Are Air Purifiers Good For Getting Rid Of Cat Hair & Dander?

Although we love our furry friends as a pet owner, their pet hair and pet odour can be a little overwhelming sometimes, no matter how much we clean, their pet hair will always be around, and while this is not a problem for some, it can trigger a cat allergy or other allergy symptom in others. 

If you have a lot of pet dander from your cat affecting your air quality and floating around, then a typical air purifier will help you tackle this problem, as a HEPA-equipped air purifier will trap the pet hair in its filter, preventing it from being airborne, but this should be in combination with cleaning for effective removal.

So as you can see whether or not an air purifier can be a viable solution for getting rid of pet dander from your cat, we have gone over how this air filter works below to remove pet dander from the air and go into some more detail about why this pet allergen occurs in some people, to begin with. 

Why Is My Cat Causing Allergies? 

It is proven that people are twice as likely to have a pet allergy to cats than they are to dogs, this typically because a cat does more regular cleaning of itself with its saliva and has different pet allergen proteins from its pet dander. 

If some people have an allergic reaction to a pet allergen particle, this means their immune system is overreacting to the pet-related allergen in the protein molecule from your cat. This is triggered in a few different ways which we will get on to below. 

Cat Saliva 

Cats especially more than other pets like to lick and groom themselves a lot, when someone who has a pet allergen comes into contact with the protein released from this saliva, it can trigger an allergic reaction.

The urine of your cat can also trigger an allergic reaction as it holds these proteins, which can stick to their skin.

Cat Hair 

Believe it or not, rarely, people are allergic to the hair of our furry friend, most of the time, people have issues with the pet dander, not the hair. 

But often, the pet hair your cat sheds will be attached to the skin flake of the cat which has allergy containing proteins, causing allergic reactions. 

Cat Dander 

The dander your cat releases as a cat owner can be hard to keep track of, these skin flake particles are microscopic and travel through the air without us seeing, they are additionally the part of a cat which people are most allergic to, as the protein cells are found under the skin which causes allergies. 

Dust Bunnies Cause By Cat Dander 

The cat hair, cat dander and cat saliva can form dust bunnies in your home which can make issues for allergy sufferers as it releases even higher amounts of the pet allergen particle in the air as a dust mite will feed on them. 

Can An Air Purifier Get Rid Of Cat & Pet Dander In The Air?

An ideal air purifier will be able to get rid of both pet hair and pet dander from your cat, as long as it is suspended in the air, as the dead skin cell particles and airborne dust will be sucked into the filter of your devices, thus trapping it. 

Whether or not this filter option reduces the amount of pet allergy symptoms one is having also comes down to how much you are cleaning the cat dander and cat hair that has settled on the floor, as lots of allergen proteins will be found on carpets or furniture, not the air. 

We have gone into additional detail about the best type of air purifier you can get to reduce cat hair and dander in your home below.

Why Should I Choose a HEPA & Carbon Air Purifier For My Cat Hair?

The best type of filter air purifier you can use to eliminate cat dander and cat hair in the air has to be a HEPA filter, this is because a quality purifier that has a True HEPA filter will be able to catch 99.9% of the cat dander in the air which is as small as 0.3 microns. 

Although the HEPA air purifier might miss some pet dander which is smaller, it will significantly reduce the amount of pet hair and pet dander from your cat in the air and reduce allergic symptoms, you should remember to clean and change the filter in these machines often, however. 

Adding on carbon filter to your HEPA quality air purifier will allow you to get rid of the pet odour from your cat too which can be unpleasant, this is because the carbon filter has odour-controlling technology which is porous and will soak up the gases emitted from your cat, allowing you to have better pet odour control.

A pre-filter is additionally great to have on your affordable air purifier as the typical air purifier pre-filter material will trap more pet hair and make it easier to clean while stopping your filter surface from getting blocked so quickly.

What Is The Difference Between Cat Hair & Dander? 

You may have seen us use cat hair and dander interchangeably, but both parts are very different, and dander allergy is a much more common allergen than pet hair. 

When we refer to pet dander, we mean the dead skin cells of your cat, these contain an allergen protein that people who are allergic to pets react to, the cat hair is not actually what causes the allergy, but since the dander and hair are often attached, they can cause allergy issues. 

This is why an allergic person might opt for a hypoallergenic pet that has little hair but still might have allergic reaction symptoms because the pet is still giving off dead skin flake particles which will cause allergies as it is still an allergy-causing protein.

How Else Can I Stop Pet Allergy In My Home? 

Even though using HEPA filters, pre-filters and activated carbon filters can be a great way to reduce the pet allergens and pet hair in your home, this does not stop the cat dander and pet hair completely so you should be implementing other tips and tricks to get rid of these larger particles found from your cat. 

• Clean your house often - Pet dander and pet hair often hide on the rugs and blankets of peoples homes, using a vacuum cleaner and dusting down a nearby surface with a damp cloth can help to remove this pet hair and dander build-up caused by your cat.
• Brush your cat outside - If your brush your cat, you can do this outside to reduce the amount of airborne particle dander that will come from your cat, to prevent allergy, brushing or cleaning your cat should be done outside of the house.
• Bathing - Many of us don't bathe our cats, so this isn't appropriate for them, but for pets in general, regular cleaning of the best can reduce the amount of flaky skin your pet has and stops as many pet skin cell parts dropping off.
• Use a lint roller - Lint rollers are great for taking off annoying pet hair from furniture and your clothes as they have a sticky roller that will trap larger particle skin cells.
• Limit where the pet can go - If someone in your household has a cat allergy, then make sure to shut this room off so as the pet can not transmit pet dander and hair inside of that room. 

Last Words 

To conclude, a wonderful air purifier can indeed help get rid of cat hair and dander which is suspended in the air around your home, a HEPA air purifier, in particular, will be great for this as it traps small particles like cat dander easily. 

A smarter air purifier to choose from will have a carbon filter as well so as it can trap the odours from your cat and reduce smells too.