Help I'm allergic to cats

If you're like me, you can't enter a room or a house of a cat owner without your eyes swelling or tearing up. Pet allergies are difficult to deal with especially when you love pets. Studies show that approximately 15 percent of the population is allergic to dogs or cats. An estimated 1/3 of Americans who are allergic to cats (Around 2 million people) own at least one cat in their household.

What is a Cat Allergy?

Cat allergies are a result of personal grooming. When a cat grooms it licks itself all over its body leaving saliva. The saliva dries on the fur leaving protein antigen. These allergens then become airborne and attach themselves to walls, rugs, cloths, furniture and so on. Cats also produce allergens through their saliva and urine.

Cat allergy symptoms include wheezing, sneezing, hives, and eyes swelling and sometimes watering. If you're allergic to cats and respond to any of these symptoms, you should consult an allergist for recommendations.

If you are allergic to cats and currently, don't own one but would like to, then consider these options.

- Purchase a HEPA air cleaning system. This will reduce the allergens that are air Bourne.

- Consider keeping your cat out of certain rooms in your house. The bedroom and bathrooms are usually most important.

- If your house air conditioning and heating is forced air, you want to change the filter regularly.

- Bath your pet weekly, this is so important. By bathing your cat regularly, you reduce the allergens significantly