CPAP machine vs. Cat

I just received my CPAP machine today and I'm very excited to start using it because I'm hoping it will help. The only problem is... I have a 2 year old Cat named Phoebe who is VERY active and playful. I know that she will bite the tubing and try to sit on the machine(she does this with computer cords and other appliances). I would keep her out of my bedroom if i could, but I rent just a room off of a friend, so my room is basically my only living area, and the only area that Phoebe is allowed to be in. Plus, she is used to sleeping with me at night. I'm not sure what I'm going to do to get her away from the machine. I'm also afraid that her hair will inevitably clog up the filters in the machine. Does anyone have any ideas or experience with this type of issue?

hi Melne,

Welcome to our forum and to CPAP! It's a good job you found us. Having this resource will help in the days ahead as you grow accustomed to CPAP. Plus we're a fun bunch of people to know and exchange info and support.

I'd suggest putting your CPAP into a bedside drawer. You can close it during the day when you're out and then just open it a bit to get the hoses and mask out at night. If you still worry that the little kitty will get to the hoses at night, try a snugglehose to wrap them. They will offer protection for claws. (Though their original purpose is to prevent rainout, promote comfort and make your CPAP look pretty darn cute).

A CPAP user/cat owner says they work great for this purpose in a user review on cpap.com: "I purchased this cover originally as one of my cats punctured the hose. I was also getting condensation in hose during night, sounded like bathtub draining, and took mask off. Needless to say, had to get another hose and ordered cover as well and am extremely pleased with results. The "culprit cat" has not bothered the hose, no more condensation during the night and it doesn't feel like a hose is against my face."

Here's a link for the snugglehose: https://www.cpap.com/productSearch.php? ... nugglehose

Best wishes!!!

My reply is not really on point, so I apologize to Melne in advance, but I'm certain someone will have good advice. This has been bothering me for a long time, however. As I follow this site, I see a remarkable number of members with cat icons or cat in their user names. I conclude that most sleep apnea sufferers must be cat lovers. I have no problem with that -- I'm fond of the creatures myself, though I'm currently down to one resident cat and one visiter. However, this indisputable evidence makes it is difficult to escape the conclusion that CATS CAUSE OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA. Sorry to be the one to deliver the bad news.

I worried about my three cats, but they don't seem interested in the machine and hoses at all. Cat hair in the filter has not been a big problem.

Since hoses are cheap, you might get a spare up front, just in case.

Also, electrical tape is good for temporarily repairing a damaged hose.

Put the mask away when you are not using it. And I tuck the hose between the mattress and headboard during the day.

Good luck with your therapy.

Correlation does not imply causation.

Still it's an interesting observation. I'm glad you brought it up. Pet fur and dander can bring on allergies, which wouldn't help breathing. But I'm not sure how a cat can depress an air passage. Still, I'm not a pet owner so would need to look into it.

Of the 40,000 members of CPAPtalk, some have avatars of their pets. More have avatars of apes (Do any of you have pet lemurs out there?) It would be interesting to set up a poll to see how many of us have pets.

Thanks for your help guys! I am definetly goign to look into the snugglehose!

As for the comment about cats causing obstructive sleep apnea...I'm not going to say whether this is true or not since i'm not a medical doctor. I do know that my doctor has determined that my sleep apnea is caused by a deviated septum. I have had sleep apnea for about 9 years now, and only had a cat for these past 2...so your theory about cats causing sleep apnea at least doesn't apply to me.

I was also a bit worried about my 4 cats but, like jdm, most of mine have shown no interest.

My "trouble maker" showed a bit of interest at first, but I had always enforced a "no cat zone" on my bedside table so I set up my CPAP and stood by waiting for him to show interest. As soon as he did, I made it immediately clear in my usual methods (a sharp "No" reinforced by a squirt of water if needed) that the "no cat zone" extended to the machine and hose. I still keep my squirt bottle close by but haven't needed it.

