training

About 5 months ago i adopted 2 stray cats. Since then we have discovered that my boyfriend is allergic to dustmites which are on the cats' fur. Up until now they have always slept on the sofa and now I want to try and get them to sleep in a cat bed. I have tried putting them in it at night but they just jump straight out and in the morning I always find them on the sofa. Is it possible to break this habit?

Go buy a cheap beach towel or other throw. Cover one side with double sided tape. Then each time you are not using the couch, drape the towel (sticky side up) over the couch. Cats hate sticky stuff and will avoid the couch whenever it is covered with the tape!

You can also ask your boyfriend if he would be willing to take allergy medicine. You can groom your cats everyday and at the end of the session take a clean bounce dryer sheet and lightly rub kitty with it. For some reason, it picks up a lot of dander!

I never heard of dust mites being on cats. I know cats have dander, but I thought dustmites only live in furniture, the bedding, the carpet, the draperies. If your boyfriend is allergic to dust mites, the problem is not with the cats.

There are tons of products to help kill and control dust mite populations. We all have them, but unfortunately some people are allergic.

Your boyfriend should be tested to find out what he is allergic to, or has he?

Search the web for remedies for dust mites. I search the web for everything. I don't know how I lived without the web!!

Keep us posted and good luck.

hi all, have tried the sellotape trick and it seems to be working. Also very good on amusement factor as watch cats bounce from one sticky bit to the next complaining all the time

also bought some anti dustmite stuff. There are always dustmites on cats because they pick them up from the dust that is on the floor. I try to keep the house as clean as possible but it is not always easy with 2 black furry creatures around! Thanks everyone for the advice.

oskar, Patsy is on the right track. Sure, cats have a certain amount of dust in their coats at anytime, but take it from someone who is allergic to both dust and cats - the dust in the cats' coats is minimal. The furniture, carpeting, rugs, vents, draperies, closets, etc. have millions more dustmites than the cats. It is absolutely impossible to get rid of even most of the dust mites in your environment. Those of us that are allergic to dustmites really have no choice but to go through desensitization therapy or drug therapy.