Cat Allergies & Air Purifiers

Cats are among the most popular pets because they are cute and cuddly, yet aside from fresh water and food and a clean litter box, they require little in the way of maintenance. Unfortunately, cats often elicit allergic reactions from their owners and others who come into close contact with them. In fact, 15 to 30 percent of people may be allergic to cats, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Air purifiers can help reduce allergens produced by cats.

  1. Allergens

    • When people experience allergies to cats, they're more specifically experiencing allergies to cats' dander and saliva. Dander is released in the air as cats shed, as is saliva. Cats use their saliva to clean themselves through licking. When they shed hair that has been licked clean, they're also releasing dried saliva. Allergic reactions occur when a person's immune system is extra sensitive to the substances found in cats' dander and saliva, even though these substances are harmless to someone who is not allergic.

    Symptoms

    • When a person breaths in or comes into contact with these allergens, he may experience typical allergy symptoms such as red, itchy eyes, sneezing and a runny nose. Individuals who have only very mild allergies to cats may experience these symptoms only after prolonged exposure. In addition, people can experience these symptoms even if a cat is not around but his dander and saliva particles are.

    Purifiers

    • The best way to reduce allergic reactions to cat hair and dander is to limit exposure to cats. But that's simply not an option for many people, who consider their cats to be a part of the family. Thus, these individuals must find other ways to deal with allergens from cats. Paying attention to the quality of indoor air can help reduce the severity of cat allergies. An air purifier is one way to do this.

    Function

    • There are various types of air purifiers, and each type works a bit differently. For instance, some systems purify air by passing it through a filter, so particles of air contaminants get stuck in the filter. Ionizing purifiers ionize contaminant particles and then attract and collects them in large plates. Adsorbent filters use substances like charcoal to trap pollutants. UV systems use radiation to sterilize microorganisms.

    Limitations

    • Many powerful air purifiers are available commercially. But such systems can only clean particles present in the air. That means that cat dander present in furniture and bedding may remain there unless it is removed by some other means. Also, an air purifier may seem ineffective to a cat allergy sufferer if the sufferer insists on holding and sleeping with a cat, because the allergens will get directly on the sufferer's skin and clothing.