build-up of allergens – even if you don’t have an indoor pet.  Remember?  We humans shed dried skin cells, too which feed dust mites!
• Buy an air purifier with a HEPA filter for the main living rooms in your home.
• Furniture boasting leather or vinyl instead of fabric traps less allergens and is easier to keep clean.
• Use anti-mite covers on your bedding - although keeping bedroom doors closed so your pet isn’t tempted to snooze in there is far easier and less expensive.
• Clean your ductwork and furnace twice yearly (this is actually a safety precaution protecting you against fire hazards that should be done anyway).
• Change furnace filters every 3 months
• If the litter box is indoors (it’s always best to keep litter boxes out of the house for reasons other than dander – like PARASITES), choose a dust-free litter rather than clay and use a face mask and gloves when cleaning up after kitty’s dirty work (YUCK).

All said and done, there ARE ways to lessen your discomforts when you have a pet as part of your family.

It takes some effort … but families always do.

 

 

Now THAT’S Great Info! Suggested Articles:

• Study: Allergies can quash sex life (cnn.com)
• Daisy, 3-legged cat needs care (fundable.com)
• Asthmatics can’t live in a bubble (respiratorytherapycave.blogspot.com)

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