need help. can't take it anymore!!

Mine are really fussy about the type of brush or comb I use, despite being very used to being groomed (they are all brushed several times a week) if I use the wrong brush on the wrong cat, they get upset and nip

As far as cleaning, we usually do blankets and sheets at a laundry as they have commercial washers/dryers I find gets the cat hair out a bit better, but other than that we don't do anything special. I do use a lint roller on my pillow if they crawl under the blanket we leave over the pillows during the day

Sigh... I understand you loud and clear. First - it is the dander that is aggravating your asthma, not the hair per ce. Vaccuming is a good thing. Daily. Wipe down the cats with a rag dampened with distilled water. Daily.

Can you afford a HEPA filter system for your room? I would invest in one.

As for brush resistant cats -- I use a comb. Regular styling fine-toothed comb. They hate the slicker brushes - the ones with the tiny pins. Then I go over them with a brush-type brush. It took some time to get them to accept and I had to do several mini brushings during the day, when they were distracted - eating, sleeping or watching birds out the window. I called it drive-by brushing.

Keep them off your pillows if you can. cover with a towel or anything... so that the dander doesn't fall off where you lay your head.

That's all I can think of for now... I will post back if anything else occurs to me.

Have you ever seen a "rag rug" at a dollar store? They typically look like this

One guy on another internet board (that board's not about cats) said he & his spouse have 10 cats, so they use lots of these throughout the house. I assume because they're easier to clean (due to the small size) before going into the washing machine and therefore they come out cleaner after the wash cycle's done and before going into the dryer.

They can also look like this and this. My aunt uses them in her house but not because of cats. They are very floppy and soft but have a nice weight.

I thought "Hmm, what a cool idea." but never followed through trying it myself

I find that a large damp sponge grabs more hair than a lint brush does. I also use washable cover on my couches and chairs and wash them weekly.

Experiement with different types of grooming tools - shedding rakes, zoom grooms, furminators etc. If your cats are treat motivated - give a treat and do a couple of strokes, etc.

If your vacum is not picking up cat hair - maybe it needs a tune up or can you get a better machine?

I agree. If you have a power brush (spinning brush) at the mouth of the vacuum, you can use needlenose pliers to yank hair out. This will help both settings on the vac - "carpet mode" and "bare floor mode". Especially the latter.

I have 7 cats and 3 dogs. They all go outside to play but they come in very off and on all day and sleep inside. During cold and really hot weather they stay in more. I also have Asthma and was just diagnosed with COPD due to very early stage of Emphysema. I have an air purifier. For the hair I use a vaccum designed for households with pets. It works wonders on the pet hair issue. I also have leather furniture so the hair doesn't stick to it. at any given time of the day (or night) if you check my bed there is at least one cat sleeping on it. We do weekly washings of the bed clothes. I run a humidifier at night while I sleep. I open my windows to air out the house when it's not cold or too hot (once or twice a month). I don't seem to have any added problems from the animals unless their hair gets in my face. I also take singulair for my Asthma/Allergies (i was taking this before I got the animals). Maybe some of this will help.

just a thought, have you tried steam cleaning/shampooing your carpets and upholstry?

I know my vacuming never ends, we have god aweful (okay I love the orange color) ancient orange carpets, and the day after I vacum it looks like I haven't vacumed in months again I can never seem to get it "clean clean"

But, I would think, if you have dander built up in the carpeting/upholstry it may help you to have a good deep shampooing/steam cleaning, lift out some of the build up vacums always seem to miss you know?

My husband is also allergic to anything with fur, the day he tried to help me groom the dog he had to leave for 20 minutes after washing his face and hands to calm his allergies down, So I understand your dilemma, I just wish I could offer more help.

p.s. we use zyrtec for allergies, its the only thing that works for mine, and it helps his a lot too.

One thing I read before washing materials that have pet hair on them is to give the materials a quick run in the dryer with a damp dryer sheet and then wash them. The dryer sheet helps pick off hair and makes the wash cycle more effective.

And, it's always suggested that carpeting be replaced with hard surface floors - of course, they don't always provide the funding to do that right away! Oh, they say to replace curtains, etc., with hard surface shades, etc etc, but I bet you've already done everything you can in that direction.

