Just diagnosed and have a question about cats.

[Teradyn]

I was wondering if anyone here has cats and if they have any problems with them messing with the CPAP equipment. Also, are there any special precautions you need to take to account for cat hair and the like as well?

Thanks.

[ProfessorSleep]

Great question! I've been fortunate that my cat is mostly curious about the equipment and, while she likes to chew on plastic, my equipment has been spared - so far. I do keep my mask in a drawer and have a cover over the hose to keep her from chewing on it. I also keep the machine covered during the day to keep kitty teeth and fur and all away. She does hang around during the night and, if she starts messing with the hoses or anything, a spray bottle of water is handy for a little spritz. A couple of squirts and she learned her place is now toward the middle, rather than the head, of the bed. I also have a dog that sheds profusely and between the two fur can be a real problem. Other than vacuuming more often, keeping the machine covered and cleaning the filter about every two weeks has done the trick. I hope I'm not jinxing things by saying that! good luck to you!

[tlc95066]

Hi Teradyn,
I have a cat also, she seems to be somewhat interested but has only sniffed at my machine, hoses and mask. My cat also likes to chew on plastic, but she has not touched my tubes or mask.

I have my machine on the floor and on a board so the vents won't get blocked by the carpet. I don't really find the cat hair to be a problem. Although she is not a long haired cat.

If you are worried about your cat swatting at your hose, you may want to consider some sort of a hose cover.

The avitar picture is our cat, Kiki. She is a burmese and only 6 lbs. Very sweet and very vocal!

Best,
Teri

[Severeena]

I have a cat that was not trained, but picked this up from the other cats around her.

I never really knew I had sleep apnea, but the cats would jump on the bed and lick me on the end of my nose or chin.

Now she feels rejected, but if the machine doesn't sound right she wakes me up, or Tom if his machine is acting up.

She is always ready for an emergency.

She never touches Tom's CPAP or my APAP.

I use to breed and I still show cats.

[mikemoran]

My cat loved the new personal air conditioner I got for him. He loved rubbing up agaisnt the exhaust vents. Now he just sleeps by my head instead. the filter on yoru CPAP should be checked a little more often but other than that fur shouldn't be a problem.

[Jere]

Our cat has always HATED being blown on; the exhaust from the Swift keeps her far away by our feet.

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): swift

[Hawthorne]

I have 2 cats and they do not like the masks so will not come near when I have it in at night. I have a small table beside the bed where the machine sits and I put the mask beside or on top of the machine during the day. They do not touch it, do not like the sound of the machine when it's on so will not go near it in the daytime and it's been 3 years. As for the hose, I put a large hook on the inside of the closet door and I hang the hose there during the day so it is inside the closed closet. No problems with the cats.

[Geocom]

I have horrible cat allergies--and we have two cats. I get to enjoy 6-8 hours of blissful reprieve from cat dander thanks to my PB 420 and the optional high efficiency air filter that gives me clean pure air while I sleep.

It's purrrrr-fect!

[LoneRider]

We've got three cats and a dog, and so far the only change with the CPAP machine is I seem to move in bed less, so the two cats and Poodle seem to hang around on the bed a bit more often. Although my wife is starting to break that up, seems like little Abigail is doing hourly tap dances on her bladder


cheers,
Tom

[felineperson3]

I have three cats and haven't encountered any problems with them and my sleeping equipment. Of course, in the beginning they were curious about it, but once they sniffed all the paraphanelia and got it all checked out and after staring at me pretty intently when I first donned the mask it has just became ordinary and part of the bedtime routine and doesn't seem to hold any special attraction for them--thank goodness!

[tater pie]

I have 8 cats and at first they were a little curious and sniffed the equipment and hoses but nothing else. Now, they don't even notice it's around.

[LoneRider]

I have 8 cats and at first they were a little curious and sniffed the equipment and hoses but nothing else. Now, they don't even notice it's around.

8 cats, wow, for a while we had a forth, and that did not work out that well! The other three did not take kindly to the forth and she wound up hiding in my office all of the time. Luckily she was adopted by a friends GF. The cat, who really is an only, who is somewhat timid now has the run of an apartment and loves it. Took to waking them up at 3am looking for love, ahhhh.


cheers,
Tom

[sleepybarb]

I am another eight-cat person; was up to nine on the theory that every life should have nine cats.

Only two CPAP problems so far: 2 little claw punctures in a hose (which are now sealed by duct tape), and one of my cats has learned to turn the cpap on so she can enjoy the warmth of the machine. So now I have to unplug it when I get up.

Mild problems compared to the joy of sleeping with warm cats on cold nights.

[Guest-Ramona]

We have two dogs. One is a lab and will eat anything she can get her mouth around. So I have my APAP on a rolling cart and wheel it into the closet in the morning. My other dog is an Aussie (long hair), so I check the filter pretty often.

Someone on another forum has two cats and one bites at the hose sometimes. She says Saran Wrap works great as a temporary fix.

[SickAndTired]

Once I got a hose cover and started turning up the heated humidifier, my cat quickly discovered that the now warm & fuzzy hose was the purrfect bed for her to sleep on at night... fortunately, there have only been a couple of occasions when I've rolled over in my sleep, only to have my mask nearly ripped off because of the furry anchor holding down my hose!