I have also not noticed any excessive hair/dander accumulation on the filters.

I must admit that I am a bit surprised that I am 5 weeks in and still on my first hose (watch them decide to be interested tonight ).

PST wrote:However, this indisputable evidence makes it is difficult to escape the conclusion that CATS CAUSE OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA. Sorry to be the one to deliver the bad news.

Huh??

I haven't owned or been owned by a cat in well over 15 years, and even then not in the house.
Only way they might cause OSA is if they are very, very fat and sleep across your throat to compress and close the airway. Hmmm, but they weren't there at the sleep studies, so I guess, no way.....

PST wrote:My reply is not really on point, so I apologize to Melne in advance, but I'm certain someone will have good advice. This has been bothering me for a long time, however. As I follow this site, I see a remarkable number of members with cat icons or cat in their user names. I conclude that most sleep apnea sufferers must be cat lovers. I have no problem with that -- I'm fond of the creatures myself, though I'm currently down to one resident cat and one visiter. However, this indisputable evidence makes it is difficult to escape the conclusion that CATS CAUSE OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA. Sorry to be the one to deliver the bad news.

In that case, how do you explain that the major symptoms of my apnea manifested after the last of my four cats passed away at age 18?

(I now have standard long hair dachshunds... as yet Bast has not answered the prayer for a cat-child who can cope with stubborn, intelligent, active dachshunds!)

However, this indisputable evidence makes it is difficult to escape the conclusion that CATS CAUSE OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA. Sorry to be the one to deliver the bad news

Sorry to puncture your theory but I had it long before I got my cat.

So then it is the tendency to like cats, and not the cat itself, that causes OSA.

Kiralynx wrote:
(I now have standard long hair dachshunds... as yet Bast has not answered the prayer for a cat-child who can cope with stubborn, intelligent, active dachshunds!)

Sounds like I should send you Porthos, my "trouble maker" for a vacation. He thinks he is a dog and instigates play with our lab mix and our housemate's Cavelier King Charles. He even imitates the lab mix in sleep positions and likes to steal his favorite toy (stuffed duck) as a pillow too. We joke that they are "brothers from other mothers." He'd probably have a blast at your house.

Of our two Mini dachshunds, one thinks that she is a cat - jumping all over the furniture, trying to chase birds. And she dislikes all dogs but tolerates her sister.
But come to think of it, we did have a cat in the house when I was first diagnosed some 15 years back. More correlation! Like if your parents never had any kids, chances are you won't either

Cats are inherently evil - what other conclusion can I come to after decades of living with so many! If there's a way to sabotage your life, they'll find it and teach the others. My life is totally organized around them (nothing at floor level, nothing up high if you care about it, and nothing in the middle that isn't locked down) and if I don't behave they get veerrry nasty. If anyone knows how to return them to Planet X please let me know!

katherinefulmer wrote:Correlation does not imply causation.

Still it's an interesting observation. I'm glad you brought it up. Pet fur and dander can bring on allergies, which wouldn't help breathing. But I'm not sure how a cat can depress an air passage. Still, I'm not a pet owner so would need to look into it.

Of the 40,000 members of CPAPtalk, some have avatars of their pets. More have avatars of apes (Do any of you have pet lemurs out there?) It would be interesting to set up a poll to see how many of us have pets.

Avatar! That's the word I was trying to remember. Darn apnea brain! And while katherinefulmer does not have a cat avatar, she does have kat in her name, further demonstrating the connection.

Pugsy, of course, has explained exactly how a cat can depress an air passage. I had a 25-pound cat for many years and I don't know what he was up to at night. While he has now joined the choir invisible, I presume that a pharynx that has been mushed flat doesn't necessarily spring back into its original shape. And as for Karalynx (please note the lynx), I have always suspected dachsunds of being some kind of dog-cat hybrid. They're awfully low to the ground, like a cat gets when it is sneaking up on something.