Managing Ragdoll Cat Lulu’s Heavy Moulting While Reducing Human Allergies

Help with Ragdoll Cat Lulu Moulting and Human Allergies

Reader Deborah writes, “The weather is improving here in the UK, so naturally my kitten  (pictured today at 8 months old) is moulting, and I mean a lot!  I’ve never owned a Ragdoll before and have never seen anything like the giant volume of fur I’m combing out of her rabbit like coat.

The problem I’m having is that I suffer from allergies and Lulu’s undercoat is getting every where. My doctor has prescribed some allergy tablets for me, but even taking these, my face, especially my nose and eyes are very itchy.

I recently bought the Kong Zoom Groom which is really good and clings to her incredibly fine undercoat brilliantly so that it doesn’t fly about so much.  Luckily Lulu is happy to be groomed especially after an energetic “fetch” game and some food.  She does prefer to be groomed on my lap, so I keep a sticky clothes roller handy to clean my clothes up when we’re done.

I use a vacuum designed for use in homes with pets and always clean surfaces with a damp cloth or polish to keep dust from flying about.  My hard floors get mopped with Sanicat – a pet friendly, allergy safe liquid.

I work from home so the only real respite I get is when I go out, but with pollen allergy too that won’t work much longer.  Lulu is currently banned from the bedroom so I can sleep without breathing in kitten fur.

I have seen Ragdolls being placed for rescue due to allergies, for me this is NOT an option.  She is a loving affectionate kitten and makes me laugh, I’ve had her in my life since she was 14 weeks old.

In the 18 weeks since she came home I have dealt with territorial spraying, teething, a blocked anal gland, a toppled cat tree injury and spaying/neutering (which stopped her spraying). Surely there must be an answer to Ragdoll moulting allergy!

When I researched different cat breeds I took my 10 year old Bull Terrier into account, a relaxed, big cat like a Ragdoll seemed (and is) the best fit.  When I met Lulu, her mom and her grandma it was Autumn here, none of the cats were shedding, so I had no idea that I might be allergic, I’ve never had an allergy problem with cats in my 46 years!

Any ideas on anything else I can do?”

UPDATE after further reading about allergies:

“Lulu is a licker, any bit of my bare skin she can groom, she goes for, especially when I’m grooming her.

I never even considered it might be her saliva that was causing a problem.  May still be her fluffy undercoat.  I’m going to try being more conscience about washing my hands whenever she’s done with fuss.

Flip side of the coin, maybe my body needs to learn that Lulu is not an enemy?”