Wow. And here I thought I was the only one.
To start, let me just say I LOVE cats.
Can’t ever eat a whole one though…
(ba-DUMP-dum-CHING! I’m here all week folks, two shows on Saturday nights. Tip your waiter)
Cat dander is a much larger problem than most people realize. EVERY cat on the planet produces 5 types of allergens. The stuff from the saliva coats their hair and breaks off in little 2-3 micron lengh tubules as it slides off the ends of their hair. Particles SO small - but large enough - to get into our lungs’ terminal bronchi, stay there, and trigger allergic reactions, asthma or just be plain old irritants to non-allergic folks. And it persists. A house where a cat has lived will still have measurable amounts of allergen many years (upwards of five in some studies) and in my years of practice (I’m a family practice physician, licensed since 1992, board-certified since 1999) I’ve treated hundreds of people for allergies who had NO idea they were allergic to cats until they were tested.
Dust mite and cockroach dander are also YUGE problems - but for another time and thread maybe.
I’ve read threads on several boards and fakebook pages where people post pictures of their cutesie little snookum wookums kitty witty all curled up atop amplifiers that cost more than the average family car and other such.
Being allergic to the foul beasts myself (they WALK in their toilets then atop your food prep areas of your kitchen people!), ’m going to vote on the side of buying ONLY from smoke-free (this one’s self-explanatory… it’s 2024, only sociopaths still smoke), catless homes. Kids I’m not that worried about, the damage they do is usually more obvious.
JMHO.