Airbnb renter allergic to cats found his £1,000 rental was full of cat hair

NEWS AND COMMENT: this is a nice little story about Airbnb and the shedding of hair by domestic cats which is something that a person allergic to cats cannot tolerate!

This person, Graeme Dodd, from Perth & Kinross in Scotland was renting an Abu Dhabi apartment under an Airbnb scheme. He agreed a rental of £1,000 for 10 nights. He arrived at the apartment in Abu Dhabi with his wife and two children.

Graeme Dodd is allergic to cats! He found that the Airbnb rental flat was covered in hair and could not accept it. Comment: there appears to be no attempt to hoover the flat or get rid of the hair.

It appears that Graeme Dodd wanted to cancel the Airbnb offered and the host offered to help by finding alternative accommodation and they agreed to refund the original booking.

However, the alternative apartment was much more expensive costing £3,700 even though it was in a similar location and of a similar size. Graeme Dodd and his family were offered other alternatives but they were either too far away or of a lower standard.

Airbnb then decided to charge Mr Dodd "for both bookings". It's not clear what that means but it is clear that Mr Dodd's 10 day stay worked out at £4,700 which was totally unacceptable to him.

Mr Dodd struggled to resolve the dispute and he wrote to Katherine Denham of The Times newspaper who unsurprisingly managed to obtain a full reimbursement of £2,700 together with a £1,000 refund for the original booking meaning that his ten-day initial charge of £4,700 was reduced to £1000 which was the original price of the rental agreement. 💕😍

Lesson learned? Nothing really except for the landlord who clearly did not offer up his flat to an Airbnb client in an appropriate condition. It appears that he got sloppy. The cat hair belonged to his/her cat! 😸

But if the landlord i.e. the flat's owner lived within a 30 minute drive from the apartment it would have been better, perhaps, if (s)he had simply turned up and hoovered the place top to bottom to remove the cat hair.

Source: The Times hard copy newspaper. Thanks and well done Katherine Denham.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Is there a high-quality cat food I can give my cat to reduce shedding?

Ragdoll groomed during the shedding season. Image in public domain.

Conventional response to the question

While there is no cat food that can completely eliminate shedding, you can choose high-quality cat foods that can help reduce excessive shedding and promote healthy skin and coat. Here are some factors to consider when selecting cat food to help with shedding:

1. Look for foods with a high-quality protein source: Cats are obligate carnivores, so their diet should primarily consist of animal-based protein. Foods with high-quality protein sources like chicken, turkey, or fish can promote healthy skin and coat.
2. Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids: These essential fatty acids are crucial for skin and coat health. Foods containing fish oil, flaxseed, or other sources of these fatty acids can help reduce shedding and improve coat quality.
3. Limited fillers and carbohydrates: Avoid cat foods that have excessive fillers and carbohydrates, as they may not provide the essential nutrients your cat needs for optimal coat health. Look for foods with a lower carbohydrate content.
4. Nutrient balance: Ensure that the cat food you choose is balanced and meets the nutritional needs of your cat. High-quality commercial cat foods are typically formulated to provide the right balance of vitamins and minerals.
5. Avoid artificial additives: Some artificial additives and preservatives may contribute to skin and coat issues. Opt for cat foods with natural ingredients and minimal additives.
6. Consult your veterinarian: If your cat's shedding is excessive or if you're concerned about their coat health, it's a good idea to consult your veterinarian. They can recommend specific cat foods or dietary supplements tailored to your cat's needs.

Remember that genetics, age, and environmental factors can also influence shedding, so even with the best diet, some shedding may still occur. Regular grooming, such as brushing your cat's fur, can also help reduce shedding by removing loose hair and preventing matting.

Comment on the above

I feel it necessary to comment on the above which, by the way, is a conventional answer taken from sources on the Internet. I think, to be fair, you will find some websites being a little overoptimistic about the prospect of a certain cat food reducing the shedding of fur from a domestic cat.

Why should I say this? Because it is entirely natural for a domestic cat to shed fur when there's more light not, by the way when it is warmer. It is light which dictates when and how much a domestic cat sheds.

