most people with pet allergies are reacting to the dander in the animal’s coat. unfortunately, cats tend to be high on the dander-meter, compared to other animals such as horses, cows or dogs.
i believe i’ve heard that the dander is basically formed (in good part) from the cat’s saliva.
so, IN THEORY, teaching kitty to accept being bathed could help cut down on the allergin triggers.
however, if the “no declaw” chorus has swayed your thinking on that issue, may i say that i would not be a volunteer in helping you teach kitty the joys of the bathtub. :dubious:
(i had an episode or two of that with my own Siamese, many many years agone. she was declawed, so i and any other participants did survive the experience. however, let us say that she did find a certain … payback methodology that pretty much gave a graphic depiction of her feelings on the whole undertaking.) :eek:
p.s. re The Kitty Pan …
Oh
My
Ever-
Lovin’
GAWD
!!!
i am truly impressed with the inventiveness of people when it comes to separating pet owners from their money.
I’ll second (third?) the idea of getting the kitten used to being bathed. Some cats actually tolerate it pretty well, and it will help with your allergies a lot.
Oh, and you know after two or three nights of putting the kitten in the basement at bedtime, you won’t be able to find the kitten to put it in the basement at bedtime, don’t you?
My very dear Phlosphr, please do not tell me I have heaped such high praise and respect on a CAT HATER!!
One thing to remember, dear man: Cats are 1 person people. Usually, they choose cat haters as that one person. As my tabby did with my husband. Also: leaving kitty out to play with puppy is HIGHLY risky. The dog may confuse kitty with a chew toy. Thus ensuring Mrs. Phlosphr’s ensuing tears and rage. Cats are such independent creatures that eventually, she will decide that she prefers to prowl, as opposed to sleeping with boring humans.
You will go to find the cute adorable little kitty but he or she will scamper about and hide amongst small little nooks and crannies. You will be amazed at what little amount of space a kitty needs in which to hide . . . . .
And then pounce . . .
And probably bat with those ultra sharp kitten claws at YOUR bare feet and ankles . . . .
And then run off and do it all again.
Yes, good luck indeed in getting the kitty to the basement each evening
HAH!! Was just reminded by Mr. Maureen of his encounter in the basement with Smeagol (yes, Smeagol…my son named him). He went to see what all the banging was in the laundry room in the middle of the night, and, um, forgot to put anything on. Looked around for the (12 week old) kitten. Turned, and saw kitten, ready to pounce.
Pounce he did, ran up Mr. Maureen’s leg using claws as traction, and, ah…swatted.
The cat is a wily creature. Having been escorted from the room a few times, and realising that you have hardened you heart to his sad pleading that he will be good, and quiet etc, the cat hits upon a new strategy.
Hiding. Come bedtime he will already be in the bedroom, having secreted himself under a chair, or somewhere equally inaccessible until the lights go off. He’ll give you long enough to start nodding off. Unable to contain his delight any longer, he will emerge the hiding place to demonstrate his love for you. And he will be escorted from the room once more.
Repeat the above process, with cat waiting in hiding longer, but not being able to refrain from starting a smug purr. He will be escorted from the room once more.
I think this is the sort of thing that the Bwahahahahahaha! refers to. Good luck, and enjoy discovering just how inventive a cat can be.
Alright, I’ll level with you. Cats are smarter, more devious, and more cunning than the best human. And they know it. And they’ll know about your allergies and you will be their new best friend. You’ll be the cat’s favorite person. You think you’re logically approaching this. After all, it is just an animal, right? Bahahaha.
Your cat may also decide to hide under furniture. Alright, that’s a given, but it may, say, decide to stick out its paws and grab your feet, then give em a good bite. While you flail around, thinking the chair’s attacking with you.
Maureen - I’m not a cat hater per se. I have grown up with a cat allergy, and that has contributed to my prejudice of them. My wife one the other hand grew up with a siamese cat who lived to the ripe old age of 18. Since being with me - 6 1/2 years she has wanted one. We are both 33 and trying to start a family etc…etc… and decided with consultation from the doctor that when we have a baby the kid is less likely to develope an allergy if they are exposed early…
There are hidden reasoning interwoven into this cat scheme, I mean decision.
