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Cat Forum / General Topics / July 2005Advice - Cats and allergies
Hello everyone, I am new to the world of cats as pets as you will soon see. I am currently giving serious thought to the idea of owning a cat. Since I don't have much experience with cats - and don't really know anyone who owns one - I am turning to this news group for advice. First problem is that my girlfriend is allergic to animals such as dogs and cats. She currently has a Maltese which doesn't have the dandruff that causes her allergies. Is there a breed of cat that, just as the Maltese, doesn't affect people with allergies? NOTE: My girlfriend doesn't live with me but does visit my house often. Second problem is that my mom has a new pair of leather sofas. I advice on how to keep a cat from tearing up my moms sofas. Thank you for any advice. > Hello everyone, > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > Thank you for any advice. Something like 1/3 people that own cats are allergic. It's a good idea to find out *how* allergic she is before subjecting her to cats. If she is seriously allergic, it could lead to asthma or similar problems. The best way to train a cat on scratchers is catnip. Not all cats respond to catnip, and those not until 1-2 years (usually). If this is your big concern, maybe bring some catnip cat-hunting? If a cat at least shows a noticable interest then you should be good. I use cardboard scratchers, and Pet Food Express sells a scratch-training thing (sort of a sloped scratcher with a hanging toy underneath). It's a good way for cats to teach themselves. And keep your cat out of that room untill it shows that it knows where to scratch. Well long standing posters recall that when I rescued my Pearl from the coyotes I was very allergic to cats.This produced a terrible problem for me because the coyotes are so numerous where I live Pearl has to be a permanent indoors cat.I lived on allergy pills for months but I guess love conquers all because gradually my allergies got better. Now I don't use the pills and can do most things with my Pearl that most cat lovers do except get her right up by my face.I do still have to wash my hands right after handling her and I never let her in my bedroom.I have two antique settees in my livingroom that she immediately decided to claw--someone here told me about "soft paws" which are sold at pet stores.You glue them on[various colors]and they protect your furniture.Personally I beat the hell out of her with a newspaper and she stopped doing it. If I catch her scratching other stuff she shouldn't I make a"shuuushing" sound and she stops.She understands everything I say now. DEW www.SoftPaws.com If you use Google Groups then an ad for this automatically shows up on threads like this. It was a member of this group that was kind enough to tell me about "Soft Paws". So what's your point? > Hello everyone, > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > Second problem is that my mom has a new pair of leather sofas. I advice > on how to keep a cat from tearing up my moms sofas. You need to train the cat to keep her claws away from the furniture. I can't give you specific tips, but I am sure others in this newsgroup can. As far as getting a cat that your girlfriend can tolerate, you already have the answer to that question. It seems obvious, at least to me, that if your girlfriend doesn't react badly to her Maltese, then get a Maltese for yourself. Trouble is, Maltese cats tend to be expensive. I didn't know there were Maltese cats... Ill look into it. I did hear about breeding of non-allergenic cats, but they cost $800 each and come pre-spayed or neutered so they cannot be bred. Hairless cats are less allergenic. Short-haired cats are less allergenic than others. I wouldn't advise getting a cat if your girl-friend is allergic and can't take it since the cat would probably wind up in a shelter and possibly end up euthanised. When my hubby's family comes over (2 are allergic to my 3 cats) we vacuum a lot, and keep the windows open. They can usually take it for a couple hours that way, but I have a long-haired cat too. To keep a cat from scratching up the furniture, buy or build a scratching post (a two-by-four and a piece of remnant carpet). > Hello everyone, > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > Thank you for any advice. > I did hear about breeding of non-allergenic cats, but they cost $800 each > and come pre-spayed or neutered so they cannot be bred. Hairless cats are [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > > > Thank you for any advice. Woo... Thats alot of money for a cat.. You could also try the Devon Rex breed, they are potentially a suitably cat. Not all people with allergies to cats can expect the Devon Rex to be a solution but it is worth a try. Their hair is more like a sheeps wool than a regular cats fur coat so they don't lose so much hair and spread the dandra that people are allergic to. ...of course you should probably visit a breeder and see what sort of reaction your girlfriend has before getting one. Troy. > > I did hear about breeding of non-allergenic cats, but they cost $800 each > > and come pre-spayed or neutered so they cannot be bred. Hairless cats are [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > > Woo... Thats alot of money for a cat.. |
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