Some people believe that seasonal temperature changes dictates when a domestic cat sheds but my reference book written by four distinguished veterinarians tell me that "shedding is influenced more by changes in ambient light. The more exposure to natural light, the greater the shedding. This applies to both neutered and intact cats."

I guess, on that basis, if you kept your cat in a darkened room they wouldn't shed! But that's entirely impractical and cruel. Cats kept indoors full-time exposed to constant light may shed lightly and grow a new coat year-round.

But the point here is that it is a natural process and so feeding high-quality cat food with the intention of reducing this natural process is not going to produce a dramatic change. There might be a slight improvement partly because good quality cat food would improve the overall condition of the cat including the condition of the skin and it makes the skin more supple and the hair strands softer and silkier.

Breeds

I have said it before but I will say again briefly. There are no cat breeds (except hairless!) or individual cats who don't shed fur. All domestic cats of whatever cat breed shed fur because, as stated, it is a natural process. I wouldn't believe what you read on the Internet about certain breeds not shedding fur. They are not really true.

The hairless cats don't shed hair because they don't have any real hair except for a downy coating and so you won't have the problems of shedding hair but you will have other problems of keeping the skin of the hairless cat clean and in good condition.

Are there any cats that don't shed?

I am referring to domestic cats and the answer is NO. They all shed fur as it is an entirely natural thing to do. Indoor cats shed all the year round while indoor/outdoor cats shed when there is more light as in spring and summer. Spring light stimulates a heavy spring moult.

Hairless cats shed much less - they can have whiskers that shed or break. If you hate hair around the home choose a hairless cat but there are downsides to these breeds which outstrip the downside of non-shedding in my view. Photo in public domain.

Associated:The wrinkly skin of hairless cats

The only other point worth making is that single coated cats shed less than triple and double coated cats as there's less fur to shed. The hairless cat breeds such as the Sphynx, Don Sphynx and the Elf (as three examples) don't shed except for their broken and short whiskers. Whiskers shed from time to time or they break and snap off for hairless cats. So there is some depositing of hair from hairless cats albeit much reduced compared to a class double coated standard domestic cat. But the demands of looking after a hairless cat are higher than for a normal cat. This cancels out the benefits of non-shedding in my opinion.

ASSOCIATED: Are Siamese cats aggressive or predisposed to being mean?

Pointed and angular head of the Siamese. Photo: Frangipani Balinesecattery. Siamese have very close to the skin silky single coats and therefore there is less fur to moult during the lighter months.

Feline hair grows to a predetermined length as per the cat's genes. After growth there is a transitional phase called 'catagen' followed by 40-60 days of rest called 'telogen'. It then falls out (sheds) and gives way to new hair. As hairs are at different stages at any one time the shedding is gradual.

Are cats supposed to lose whiskers?

The answer is an emphatic - YES. Cats occasionally lose a whisker or two here and there. If you live with a cat you will see them on the bed or on the floor from time to time. This must be part of normal shedding, I would have thought.

Whiskers are extremely sensitive. They are connected to the nervous system. They are very useful to a cat and an essential piece of anatomy. They should not be interfered with in anyway - i.e. clipped or trimmed. Read more about a cat's whiskers on this page.




From Are cats supposed to lose whiskers? to Home Page

What cats shed the least?

A cat that sheds the least - Devon Rex - Photo copyright Helmi Flick

The photo on this page is protected by copyright ©. Violations of copyright are reported to Google.com (DMCA).

A purebred cat, the Devon Rex, is said to shed the least. Another rex cat can join that club, the Cornish Rex. The latter is slender and rangy a little like a greyhound while the former is pixie-like and a rather small to medium sized domestic cat of charm and character. Both have single coats of fine fur.

Uhmmm...I have just remembered another rex cat, the Selkirk Rex. This is a cat that has the appearance of a sheep! Well sort off. The coat is longer and curly. The Cornish has a curly coat too. The Devon Rex is sometimes semi-hairless and curly.

You'll have to adopt a purebred cat if you want a cat that sheds the least. The Sphynx cat must also feature in this discussion as that cat is covered in very fine downy hair and nothing else. This cat is described as hairless but that is not quite true.

