Are there any home remedies that will reduce cat dander?
Hi there! As a cat lover and sufferer of allergies I have found a couple of things that help personally. 1. Twice a week I wet a washcloth with 1 part warm water and 2 parts white vinegar. I rub my cats down with it while petting them, they love the attention and all the loose hairs are removed! I do this after combing them. Also, they ingest the vinegar (not harmful) by licking themselves when I’m done. The vinegar then comes out through their pores and repels fleas so I’m getting two cures for the price of one! 2. I have long-haired cats and comb (not brush-use a comb) them every evening while watching television. This seems to help greatly since there are fewer hairs floating around the room in the air. My queen (mother cat) loves this and will lay very still then turn over to let me comb the other side! Her 2 month old baby has been combed since a few days old so she too is used to it and doesn’t fight or play with the comb. My male cat however fights, plays with and tries to grab
A few things that can help (provided by someone who can have an asthma attack simply by spending a few minutes in a house in which a cat lives): – Install a high-quality filter on your furnace and run the furnace fan frequently. Change the filter more frequently than recommended (e.g., every six weeks instead of every three months). There are several micropore disposable filters on the market that pick up a lot of small debris particles. Electrostatic filters also work well, but need to be cleaned regularly for best performance. – If you have wall-to-wall carpeting, remove as much of it as you can and replace it with hardwood or laminate. Use area rugs for accents and clean them frequently and thoroughly. It is difficult to get dander out of a carpet. – Avoid upholstered furniture and replace any you have with wood, leather, or similar products. If you don’t want to do this, purchase a chair of this type for yourself and sit in it. Again, it is difficult to get dander out of a sofa. –
As a cat owner and someone allergic to them here is what I do: 1. Wall to wall carpet is bad; to reduce the dander get a vaccuum with a hepafilter. A clean bag won’t do, cat dander is extremely small and sticky. You need the hepafilter to successfully get rid of it. 2. Do not let the cats in your bedroom. Even then cat dander travels, I covered my mattress and pillows with allergy barriers. Make sure to get ones rated for cat dander/dust mites. 3. In livingrooms, wash the lap blankets and throw pillows everyweek. 4. Get an air filter. Ionic Breeze does work. I also have a hepafilter one from therapure. Running those while I am at work helps tremendously. This reduces the build up of the cat dander and helps reduce the allergies.
I have also found that the body naturally builds up a tolerance after a certain period of time. I have always had allergies to cats. At one point in my life I had no choice but to live with a cat temporarily. After about 3-4 months of sneezing and taking my allergy medication the allergies suddenly started to taper off. I decided to make my stay permanent and after about a year w/ the cat I was no longer taking my allergy medication and my allergic symptoms completely subsided. Ten years later I am now the proud owner of three cats and no allergies -Incredible!!
