Cats and Health

[tinkerbeltink]

There is a local stray that has been around for quite some time. She is sweet natured and likes attention. She recently became ill and I could not deal with watching her experience discomfort and further deterioration of her well being. I took her to the vet (Bless her heart. This was the first of her long life, probably, other than her being trapped and spayed.) It turned out that it was recommended she be an inside cat for the rest of her life because her health would compromise her safety. She will be good to go as long as she is inside. I was thrilled when someone I know offered to adopt the old gal and give her warmth and securtiy. She is someone who knew her from the community and had affection and interest in her. This person has a history of asthma and is very sensitive to scents. However, she has been to my home, on multiple visits, and my cats never cause issues for her. This is why she was willing to take her into her home.

This is my question:

Are there products, cat drugs, cat anything, prescription drugs for people, ANYTHING that helps to discourage any asthma issues with cats? I am asking on this site because I have gotten tips here, that worked, that I never saw in a professional article or from a vet. You all are "in the field" and know from experience.

 Kitty won the lottery with this adoption. She would be in a family that would make her a part of the family. The only issues would be this one and she would not be able to stay, if this woman ended up having asthmatic reactions. If this doesn't work, she would have to go to a rescue. My living arrangements only allows for two cats and no one I know will take her. In fact, that is how I ended up with one cat I have now. No one would take him and I couldn't bare to see him without a family.

 

[Willowy]

They would have to be careful about what kind of litter they use. I honestly think more people are allergic to litter than actual cat dander :/. Crystal litter is mostly inert and not too dusty, but of course it's not perfect because some people are sensitive to silica, and some of them are scented. She may have to experiment.

If she is allergic to the cat, frequent bathing can help. Also feeding the cat a high-quality diet (no food coloring especially!). Frequent vacuuming/mopping, covering the furniture with washable slipcovers, etc.

She would have to talk to her doctor about any meds for herself. Presumably she and her doctor have already worked out how to deal with allergies and sensitivities.

 

[kirathecat]

First, it must be determined what are the asthma triggers for the person. If it's allergic asthma than the cat's saliva, dander and sometimes urine are typical triggers (litter as a trigger was mentioned above by Willowy). 

I did extensive research when I though I might have developed allergy to newly adopted cat (I still could be a bit allergic but symptoms calmed down after few months with the kitty) but here's all that I remember:

To minimize allergic reaction to a cat a person intends to keep following steps could be taken:

- Bedroom becomes cat free zone;

- Religious house cleaning: vacuum with HEPA filter that completely seals off all the dust inside; dusting every day

- Changing clothes person wears every day

- High quality HEPA air purifier at least for the bedroom (could be implicated instead of cat free bedroom if provides sufficient relief for the allergy suffering person)

- Changing furnace filters frequently 

- Litter box clean up is done NOT by allergic person

- Allergy shots to desensitize to an allergen (these take long TIME to work, if at all) 

- Washing hands after interactions with a cat

- Cat should be brushed quite often, it helps keep their skin healthy, thus reducing dander production (better done outside)

- Hypoallergenic wipes to reduce the amount of allergens (not scientifically proven to do much but some people report improvement)

- Bathing the cat IS proven to reduce the amount of allergen he/she produces but only for a day or two (overbathing the cat will dry out their skin and cause more flaking/dander leading to the opposite result)

- Omega-3 in cats diet are known to improve skin and coat condition (discuss with the vet)

- High quality food (as was also mentioned by Willowy)

- Using Acepromazine at ULTRA LOW doses has been known to provide great relief for allergy sufferers by changing  chemical composition of cat's saliva (MUST be discussed with the vet) 

That last one seemed to be the most promising in terms that a lot of people report great results but I'm unsure about how safe it would be for the cat long term.