All random bred cats shed in the same way and are double coated. Some are triple coated. It is the change in light not the seasons that triggers shedding in cats. The more light the more shedding. Naturally, the warmer season is also the lighter season so there is an overlap.

Now..please don't keep your cat in the dark to stop him or her shedding!

When a typical double coated cat sheds the undercoat is shed in a patchy way. Full-time indoor cats won't have the changes in coat density that indoor-outdoor cats have because the ambient light is the same throughout the year.

Daily grooming helps remove dead hair and cats like it if done sympathetically.

Oh My Cat Loves to be Hoovered

God, I wish! I wish my cat liked to be hoovered. Think of the benefits. You could even groom your cat at the same time so all the dead hair got hoovered up. Even just hoovering without grooming sounds great.



Hey, got the best idea I have had for a while. Hoover should manucfature an attachment for their hoover (!) that has a Furminator head. Furminator make probably the best grooming tool as it gets to the undercoat and weeds out the dead and loose fur. This may take off.



The only downside is that most cats don't like the noise. But if we put the vacuum cleaner in a room, close the door (partially) and use a long hose maybe this could become the normal thing to do to groom our cat. And it is so satisfying for us to as we know we are getting rid of that damn hair.........Oh my cat loves to be hoovered, like hell she does.



Oh My Cat Loves to be Hoovered to Home Page

Non-Shedding Cat Breeds

Non-shedding cat breeds are a myth. It is obviously natural to shed hair. Humans do it as well. One of the biggest downsides of living with a cat is the hair, it's everywhere. You get used to hoovering it up though. Cats can be a bit messy. Some (but few) cat breeds shed less than others.

Cat hair. Image: Cornell University.

The first group of cats that come to mind are the hairless cats :). Simple really isn't it. Even hairless cats have some (but very little and downy) hair. Logic dictates though that if a cat has less hair there is less to shed. There are no non-shedding cat breeds just as there are no totally hypoallergenic cats despite claims to the contrary (although Allerca cats - Life Style Pets Inc. claim their cats, the Ashera GD, Allerca GD and Chakan GD are hypoallergenic).

The hairless cat breeds are the Sphynx, Don Sphynx and Peterbald (semi-hairless). These are all rare cats and realistically indoor cats.

The Rex cats shed less than normal due to the nature of their coat. Cats normally have three layers to their coats, a top layer the guard hairs, the middle layer are called awn hairs and the undercoat which is down hair. Some cats have less layers. The Turkish Angora has no undercoat, for example.

The Devon Rex does not have guard hairs so the coat feels soft (guard hairs are what you'd expect, harder to protect the fur). The coat is curly and sparse and low shedding. Not only does this make this breed one of the best in terms of shedding she is also better for people allergic to cats. Another cat with the Rex gene mutation causing the curly coat is the Cornish Rex. There are two other well-known Rex cats, the Selkirk and the LaPerm but these are not low shedding cats, although the Cornish Rex apparently is low shedding as she is missing both the guard and awn hairs (see below). Another Rex cat incidentally is the German Rex.

The Devon Rex can become hairless (rarely) due to a disorder called Hypotichosis at 6 months old. If that was to be the case you would have found a cat that is nearly one of the mythical Non Shedding Cat Breeds. In my opinion the cats with no undercoat (single coated cats) shed less. They are also much easier to comb and flea comb. Moggies can be single or double coated. The difference is quite noticeable. An example of a purebred cat with a single coat is the Oriental Shorthair. There are others.

One last point, a good healthy diet will result in normal shedding and regular grooming will help remove the dead fur. This will minimize shedding or put it another way you are controlling the shedding to a degree. Cats like being groomed provided it is done gently and it is a great way to bond. My cat asks for it and she gets it. There is one well known tool that gets at the loose hair in the undercoat that I have found is routinely recommended at that is the FURminator deShedding Tool with 1-3/4-Inch Edge for Cats. Used regularly it should help minimize shedding.

Non Shedding Cat Breeds to Cornish Rex