17 Ways To Reduce Cat Allergens at Home

About 10% of the US population suffers from different allergies, and reactions from cats are two times more common than those from dogs. If allergies aren’t enough to stop you from owning a feline friend, these 17 tips will at least help you reduce allergic reactions.

Bathe Your Cat

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Probably the most effective method of reducing cat allergens is to give your cat regular baths. Vets at Ohio State University say weekly baths for your cats can reduce allergens by up to 84%. Make sure you use shampoos that are safe for your cats and designed for allergens, too.

Groom Your Cat

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Quicker but not as effective as bathing, cleaning your cat regularly with a damp cloth or anti-allergen wipes will reduce dander in its fur. This will prove handy as, since daily baths are not encouraged, daily wipes can help manage allergens until it’s weekly bath time.

Take Grooming Outdoors

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Now, it’s not enough that you just wipe off your cat and call it a day. When you clean them indoors, you’re only dispersing dander on them onto other surfaces like your couches and floor. Grooming them outdoors means you keep them away from soft furnishings known to retain dander.

Feed Your Cat Pro Plan LiveCare

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Also called Purina LiveCare, this diet is the first and only food known to reduce cat allergens. According to Purina, it will help reduce allergens in cat saliva and dander by up to 47%, with effects starting around the third week of feeding. You have to feed this to your cat every day.

Neuter Your Cat

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Neutering is the veterinary term for castration, where you remove your cat’s ability to reproduce. Studies have shown that both male and female cats produce significantly lower amounts of allergens when they have been neutered. Don’t worry; your cat will fully recover after five to seven days.

Increase Ventilation

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High ventilation helps in a lot of ways. Opening doors and windows down increases the airflow in your home, reducing the concentration of allergens in a room by allowing them to flow out freely. You also have fresh air to make you feel more comfortable during reactions.

Use HEPA Purifiers

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“High-efficiency particulate air” filters are said by the US EPA to remove 99.97% of dust, pollen, and other airborne particles. HEPA purifiers are passive and very effective tools against your cat’s airborne allergens like hair, but they won’t help with other allergens like cat saliva and urine.

Clean Your Home Regularly

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A thorough cleaning will remove most of the allergens in your home. To keep yourself from coughing and sneezing while cleaning (which can be uncomfortable), it’s better to tell or hire someone without allergens to do the cleaning. You especially want to be regular with it if the cat stays with you.

Use HEPA Vacuums

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When vacuuming surfaces like floors, couches, and tables, it’s best to use equipment with HEPA filters. Like purifiers with HEPA filters, HEPA vacuums work well at keeping almost 100% of allergens contained. You’ll also want to replace filters regularly to keep them effective.

Restrict Cats From Sensitive Rooms

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Cat allergens are higher in rooms where cats are present. The living room can be a general go-to area for you and your feline friend. But when it comes to sensitive rooms like your bedroom or kitchen, it’s best to restrict your cat’s access to them.

Take Out The Carpets

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One of the top preventative measures against allergens is to ensure you don’t have carpet in your home. Carpets withhold 13 times more allergens than your bare floor covered in tiles or wood. If you have one already, move it out permanently to see permanent improvements.

Prevent Your Cat From Licking You

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Saliva on your face, hands, and clothes are the closest you’ll get to allergens, and they’ll also make your reaction even worse. It’s best to avoid scenarios where your cat has to lick you, like leaving food on your skin and clothes, for example.

Was Clothes at High-Temperature

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Per CBS, “hotter is better when it comes to killing dust mites and other allergens in your laundry.” When you’re washing up your clothes and bedding, don’t just use allergen-dedicated detergent; go the extra step with warm or hot water to remove more allergens from them.

Use Antihistamines

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Antihistamines are considered by Healthline to also be effective at treating cat allergies. You take them either orally (Benadryl, Claritin, and Zyrtec) or through nasal sprays (Flonase and Nasonex), and they will reduce symptoms like nasal congestion, sneezing, itching, and coughing.

Change the Litter Box Regularly

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Allergens don’t just exist in your cat’s hair or saliva but also in its urine and feces. Make sure you have the litter box cleaned up regularly (preferably by someone else),  and also use litter products that are less dusty and prone to being airborne. Lastly, you can keep litter boxes outside to reduce your contact with them.

Keep Cats Outside

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One of the more drastic ways to manage cat allergens is to not allow cats in the house. Of course, you want to make sure that your cat is safe outside and won’t also constitute a nuisance to neighbors. Build a cat shed if you’re going to go this way to keep your cat very comfortable.

Avoid Owning a Lot of Cats

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If you are allergic to cats, one of the best things to do for yourself is to avoid owning too many. When there are too many cats, allergens are expected to increase drastically, and it will be more difficult to filter the air and clean around. How many cats do have time to bathe weekly?

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