| Air out the place before she comes and daily by opening all the
windows. Vacuum only when all the windows are open. Vacuum
everything, including furniture, drapes, and wash what you can. Spray the
carpets lightly with a mist of water to keep down the dust/dander/fur
etc. in the air.....dust the house thoroughly before she comes....
Completely strip the bedroom she is to stay in and wash EVERYTHING
in it that's washable. (curtains, throw rugs, comforter, sheets, etc.)
Keep the puddycats out of that room at all times, and away from her
as much as possible. Bathe all the cats with one of those shampoos
like Allerpet(sp?) that helps allergies. Make sure she has allergy
medication, even if it's only over the counter stuff, and that she
takes it BEFORE she arrives, and during her stay. If you can, buy or
borrow an air filter machine.....
L-
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| There are several good topics in here that deal with allergic people living
with cats. Check them out!
Also, since this is a little different due to the temporary nature of the
situation, there are a few additional things I'd want to add:
1) Spending a lot of time away from the house (touring, visiting others, etc)
may help. Especially if the rest of the house is more full of allergens than
the guest room....I'm sure you don't want to be holed up in the bedroom.
2) This is hard to suggest, but it may be good to have a contingency plan in
place, just in case the allergies can't be curbed by your efforts. This may
be either a cat-free home for the guest to stay in, or a local motel, or ???
In my case, my allergies are the worst when I lie down to sleep. A guest
would probably be more miserable if her allergies were acting up, being in a
different environment than usual, etc. Sometimes taking antihistamines will
help, sometimes not...letting your friend know that it is OK for her to tell
you that she's suffering (ie that she won't hurt your feelings, and doesn't
have to be a martyr) would be a good thing to do.
Jill, who knows all this from experience :-(
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| .1
I did basically what .1 suggested. I went through the complete house
over two days before he arrived - drapes, moldings, throw rugs -
everything. I even went out and got a new blanket for the bed. He
knew in advance that I had 3 so he had his allergy meds with him - and
believe me when I tell you he had no problems. I vacumed daily and did
some light dusting - kept the windows open and he took his pills. One
of the cats even slept with him. He felt a lot more comfortable the
next morning when he woke up and discovered that his eyes weren't
swollen and that he could still breath.
Giudi
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