apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'm allergic to my cat. I try to keep her outdoors in our yard as much as possible.

I can't imagine living without my two little furballs. They bring me so much merriment and are a constant source of love and amusement. I rely on Zyrtec and constant vacuuming with the Dyson Animal to keep my allergies to a minimum. I also try to wash my hands before rubbing my eyes or my face.

Yes, I'm allergic to dogs and live with one! However, she is a schnauzer, which are relatively low on the allergy-attack-inducing scale. We have hardwood floors and I'm on allergy meds (I'd need to be anyway)

I have a 2 year old who has food allergies, environmental allergies and dog allergies. We have a dog. We keep everything clean and dust free. No stuffed animals in bed and the few that he does have get washed regularly. We try to keep the dog out of his sleeping area. It's tough because they love each other and want to play - but if our dog licks our son, then he gets hives. We live with Benadryl, Zyrtec and lots of hand/toy/house washing. So far we're all doing just fine. And Hudson and Gunny are BFF's.

I recently moved into my allergy-ridden partner's loft... with my dog. Luckily, it's one of those industrial type things, which means cement floors. On the downside, it's one of those industrial things which means ... crazy nooks & crannies.

My dog isn't overly hairy, but ... well, is dog. She sheds. He loves her, thank goodness, but every time he sniffles, I'm wracked with guilt. But I just couldn't keep up with the hair...

Best thing I bought? A roomba. Best $400 I've ever spent. I set the roomba to run once a day, and the whole place gets vacuumed without any intervention from me. His allergies are infinitely better, I'm not fed up with the constant stream of hair everywhere, and best of all... hey, it's a robot. It's like a whole new pet. :)

As long as I can remember, we've always had multiple cats and dogs in our house and I've always been the only allergic one living here. Right now we have three cats, one of which, being a boy cat, has extra dander to share. All our animals are indoor animals and we never let them out unless we are with them. I also have asthma, so allergies that aren't quite under control can trigger an attack, but I could never ever get rid of my gatos! My aunt has it worse than me and she works in an animal hospital and owns dozens of cats, dogs, and birds. We're always asking how she manages her allergies and she usually has some good tips to share. We still have carpet in our house, and once we get the funds, those carpets are history! My room has always been an animal free room and recently we purchased a air cleaner with a HEPA filter in it and it has seemed to help cut odors along with allergies, plus it circulates the air pretty well. We take the cats outside to brush them so we don't end up with hair all over the house, but being in Chicago-land, we can't always do this. It really helps though. Washing hands and face after petting or brushing helps immensely.

I have allergies and cats. I grew up with cats and sneezed constantly until I went to college and figured out what the problem was!

What I do:
I keep my pillow where they can't get on it-- I put it in the closet with the door shut when I'm at work.

I wash my hands after petting them.

Once a week, I de-fuzz the couch with the Rubba Scrubba from flylady.net.

I make my husband brush them while I'm at work.

Keep a HEPA filter running when I'm at home (also seems to help with litterbox odor).

Sweep and wash sheets regularly.

My allergies are of the sneezing-and-wheezing variety, so I don't have to worry about really putting myself in danger. I very rarely have to use medication to control symptoms. Let one of my 2 toms flop in my face, though, and I run for the Benadryl!

i'm horribly allergic to animals and horribly in love with having pets. i have a cat and a dog, both of whom i'm technically allergic to.

i say technically because its pretty rare that my allergies flare up. i keep all my animals clean - the dog gets bathed regularly, and the cat does too on occasion, but i generally wipe him down with a damp cloth. this helps eliminate a lot of the allergens from their dander.

i have a roomba which is like a gift from heaven - it cleans the floors without using constant energy like a traditional vacuum and picks up all the pet hair off my hardwood floors.

instead of using a duster, i wipe down all the surfaces in my house with a damp cloth - it works wonders at keeping the allergens at bay.

it's a fair amount of work to consistently keep my little fur balls and my apartment clean, but well worth the effort to keep them and stay medication free.

I have cat allergies (among others) and a wonderful cat! I was doing the daily Claritin, nasal spray, and yearly sinus infections until I started allergy shots. It's been 2 years of the shots so far, but my allergies are muuuuuch better, and it makes it much nicer to snuggle kitty. Soon I will not have symptoms at all.

My boyfriend is still allergic to her though, so I just sweep and vacuum tons, wash the bed linens often, and the Furminator brush has been a lifesaver.

dust dust mites kitty cats = :*( (thats a red nose from excessive blowing)

We've got two very furry, longhaired, indoor, spoiled cats that will not be leaving any time soon. One of them (not both, thank god) spends the night with my on a specially designated "cat pillow" at the head of the bed, with my "hooman pillow" set below it. Brushing them frequently is a necessity... I dont do it as often as I should, about 4x weekly. Ditto the furminator-type brushes--they take off ridiculous amounts of hair.

I had an air filter, but it actually seemed to make my allergies worse. I think maybe it was drying the air out too much. We do a pretty thorough cleaning of the whole house every weekend, dusting, window washing, vacuuming carpeted (bedrooms) and non-carpeted (everything else) areas, occasionally mopping, vacuuming the couch sometimes occurs twice/weekly. We also got a shark (rechargable stand-up sweeper vacuum) that my husband uses every day to catch fur tumbleweeds and stray bits of kitty litter.

I find that my home-related allergies are only noticible on the weekends. My lifesaver, as another poster mentioned, has been Zyrtec. None of the other brands/formulas/etc. have helped. I take one Friday night, Saturday and Sunday and I'm good to go.

I have to second the earlier post about allergy shots-for those who are skeptical, they really are a huge help. Also keeping carpet/rugs and upholstery to a minimum helps too; for us, however, the shots have made the most noticeable difference. Personally, I'm just sorry I waited so long to start the treatments and wasted so much time and money on different medications. Going to an allergist is a good idea as well, since if you are allergic to dogs and/or cats, there are probably other things that trigger allergic reactions for you too.

I have mild cat allergy. I've been getting allergy shots and the my allergy has improved markedly. My cat loves to be brushed, but that didn't make any difference with my allergies.

The issue of my friends who cannot come over because their cat allergies are much more severe is a much sadder topic, however.