Advice needed - Nephew has severe allergies to my cats!

Hello everyone,

My husband and I have two cats - both mixed breeds that we got from the humane society/one was a stray. Both are fixed. I groom both weekly, clean the house weekly. 

We have a carpet in our basement only. 

My nephew was over this past summer and he had an allergic reaction in the basement to our cats. His eyes were extremely red and on the drive home to my brother's house his eye swelled shut. They had to go to the hospital as they didn't know what caused the reaction (he is allergic to all nuts as well). They gave him three doses of Benadryl and it went away. 

My brother and sister in law no longer come over to our house at all due to the cats. This didn't bother me so much but now that Christmas is coming it is really starting to affect me. They are from out of town and come to see us 5 - 8 times a year maximum. My sister in law is very over protective, so if she came over with my nephew and he had a reaction again, she would probably never come over unless we got rid of the cats entirely (which I do not want to do).

Here is my plan (I know it is crazy but I hope that this will work)

-Remove the carpet from the basement and install laminate flooring

-Purchase two HEPA purifiers that will purify the air upstairs and downstairs - looking currently at the Alen BreatheSmart air purifier 

-Sweep before they come over and dust very well

-Keep the cats isolated to our sunroom which is heated by a gas insert (no duct work connected to the house)

The cats really like the sunroom already. I have a cat tree in there and scratching post, and they go in there most of the day. I am thinking to also add a catio for summer time use only so that they can have some "outside time". 

I feel though that it is cruel to keep them cooped up in the sunroom. It is about 150-200 sq feet and I had tested it out with all their toys and litter boxes, food and water and everything fits with room for them to run around. I don't believe in letting them go outside due to all the dangers outside (we have lots of other cats around and dogs and a ravine behind our house with wild animals that is not maintained by the city). I want to keep them in here during the day, but at night time I would like them to come in the house and spend some time with us and also get some exercise. 

If anyone can give me any extra advice that I can use to improve my plan - please let me know!! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! 

Thanks!

Sounds like a good plan. I know the sunroom isn't ideal but if you are talking just short term while family is over the cats will be fine. You probably want to move them in 24-48 hours before family arrives and open the windows to pull out any fuzz in the air. Don't forget to clean any furniture your nephew would sit on and they can retain the allergens (couch, chairs, etc). 

I am allergic to cats and other animals. When I visit friends I don't expect them to do anything for my allergies and just ask if I can sit near an open window on hard furniture. I stay as long as my allergies allow and leave when I have to. Growing up, my aunt who is allergic would get a hotel during holidays and we'd meet at local restaurants for meals or open presents at her hotel. I hope your bother appreciates the lengths you are going too. 

If your brother is willing, see if your nephew can take an over the counter allergy pill for the week leading up to the visit so it is in his system and have some Benadryl on hand at your home (if they are spending the night I would take one before bed regardless of symptoms just to be safe). If he is asthmatic, there is also an oil from doTerra called Breath (make sure you get it from the company or rep NOT Amazon, I tried to save money that way and it is a rip off). I carry a bottle of Breath and sniff it when I notice the start of symptoms, it really does help sometimes enough to not need my inhaler. You could put it in a diffuser at your home to help with symptoms or keep it nearby and put a few drops on a cotton pad to inhale when problems start.  

I agree with Kieka that opening the windows to let fresh air in is a really good idea. Also, do not clean the day they arrive. Give everything a little time to settle again so it isn't airborne still.

This article may give you a few other idea -

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/living-with-cat-allergy

Good Luck!

Keep some childrens' Claritin around for if he starts to have mild symptoms to try to keep them from becoming severe, and some childrens' Benedryl for in case the symptoms do progress. There are some anti-allergen sprays for furniture, you can give those a try too.