[Geewiz]

The allergic factor in cats is a protein in their saliva. The cat licks itself and the offending protein gets on the cats fur and on its skin...which sheds and we deal with as "dust."

Dust control is the suppression of solid particles with diameters less than 500 micrometers. Dust in the airstream poses a serious health threat to children, older people, and those with respiratory illnesses. House dust can become airborne easily. Care should be exercised when removing dust to avoid causing the dust to become airborne. Some dust removing devices trap some dust. One way to repel dust is with an electrical charge. Certified HEPA (tested to MIL STD 282) can effectively trap 99.97% of dust at 0.3 micrometres. Not all HEPA can effectively stop dust, while vacuums with HEPA filters, water, or cyclones may filter more effectively than without, they may still exhaust millions of particles per cubic foot of air circulated. Laser Particle Counters are an effective way to measure filter effectiveness, medical grade can test for particles as small as 0.3 micrometres. In order to test for dust in the air, there are several options available. Preweighted filter and matched weight filters made from polyvinyl chloride or mixed cellulose ester are suitable for respirable dust (less than 10 micrometres in diameter).

Note-- there are certain breeds of cats that have lower amounts of the offending protein. I have a Siberian kitten and have fairly strong cat allergies. Rada sleeps on my chest most nights. She has long hair...and sheds way too much...but, no problem because of no bad protein.

Good luck!