Allergic family member and cat hair on bedding

[trevandbur]

Not sure if I put this in the right spot, feel free to move if need be

My boyfriend has mild to moderate allergies to the cats. We knew this prior to me moving in, when I only had Trevor, and actually moved Trevor in first so he could be sure he could live with a cat in the house. He was told if he ever had a cat, it couldn't be a long haired one, and of course, Trevor is long haired (Maine Coon mix, so he is quite hairy!). 

He seemed to manage alright, and then he decided that Trevor gets lonely while we're at work and said that if I could find a Maine Coon that didn't cost a fortune, we should get another cat, and a few days later I found Burlington at the animal shelter (meant to be!). He still does alright as long as I keep up with the vacuuming, and he usually doesn't mess with the cats at all after he's had a shower in the evening, so he doesn't have their fur and dander on him when he goes to bed. The bedroom door is kept closed and the cats are not allowed in there so they don't fur up the bedding.

But it seems like when I wash the sheets and blankets, they come out of the dryer with cat hair on them! I end up having to run the lint roller over everything when I'm making the bed, which is a hassle. I'm not quite sure how so much cat hair gets on them since I generally change into my pajamas right before bed so I'm not bringing hair into the bed, either. 

So does anyone have any ideas about the cat hair on the bedding? I use a dryer sheet but I doubt it really does much since it just gets balled up in the blanket somewhere. Also any other tips on dealing with the hair around the house would be appreciated. He has a lot of allergies, so he's always kinda stuffy and sniffly and says it's not just the cats, and that he's pretty much like this all the time, but I want to do whatever I can to help make living with the cats enjoyable for him. He does really like them, he plays with them, gives them treats, and even built them a really nice cat tree (like way nicer than the ones in the store, and bigger and sturdier). I think he's doing great for someone who's never really had cats in the house before.

 

[di and bob]

Are you cleaning your lint trap out every time? It also could be coming from your washer ( although I doubt it) Are you putting the bedding on the floor at any time, ( or a hamper) or are they coming straight from the bed? There HAS to be somewhere where they are coming in contact  with the hair. Although the dryer usually does a pretty good job of removing it. Even holding it up against you after you played with the cats could transfer some, good luck! PS I think your boyfriend is doing very well! My husband was not a cat lover either, but he sure is now, I love to hear him explaining something to the cats and saying 'daddy" to them! Also has he tried Benadryl at night or some other form of allergy medicine? Benadryl really helps you sleep too!

 

[trevandbur]

Yeah I clean the lint trap every time. I put the blankets on the floor as I'm taking them off the bed, but the cats aren't allowed in the bedroom at all so there shouldn't be any significant amount of cat hair on the floor. The closest they get is up at the top of the stairs, where Trevor waits when he hears the alarm go off in the morning. I just washed everything this afternoon and there were little wads of cat hair and stuff on everything. 

He takes Claritin for his allergies, he'll always have some degree of symptoms just due to how severe his allergies are, but I just want to make sure I do what I can to help him so he doesn't have any extra problems from the cats.

He's started calling himself daddy to the cats too. It's so cute 

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• trevandbur
• Oct 25, 2013

 

[pinkman]

Does he take any medication for the allergy symptoms? I currently take Flonase (nasal spray), Singulair, and Zyrtec. I also have a rescue inhaler in case I start wheezing.

I vacuum the floors and bed pretty much everyday, and run the air purifier in the bedroom at all times. The vacuum I have is a Shark vacuum - got it from Target pretty cheap, and it has a HEPA filter. I used to lint roll the bedding... but now I just vacuum. Not only that'll suck up the hair, it'll suck up the dander.

 

[tammyp]

Maybe the hair is coming from the washing machine?  The only reason I say this is because once when we had a bed washed at the vet's (we took it in for our cat overnight and he peed in it, so the vet washed it), and once when we used a washing machine at a 'pet friendly' rental, our stuff came out covered with other pet hair.  Easy to tell, as our cat is grey with very fine hair.  The hair on our stuff was course white hair, completely everywhere, and very hard to remove!  

So if you wash anything in the machine which has pet hair on it, it seems that it accumulates in the machine.  Not sure how you'd clean the machine though, as hairs can be pretty pokey and get into all sorts of areas - not to mention if the machine has a build up of sludge, it will clog up in that sticky mass.  I'd probably try using a washing machine cleaner - it's a descaler, and you generally run it through on a hot long cycle (no clothes of course!), then run a second cycle after - but follow the directions.  I'd also clean by hand any of the places you can get to in/on the machine.

As to general keeping the hair thing down, regular full grooming, intermittent wipe downs with a slightly damp cloth/paper towel (I've even seen people roll a lint roller over their cats!), some people get their cats used to bathing (we do it once a month), and as you said, keeping up with the vaccuuming!

Kudos to your BF, he sounds like he's becoming an excellent cat daddy!

 

[pennywise]

@TrevAndBur    I have the same problem, and I am equally perplexed!  Our two cats are not allowed in the bedroom (and hence the closets), yet whenever I wash my clothes, they come out of the dryer with cat hair scattered all over them.  I wear black scrubs for work, they come off as soon as I come home from work, and they get washed separately, yet still - cat hair!  I can't even imagine where it comes from!

My husband also has allergies.  When we first moved in together, his first month was pretty rough, lots of wheezing  and crusty eyes.  He used to take Benadryl at night and either Claritin or Zyrtec during the day.  As time has passed, his allergies have quieted down.  Now he only wheezes occasionally (once a month maybe?).  Is it possible he's become sort of immune to the allergens?  I don't know.

It sounds like you're doing a great job trying to keep the cat hair down.  I'm sure your boyfriend appreciates it!  And It sounds like he really loves your cats.  

 

[trevandbur]

Yeah boyfriend takes Claritin. He had allergies so bad as a kid that his parents had him tested to see what he was allergic to and the result was pretty much "everything." As he's gotten older, it's not as bad as it was, but he still ends up having to take Claritin once or twice a week even if there's not a lot of pollen and stuff going around at the moment. I was really afraid at the beginning that Trevor would just make him too sick and that we might not be able to stay together (because I'm not ditching my cat for any other person), but then when he suggested we get another cat, that happened to also be long haired (he specified that if we got another cat, he wanted it to be a Maine Coon, since Trevor is part), I knew that his symptoms really are far more than what is brought on by the cats.