Am I allergic to cats?

Friend Allergic to Cats... I have three.. READ! HELP! PLEASE!?

• My friend is coming over, and apperently he is allergic to Cats and Cig. smoke. My mom smokes, and I have 3 cats. WIll the smell of my cats cause a allergic reaction?? I've had cats my whole life, I know my house smells like cats. I plan on cleaning, spraying fabreeze and cleaning some more. My cats will be in the opposite side of the house, So after I clean where my cat has shed, EVERYWHERES. I need to know how I can get rid of the smell of both cats and cig smoke. Any ideas? and will the smell of cats cause a Allergic reaction?? P.S. My couch has a bad scent of cat urine, Although I have cleaned cleaned and cleaned it.. I know its still there. How to get rid of it? PLEASE! Help!

• Answer:

  I go through this every time I go to my cousin's house. It's not the smell of the cats that triggers an allergic reaction, it's the dander. Some people (like me) are allergic to the saliva, too. How your friend will react, though, depends on the severity of his allergies. You don't say how long your friend is visiting for, but unless he's staying for a few days, the best thing he can do is to take an antihistamine (or whatever his usual allergy medicine is) before stepping foot in your house. Those of us with allergies learn early on how to live with them. Just make sure he knows about it so he can be ready. It's kind of you to think about getting the house ready, but there's only so much you can do that will make any real difference. If his smoke allergy is bad enough, just being in the house - even while no one is smoking - will set him off. Short of painting the house and having all the upholstered furniture steam-cleaned, he'll react. Same with cat dander. It's basically everywhere in your house. You can vacuum the drapes, furniture and carpets, but enough of it stays behind to bother someone with even moderately bad cat allergies. Plus, unless you lock up the cats, they'll just scatter more as they walk around. He's better off being ready for it with whatever his usual arsenal is - pills, nasal spray, whatever. One thing you can do is make sure there's a comfortable non-upholstered chair for him to sit in, since he'll be better off there than in anything with a fabric cover As for the smell of cat urine, that's not an allergy issue. That's all about the smell. You might try a product like Nature's Miracle or one of the other enzyme-based odor neutralizers. These aren't a cover-up (which no matter what the commercials claim is what Febreeze is, basically). They actually eat up the components of pet stains that make them stink. But be warned, while the enzymes are doing their job, it actually smells WORSE for a day or two. And you have to soak the pee-ed-on material thoroughly with it. I doubt that anything you spray will penetrate all the way through sofa cushions. You'll have to pour the stuff on, which will be a real mess and take forever to dry. Your best bet is to replace them if you can, but don't bother if the kitties haven't learned not to spray the couch or you'll just be replacing them again in a couple of weeks. And remember, if your friend's allergy gets too bad, you can just hang out outside for a while until it subsides.