If you have the misfortune of having any microfiber furniture, the best thing in my opinion is this Link These are used by companies as labels on shipping boxes. I know it's an odd method, but it works great. My only microfiber piece (a settee) needs this method (everything else = failure).

I just saw a commercial of something that might work! lol

Scotch Fur Fighter!
I never used, I think its pretty new.
But It looks like it works.
They have it for house upholstery and Car interior!

I noticed the Scotch Fur Fighter for sale at a hardware store. I think it's only for smooth surfaces. For example, not effective on a cableknit sweater - Just my guess.

Lori has a good point about fatty acids and shedding... Each cat is different : I had one who needed the above 4% but my current 5 need roughly 3% with a balanced 5 to 1 omega 6 to omega 3 ratio

I won't advise you on how to remove hair from furniture, clothes, etc., because I'm not very good at that, but I know a little about brushing. I agree with the other posters that trying different brushes might help. Another thing to try is to give him a treat after every grooming session; he will probably learn pretty quickly to associate the brushing with the treats.

Here's something I've been doing lately to remove cat hair from laundry before loading into the wash. Take an upright vac, turn it upside down, place it in a sturdy vertical holder (in this example --- a hamper) then vacuum your clothes. The idea is similar to a dishwasher where we are told to wash the dishes before loading them into the dishwasher. But, if it makes you feel any better, realize that cat hairs after laundry are now cleaned hairs


I don't brush my cats

I've been using the Furminator on my cats. It really gets rid of an amazing amount of hair and it must feel really good because they both like it. Not tolerate it - like it. Kind of pricey though.

Yes. Furminators are really good. I use one on my German Shepherd (they only moult once a year - all year).

Back to the OP.

I'm asthmatic too. I stopped using inhalers except for when I have a cold and get wheezy years ago. Tip of the week. Order your inhalers on-line. Here in the UK we pay around £8 ($15 - $16? not sure of the price of a prescription because it's so long since I had one). I order Ventolin Inhalers over the internet. Works out a lot cheaper - and they're delivered to my door.

If you want the name of the company (they do all kinds) please PM me. They export all over the world and they do have a list of customs restrictions for all the various countries.

I don't know what kind of flooring you use but if you are considering replacing your carpets, put down laminate (wooden) flooring. What aggravates asthma is the house dust mite - and they love carpets and soft furnishings.

Our house is carpeted throughout but we are about to swap rooms with my son (he had the bigger because he needed it for his dialysis machine and equipment - no longer needed since he had his kidney transplant) and the carpet in there was a cheap one - I didn't see the point in putting down an expensive carpet with a teenager and all his friends abusing it LOL and that now needs replacing so we are going to put down laminate flooring. Much easier to keep clean and doesn't harbour house dust mites

A good vacuum cleaner is a must. Don't know if you get them in America but consider a Dyson. I have the Dyson Ball, Pet version. It's really good. They are plasticy but are very, very good. This is the second one I've had. The first one lasted for years. Has all the tools attached too and you can buy a seperate collection of tools which include a soft brush which is great for doing the dusting and one with a flexible attachment which is good for getting into small spaces. Wouldn't be without mine. This one goes round corners and actually makes vacuuming rather fun

As for brushing the cats, have you considered one of those mitts which has rubber nodules on the palm? These are really good for cats/dogs who don't particularly like a brush. Cats just sit on your lap and think you're just stroking them. They're quite inexpensive too. You should be able to get them at PetSmart or any pet shop.

What about getting the kitties professionally groomed? Sometimes cats behave better for strangers than their owners. If a groomer is able to get most of the shedding hair out it will be easier for you to maintain it afterwords.

There's also products on the market that help reduce the dander that causes the allergies.

try the ZoomGroom brush. it's a hard but flexible rubber brush and all 9 of mine love it. it feels more like a massage. petsmart has them for about $8. and also if you put on rubber gloves, the ones you use for cleaning, and wipe with them over blankets, rugs etc it takes off a lot of cathair. i think it's because it creates static.

On my floors, I use micro fiber cloths. I lay them side by side on the floor and put my regular duster on top of them, then just move it around the floor. It picks hair up like a magnet.