Show J s 9 1 fr J Ask Mom Dear Mom My boyfriend is allergic to my cats Every time he comes over he gets sick What should I do Sincerely Dear I have a nephew that is allergic to cats Last week he and his family came over for a visit My sister had forewarned me- me Remember me my son is allergic Can we keep the cat away from him I promised her that I would vacuum the floor and the furniture especially the furniture our cat loved to sleep on and that the cat would be kept in the base base- ment When my sister arrived with her children however however however how how- ever our cat Spooky had managed an unwelcome visit on her favorite TV chair I was surprised Spooky usually hid from children After showing the cat downstairs and apologizing ing to my sister for the oversight telling her son to stay clear of that chair we got down to business- business Beating cating dinner The evening went yent smoothly enough OJ f J and surprisingly there were no allergy related symptoms from her son I was relieved The last thing I wanted to have happen was for her son to get sick and the family wary about coming to visit us again Fortunately my sister had taken precautions as well When I 1 told her how relieved I was that her son hadn't gotten gotten gotten got got- ten sick she said Oh I 1 gave him some allergy medicine before we left So that was it She had planned for the worst and had ended up with the best case scenario Though I have no idea how your boyfriends boyfriend's allergies compare to my nephews You might be wise to choose alternate places to get together mak ing sure when choosing your place that you have done everything you can to make your boyfriends visit as fur free as possible A friend of mine suggested suggested suggested sug sug- covering the sofa with a recently washed blanket Of course hardwood or vinyl floors are best to reduce the furry problem but if you are living in an apartment or a rental unit this is no option Fortunately where your greatest problems problem's lie you have the greatest control fabric upholstered furniture furniture furniture furni furni- ture and curtains Limiting these two items helps say the expert as well as limiting your cat to only certain rooms not including the main living space Some experts even suggest that if your cat is washed weekly there is a decrease in allergen levels levels levels lev lev- would have a els though Im I'm sure my own cat scratching fit if I tried that one on her Your cats are members of your family Getting rid of them is neither a valid nor a humane solution in my opinion But getting rid of the boyfriend Well that's an entirely different story Good luck Mom H y 4 Sen Send dH d. d i 1 A Ask k M Mom m j. j questions to tor Kathryn Jones r a |