• Home Page| About Us| The Refuge| Contact| Dogs and Cats| Links

Other articles

• Help spread the word - we need homes for these beautiful pups!
• Holland trip strengthens international ties
• Goodbye Grisa
• Save the Greyhounds
• Despite everything, we carry on!
• Judge suspends removal of animals
• We will fight on!
• Aina - You Have Failed Us!
• Help us in your weekly shop
• Tribute to Bill Brown
• Please support this charity sale
• End Animal Suffering

Cats & allergies

Do You love the idea of owning a cat? Are You afraid that You have allergies that would prevent You being able to cope with a cat living in your home?

Most cat allergies are caused by ‘dander’. Microscopic flakes of dried saliva that hang on to the cat’s fur and then disperse into the air.

Don’t despair! Unless your allergies are of the seriously serious nature – if living with a cat and enjoying a cat’s friendship and company would improve your day-to-day quality of life, here are some good tips to enable you to own a cat without having to deal with the constant red sore eyes & runny blocked nose!

1. Find a non-allergic friend or housemate who will brush the cat every day and bathe him every week. What? They don’t like the idea of washing a cat? Can’t say I blame them. A perfectly good alternative is to buy and use a micro-cloth, wet it, wring it out and wipe the cat all-over. There’s a great product called ‘Allerpet’, which is available at www.allergiesplus.com which removes allergens from a cat’s coat and skin. It’s 100% non-toxic and 80% of people with cat-related allergies who’ve tried it, found it virtually totally effective.

2. When choosing a cat, try to pick one which has shorter hair, as opposed to long luscious hair. Ask at the Centro Canino for advice.

3. Get your vet to supply you with a spray for your cat’s coat, that will minimise the dander. If they don’t have one in stock, get them to order it in, or go on to the internet, type the words ‘cat allergies’ and buy the spray over the net. In fact, if you suffer in general from allergies, visit a site called www.drivensnow.co.uk – they have a great range of allergy products, including ‘It’s me or the Cat!’, which will greatly reduce allergens produced by your cat, as well as bringing down the levels of pollen and dust mites in your home.

4. Don’t let your cat into your bedroom and definitely, definitely definitely, don’t let them sleep on your bed.

5. If your home has fitted-carpets, if/when you can afford to – replace them with hardwood floors or tiles. Likewise, replace curtains with solid blinds where possible. What we’re aiming for here is to make it as hard as possible for the cat dander to stick around. Rugs are pretty bad too.

6. Wash your bedding at the maximum (boil) temperature.

7. Vacuum your home as often as possible. Preferably with a vacuum cleaner fitted with a ‘Hepa’ filter. El Corte Ingles will know what you’re asking for!

8. Buy a Hepa air-filter. Whether you own a cat or not, if you’re prone to allergies a good air-filter will probably benefit you enormously in general. They’re great for dealing with pollen and dust mites. Quality air-filters even help protect you from air-born bacteria and viruses. Prices start at around 220 euros. If you can’t find what you need in Palma, visit www.breathingspace.co.uk

9. Minimise the quantity of overstuffed furniture in your home.

10. Once a month use a steam-vapour cleaner to clean your home. Steam cleaners enable you to clean thoroughly and destroy mould spores, dust mites, bacteria and cat allergens, in a chemical-free way

11. Wipe down walls and flat-surfaces often.

12. Wipe your hands as soon as possible after playing with your cat, and whatever you do, don’t rub your eyes after stroking the cat. That’s a recipe for disaster!

Overall – if you love cats but have allergies, you can probably find a balance that means you can still own a cat. Come along and visit the Centro Canino and let’s see what we can do. Thanks!