Dear Sinéad and Siouxsie:
My boyfriend and I will soon be living together and he is allergic to cats. I have a sweet black kitty and it would break my heart to have to give her up. He's agreed to live with us as long as his allergies don't bother him too badly. I was wondering if there were any miracle products that could lessen her powerful feline ability to make him sneeze. He's already on allergy medication and allergy shots are just not an option. Any tips?

Thank you!
Kristin

Sinéad: Well, Kristin, I don't know if there's any magical remedy that will cause your cat to be less of an allergy factor. But there are some things you can do to keep the general environment less allergenic.

Siouxsie: Since your boyfriend is on allergy medication, we figure he's probably got pretty severe allergies in general. You can help make your place easier for him to live in by eliminating as many other allergy factors as you can.

Sinéad: First of all, cleanliness is going to be very important. Invest in a good vacuum cleaner with at least one replaceable or cleanable air filter. A HEPA filter will be best for keeping allergens out of the air. Mama got a good bagless vacuum at her local Sears store; it has two air filters and does a very good job of getting dust and fur out of rugs, bedding and the like. That will keep dust and cat dander from going back into your environment.

Siouxsie: A good vacuum will also pick up more dust, fur, and other stuff than a cheap one will. We cats are famous for hating the vacuum cleaner, but we do like the results of a good vacuuming job.

Sinéad: You'll want to dust regularly, too. But don't dry-dust because that will just get the dust back in the air again. You don't need to invest in expensive gadgets; a damp paper towel will do the job just fine.

Siouxsie: Remember to launder all your bedding, pillow cases and furniture covers regularly. We suggest you do this before your boyfriend moves in, too--especially with your bedding. Don't forget to wash your blankets, quilts and duvet covers, too.

Sinéad: Speaking of laundering, we suggest that you start using an unscented laundry detergent. The chemical scents used in most laundry detergents, fabric softeners and dryer sheets can aggravate allergies.

Siouxsie: If you use those chemical air freshener things that plug in or "air freshening" scented candles, get rid of those too, for the same reason you should start using unscented laundry detergent.

Sinéad: You'll want to get at least one high-quality air purifier, preferably with a HEPA filter. If you can only afford one, put it in the bedroom, since a good night's sleep is so important to everyone's health. Leave it on whenever you're not in the room, and if it has a "quiet" mode, you might consider leaving it on while you're sleeping, too. Follow the instructions for use and change or clean the filters regularly.

Siouxsie: It should go without saying that if you smoke cigarettes and you're not ready to quit, at least confine your smoking to outdoors.

Sinéad: We hate to say this, but if your boyfriend's allergies are particularly severe, you may need to keep your cat out of the bedroom. We'd hate to be kicked out of Mama's bed, but we suppose we'd find a way to cope if we had to.

Siouxsie: There are a number of theories on what makes people allergic to cats. Some folks say it's the cat's dander, and some folks say it's our saliva (which, of course, is all over us because we're so clean and fastidious and we groom with our tongues).

Sinéad: If your cat has a lot of dander, you might consider supplementing her food with a teaspoon of nutritional yeast; the B vitamins it contains are very good for the skin and can minimize dander problems.

Siouxsie: Nutritional yeast tastes good, too, so we don't mind eating it.

Sinéad: You could talk to your veterinarian and see if he or she knows of anything else you can do to help your cat's skin stay in top condition.

Siouxsie: Wash your hands after you pet your cat. This will keep you from transferring allergens from your cat to your boyfriend when you go to pet him. Your boyfriend can also wash his hands after handling the cat, and this will help him keep his reactions to a minimum.

Sinéad: Another thing to consider is that allergies are generally a sign of a body out of balance. Allergies are an overreaction by the immune system to common things in our environment. With that in mind, if your boyfriend is interested in eating more wholesome foods (less processed stuff and fast food), he might find that his allergies abate. Alternative health practitioners such as homeopaths or acupuncturists might be able to help him deal with his allergies by restoring his body to balance.

Siouxsie: Whatever you do, remember that "getting rid of the cat" is not a good option. When you adopted your cat, you made a commitment to her, and we suggest you try everything possible before you consider giving up the cat for adoption.

Sinéad: We've met a lot of humans who regretted getting rid of a cat because a boyfriend didn't like the cat or was allergic.

Siouxsie: If this guy really is the love of your life, hopefully he'll be willing to work with you to keep your house clean and allergen-free, and keep the cat in your life, too. Good luck, Kristin; we wish all three of you the best.

Got a question? Need some advice? E-mail Sinéad and Siouxsie at advice@paws-and-effect.com. None of the advice in this column is meant to be a substitute for regular veterinary care.