Often the cat allergens in the house are only one of a host of other allergens that are present, such as molds, mildews, chemicals, pollens, and dust mites. Removing the cat may not produce the desired result at all. Please consider the information we have provided about dust mites. Even spotless homes have millions of dust mites. The mites may actually be causing more of a problem than the family cat.

Kitty Cottage does not have room for all the cats that people try to surrender. We only have space for 40 cats. And we believe that the cat is a family member that deserves a fair chance to remain with its family. Therefore, we have created this web page to help you learn about and consider alternatives to making your cat homeless.

What are cat allergens?

Cat allergens come from a mixture of cat saliva and secretions from the sebaceous glands in the cat's skin. Because cats lick and groom themselves meticulously, their coats become covered with the mixture, especially around the tail and genital areas that the cat likes to keep very clean. This saliva mixture on the cat's skin and fur dries and flakes off, floating into the air.

The particles are invisible to the human eye, and are so light-weight that they can stay airborne longer than other particles. When the particles do settle, they will stick to curtains, furniture, rugs, carpets and other textured surfaces. They may become airborne again from foot traffic, opening and closing drapes, and sitting on the furniture.

Therefore, the most obvious answer to reducing the cat allergens in the air and on fabrics is to remove the sticky saliva coating from the cat's fur, before it dries and gets into the air in the first place.

You have a choice of immersing the cat in water, damp-wiping the cat with a wet washcloth, or wiping the cat with a wash cloth wetted with the Allerpet-C brand solution. It is available at pet supply stores, and you can learn more about it www.allerpet.com.

The Allerpet-C solution is usually applied once a week, and is much easier to use than trying to bathe the cat in a sink or tub. The highly allergic person may want to wear a mask for the first few applications, or ask a friend to do it. After that, the allergic person will start to see a difference and can probably take over. If your cat has long hair, you might want to have a professional groomer give the cat a lion cut. This will make it easier to apply the Allerpet-C solution. The Allerpet web site says that use of the product reduces the allergen load in the house by removing 85 to 90% of the allergens from the cat, before they have a chance to get into the environment.

If you combine the weekly use of this product with the other suggestions outlined below, you should see a difference. Obviously you will have to clean your home and make some changes in your home furnishings, in order to eliminate the cat allergens that were previously deposited on the textured surfaces in your home before you started using Allerpet-C.

Bathing your cat in plain water helps remove allergens, just not as well as applying Allerpet-C. If you feel you must shampoo your cat, it's very important to use an alkaline shampoo of at least 7.5pH, and you must rinse the cat two or three times. Otherwise the cat's skin will be irritated and the cat may react by scratching, which will cause more shedding and make the cat miserable. Don't bathe your cat more than once a month.

Here are some of the other top tips we gathered from our research:

1. Reduce the amount of carpeting, upholstered furniture and draperies in the house. Replace curtains and drapes with blinds, which are easier to wipe clean. Cat and dust mite allergens stick to them, and are released back into the air during use.

2. Wipe down smooth surfaces, using a damp cloth that will pick up the microscopic particles. Try using Febreze Allergen Reducer. The manufacturer says this product reduces up to 75% of the allergens from cats, dogs and dust mites that become airborne from the fabrics in your home.

3. Make your bedroom off limits to the cat. The eight hours you're not inhaling the allergens helps you to tolerate more exposure to allergens during the day. Close the bedroom door during the day. Eliminate stuffed toys in the bedroom.

4. Use bed sheets of 100% cotton that are free of chemical fabric finishes, and buy non-allergenic pillows.

5. Don't smoke or allow smoking in your home.

6. Use a brand of litter with the least amount of dust, that is also free of perfume and deodorizers. Wear a mask when sifting the box or pouring the litter to avoid breathing in the dust.

7. Check your house for damp or dark areas that might conceal molds and mildews.

8. Use a vacuum with a high efficiency (HEPA) filter. Or try the Rainbow system, that traps the allergen particles in water, and has an especially strong suction to remove fur, cat allergens and dust mites from carpets and furniture. Call us for the name and phone number of a Rainbow sales representative. When you're vacuuming, use the hand tools to get in nooks and crannies.

9. Cover your mattresses and pillows with airtight casings to control dust mites.

10. Use Indoor Air Purification Units that use ionization to trap airborne particles.

11. Clean your air conditioners and humidifiers. Replace the filters often.

12. Consider immuno-therapy (allergy shots).

13. Wash all bedding (including the cat's bedding) in hot 140 degree water at least two times a month to get rid of dust mites and cat allergens. You may want to wear a mask when cleaning the cat's resting places.

14. Use a vapor steam cleaner that's proven to help kill off the cat allergens that's embedded in carpets and upholstery, and to kill dust mites, bacteria and mold spores.

15. Wash your hands after petting your cat and don't rub your eyes.

16. If it's your baby that's allergic, please refer to the special nursery section of www.allergybuyersclub.com. There you can find everything from bedding to quiet air purifiers to make your baby's bedroom more allergen free.

17. Consult with the folks at www.allergybuyersclub.com on their toll free advice hotline. It's 1-800-236-7231. They can steer you to the best rated products to control all the allergens in your home, not just cat allergens.

18. Wage a war on the dust mites in your home. They are the world's greatest cause of allergic reactions. They are microscopic creatures whose fecal matter causes allergic reactions in many people. Visit www.allerpet.com to learn how to control dust mites in your clothing and bedding with De-Mite Laundry Additive. You can also kill mites with freezing, so you might choose to put your baby's stuffed toys and other items in an ice chest overnight. In addition, you can kill mites by dry cleaning, by tumble drying in a very hot dryer, and by applying hot steam to your furnishings and carpets. It is important to kill dust mites in your bedding and undergarments because of their proximity to you and the air you breathe.

Here are the websites we studied to provide the information above: www.allergybuyersclub.com

www.cats.about.com/library/howto/htallergy.htm

www.allergies.about.com/cs/cats/

www.allerpet.com(Allerpet web site)

www.hdw-inc.com/allergies.htm

www.homemadesimple.com (Febreze web site)