Phlosphr, I think it’s great that you’re inviting a kitty into your family. If your allergies are mild, you can get over the counter fexofenadine, and make sure you vacuum frequently.
Now, as to that jumped up kitty box cleaner…welll,…I don’t know that my hubby would be as understanding about $350 as you were, but, hey…at least baby (when you have one) won’t be playing in dirty litter!!
An added plus: most babies and cats are incredibly curious about each other, at least mine were, and as long as you teach the bambino how to be gentle, they’ll get along great together.
Make absolutely sure that the cat can’t get into your bedroom. Buy an air filter, keep it running in your bedroom, and keep the door closed. Sucking in cat hair and dander for eight hours will make you suffer, allergy medicine or not. No matter how much your wife may eventually want to let kitty sleep with you on occasion, don’t do it.
Good luck with the baby turning out non-allergic, BTW. I developed my allergy to cats literally overnight, when a friend’s cat decided to sleep on my face while I slept. One massive overexposure later, I’m very allergic to cats.
Koffing, do not scare Phlosphr off!! This is exactly what he is afraid of!
Phlosphr, if you use that post to kibosh your wife’s plan of getting the kitty you have already paid more than enough for, i will quiver my bottom lip at you.
My parents got two kitties (bro and sis) and they are trained to sleep downstairs each night. My father can’t sleep with cats on the bed as they become too excited and mischevious.
Now, the two felines, Sergei and Sabena, know exactly whaqt to do when 11 pm comes around. They have to go downstairs soon. Sergei will meow to Sabena and they both trot happily downstairs.
It can work! Good Luck and congrats on your new family member!
Now when my dad leaves for work in the a.m., he lets the kitties up and they snuggle with my momma. Spoiled rotten.
Phlosphr, please come back and let us know how that litterbox works out for you! I’ve seen it before and thought about getting it, but $350 is a lot for an experiment. One of my cats is extremely fussy about smells, though, and his “hobby” is spending hours in the litterbox recovering the already covered poop. I’ve also thought about getting a Littermaid, but after this story, I’m not so sure.
If your objection to having this kitten in your bedroom is the idea of it sleeping on your head or pillow, you might consider providing kitty with her own place to sleep in your bedroom. (Because she’s going to get in there, unless you are really, really compulsive about keeping her out. And even then, she’ll probably get in some times.)
Kitty will want to be in the room where the 2 of you are, and having her own bed in there will help keep her out of yours. (But, realistically, it will take a while to train her to that. At first, the idea of being on the bed with you, and pouncing on those enticing toes moving under the covers, will certainly attract her. Just keep working at teaching her to stay in her own bed.)
A friend has one of those hole-in-a-cylinder hiding beds (see example here set up on a bedside table (high enough for the kitten to see you from it). Now at bedtime, the kitten follows them to the bedroom, and jumps into her bed when they get into their bed. But it did take a while (and several boxes of cat treats) to teach this.
Of course, if having the kitten in your bedroom aggravates your allergies, this may not work for you at all.
I’m making sure that he knows exactly what he needs to do to minimize his allergy suffering when he gets that cat. An air filter can be had for far less than that poop-o-matic litter box.
The fact of the matter is that he’s allergic to cats, and he spends, I’m guessing, eight hours a day in the bedroom, breathing deeply. Keeping the cat out of the bedroom, keeping that door closed, and keeping an air filter running are all things he can do to co-exist with the thing. If he can’t avoid the allergens, then he can at least minimize them.
Phlosphr, keep the cat out of the bedroom entirely. I’ll provide cites if you feel it’s necessary.
Nonono, I wasn’t talking about “factual cites.” I was talking about your horror story specifically. All the man needs is to be able to point and say: see!See!! I told you! NO CAT!
