Prepping House for Friend with Cat Allergy

As others have noted, if your friend is that allergic, it really doesn't make sense that she would even consider staying in a home that has a cat. So, I would also suggest a hotel or perhaps a neighbor with a spare room and then perhaps you can visit outside (if the weather stays nice). Honestly, do you really want to take the risk that you might be calling 911? The allergy medicines just can't cover a situation like this when the allergy is severe and again, I can't fathom that someone that is severely allergic would potentially subject themselves to such a reaction.

Just as an example, we do not let our cats in the bedrooms. My son had a sleepover and of course, I always ask ahead of time if kids are allergic. We had one boy who said, no he wasn't allergic, but his dad was. By the time, he left our house the next day, he was sneezing and eyes were swollen and all that kid did was sit in an upholstered chair for about 15 minutes - other than that the kids were outside or in my son's room.

So, even if you try to clean, it's just not possible to get everything out of upholstered furniture or ANY permeable item - drapes, books, all your family's clothing, linens in the bathroom, etc.

If she is extremely allergic to cats like I am (asthma, wheezing, throat closes up) then she should stay some where else (she should also know better). She is most likely allergic to the dander and the protein in cat dander can remain active for up to 3-4 years after the cat has left the premises (per my allergist). Chemicals just mask the smell. There is a product on the market that is a spray that neutralizes the protein in the dander (I know they sell it an allergy store in North Arlington, south euless) but unless you want to buy gallons upon gallons to spray your ENTIRE house every day (walls, ceilings, flooring, furniture, etc) then the healthiest thing would be for your friend to stay elsewhere. Sorry, not what you want to hear, but for the safety of your friend, that is the best choise (take from someone who has encountered this before).

You could spare both of your sensitivies, her cat and your cleaning supplies, and get a hotel either downtown or somewhere else like maybe the Gaylord and make a really fun visit out of it.

Unfortunately, simply removing the cat and doing the cleaning you mentioned probably won't help her much if her allergies are that severe. The cat hair gets into the furniture so if your cat sits on the couch and then your friend sits there, it will surely bother her. For that problem, I would suggest a freshly washed blanket/sheet so she can sit on that instead of directly on the couch. Even with my Allegra D, houses that have cats which have full rein of their homes bother me to where I am miserable after just a couple hours. That being said, my mom has a cat, but it only goes to certain areas of the house so its fur isn't all over the place. With my allergy medicine I am okay there over a long weekend. I think it's very thoughtful of you to be thinking of ways to make her stay more comfortable. Best of luck!

It may be possible if you know what room she'll stay in to get it cleaned, and make sure to keep the cat out of it. It would help if it's an outside cat too.

However, I can stay about 2-4 hours with friends who have a cat who live in a very clean house (weekly professional housecleaning) and with wood floors before eyes and nose start itching, then swell up, etc. I'd say stock some Zyrtec for her, or find a near-by hotel!

Book a hotel. Lots of good deals right now.

It's not possible to de-cat the house. You and your friend could do a sleepover at the hotel, 2 queen beds to a room and leave the baby with hubby and stay up all night chatting like your teens.

I don't think you can be successful without removing the cat about a week ahead of time and not having the cat there during the visit. You have all the things down, except you might try changing your air conditioner/heater filter every two days the week before the visit and vacuum every day to stir up the hair to be collected by the filter. Don't forget that cat hair sticks to furniture, so beat your couch cushions and pillows to remove the hair.

Good luck and buy a lot of benadryl for your friend!

D. Kimbriel
Grandma to 2 beautiful boys

Even sending the cat away doesn't help much because it's all over your house! I've had inside cats with allergies and finally had to do everything you did plus clean the carpets, the walls, everything! It was an insane process...

They say the kitty liter will stay in a home for 2 yrs so not much in getting rid of that. It is the pet dander that affects us. I wheeze and my eyes tear.
Chemicals also can effect us. Not sure what else you can do to minimize the smells. Maybe a air filter? G. W

I recently developed a cat allergy at the age of 37, even after living with cats as a child. Something that helps me, when I visit my mother's very catty house, is to change the air filters in the a/c unit and use the 1200 grade extra-intense filters. Also, make sure that the cat boxes are away from air intake sites for that system, if you have central air and heat. YOu're a considerate friend :)