Your cat may be making you sneeze because you may be allergic to your cat. Don’t worry, approximately 1/3 of people who are allergic to cats live with cats in their home. You can keep your cat!
What is a cat allergy?
Cat allergy is caused by a type of protein present in the dander (skin flakes — yuck) and saliva of cats. The allergens are airborne and are then inhaled by humans through the nose and lungs. After inhaling the allergens people react and experience a variety of symptoms.
What are the symptoms of cat allergies?
Cat allergy symptoms can include sneezing, runny nose, sinus congestion, rash, hives, itchy eyes, shortness of breath and even wheezing. If you are experience any of these symptoms, see your doctor to verify whether or not you have a cat allergy. There are allergy medications that doctors can recommend or prescribe for people who suffer from allergies.
How can I reduce cat allergies?
Unfortunately, you probably cannot stop cat allergies or cure cat allergies. However, if you are allergic to your cat, there are numerous cat allergy solutions that you can try to reduce allergy symptoms:
- Keep your cat out of your bedroom: This will give you about 8 hours/day that you can be in an environment without your cat. This is perhaps the best thing that you can do to relieve cat allergies.
- Wash your sheets at least once/week: Let’s face it — your furry little friend will probably be allowed in the bedroom sometimes!
- Brush your cat: Brushing your cat will loosen the loose fur so you can throw it in the garbage rather than have the fur flying around your house. There are special brushes that you can buy that pull away the loose fur. These brushes are usually called de-shedding tools. This is a great way to reduce your allergies since you are mainly allergic to the cat’s saliva (which is all over their fur from their grooming!)
- Vacuum frequently: Vacuuming is helpful because it removes the cats hair from your house. This is especially important if you have carpet because the hair gets caught in the carpet. If you don’t have carpet, sweep frequently. Static sweepers work great at collecting cat hair!
- Bathe your cat: OK, so this usually isn’t a realistic suggestion because most cats hate water. However, there are some anti-allergy products on the market that don’t require that you give your cat a full bath. Instead, you can wet a cloth and simply pet your cat with the wet cloth. The product will apparently neutralize the allergens!