Cat dander is a very natural part of your cat's growth and development and will continue to be produced and shed as long as you have your cat. Here are 5 truths that will help you manage the dander and enjoy your cat.
There is much discussion out there about cat dander, and there are also some misunderstandings about it, which in this article we will call myths. Here are 5 truths that will dispel common misunderstandings about cat dander.
Myth #1. Cat Dander Is Visible. Cat dander is only visible to humans with magnification, but is invisible to the naked human eye. This is because the majority of it is approximately 12 to 100 microns, and the rest of it can be as small as 2.5 microns or less.
To give you some idea of the size of a micron--one inch contains 25,400 microns! And officially a micron is one millionth of a meter. Bottom line, cat dander isn't something you can see in your air.
Myth #2. If I don't have a cat, I don't have dander. Unfortunately, dander has the ability to stick to other larger substances such as dust, lint, fabrics, clothing, and carpet even after a cat no longer lives in your space.
In fact many office buildings and spaces that have never housed cats have been found to have dander because it has been transported on clothing, bags, and other articles that have been brought from homes with cats.
Myth #3. There are cats that don't produce dander. Every warm-blooded animal produces dander. So every cat produces dander.
Myth #4. Vacuuming will get rid of cat dander. While vacuuming will remove dander that is big enough and heavy enough to fall out of the air and onto the furniture or floors, it will not remove the dander that is smaller, lighter and thus able to remain airborne and be inhaled.
Nothing will entirely eliminate dander but vacuuming it from surfaces can keep it from going airborne again with daily movement throughout your home. However, a HEPA vacuum is best at bagging it rather than sending it airborne again.
Myth #5. Bathing my cat will get rid of the dander. Giving your cat a bath may be a bit of a challenge, but it will certainly reduce the dander count,with emphasis on the word 'reduce'.
Anything you can do to keep the skin healthy including a healthy diet will cut down dander in your cat's fur. Keep in mind that the dander can be rubbed off on you, your sofa, carpets, and rugs and then sent airborne again with daily activities. A happy, healthy cat will also send it airborne with its daily antics.
While we have explored 5 myths that are not true in this article, what is true is that there are a number of steps that you can take to reduce cat dander.
One of the best ways to reduce dander that is airborne (which you will have as long as you have your cat) is to use a high efficiency particle arresting (or HEPA) air purifier that is specifically designed to remove particulates like cat dander with 99.97% efficiency.
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