In the fall of '94, I bought my old house back from my first wife - and she took the six cats with her, after shampooing the carpets. I could finally breathe in this house - the year or so in an apartment - less cats - having been bliss for my allergies. The next Valentine's found my new gf bringing something under her coat up my steps - a ~1 yr old flamepoint Siameese tom - Casper - who became my all-time favorite pet - after I learned how to 'cope'.
Firstly, I learned you could bathe a cat - and I used Murphy's Oil Soap - it seemed milder/less offensive than children's shampoo. Once a month kept the dander down. Then, my gf - the next Mrs. Stainz - couldn't keep her cat in her new apt - her dander didn't bother me (Neither did her cat's!). Over the years, more were added - beloved Casper passed - after 14 yr - and we are at 6 cats - always indoors. I am retired - but not all cats are bath-candidates - I had to find something.
The fix was simple - a mild histamine blocker - formerly an Rx - 4mg chlorpheniramine. They have gone up a few cents/bottle - they are ~$3.00/100 now at WallyWorld. As an Rx, they were ~$1/pill! No bad side-effects, either. When/if they become less effective, there are other OTC choices now, too.
Stainz
PS Speaking of allergies... Casper started scratching his whiskers off twice a year - during allergy season. The vet said, since he slept near my head - he was likely allergic to me! The combo of me and the pollen was too much. Rx - for a few days twice a year - a quarter of the same chlortabs I took - four times a day! Giving a cat a piece of a pill four times a day was an experience!
