Mold

Hello :) We have a mold problem in our apartment, every winter we clean it and on the next winter it comes back. The problem is in the bedroom and on the living room wall. I have a cat and I would like to know how harmful it is to her? And if it is harmful, how harmful is it even after cleaning and ventilation? If the mold is sealed in the wall for the summer is it still a problem? Also,  we want to solve the problem with a professional, I don't know the substance of the cleaning itself, but I was told that afterwards they use a paint called KEFA. How long should I keep the cat outside the house? How long should I wait to get her back? And is there a chance that this substence in toxic after it dries?The professional says it is has the same chemistry as a regualar paint, only the physics is different. About the first part of my question, my cat was exposed to mold on winter for the last 4 years, until I clean and vantilate the room. Can it have any long term health effect on her? Thank you. Lipaz.

Hello!  Mould can affect cats, although its not something we diagnose frequently.   It can affect cats by ingestion (mould is eaten, causes GI signs eg vomiting and diarrhoea but this usually relaeted to eating food that has spoiled - and not the most likely cause of those symptoms unless it seems to.coincide with spoiled food being fed),  skin allergy (particularly on inhalation of leaf mould) and also if inhaled.  Severe inhalational affects of leaf mould (aspergillus) can leave a classic pattern on radiography.  Obviously it's a good idea to treat mould properly wherever it is found in a property, by removing it and changing conditions so that it can't grow - a damp expert would be by far the best person to consult about this.  However, if respiratory signs are seen in your cat, there is a full array of potential causes; a patch of mould growing on the windowledge, for example, may not be the most likely cause.   Persistently damp conditions that predispose to mould can adversely affect air quality which may have knock-on effects on a cats' breathing. If your cat is currently living in a house that has previously had a damp problem, but now does not and the room is well ventillated, I would not be concerned unless they started showing clinical signs.  You sound to be concerned about a particular case; are you able to put it into context for me?

Sorry - I made a mistake up there.  Skin allergy - particularly on contact with leaf mould

Hello! Thank you very much for your answer!! My bedroom, and a wall on the livingroom have patches of mold every winter. The room is damp, and I do clean the mold by myself every time and ventilate the room.. This time I cannit see the mold, but I can smell it, so I wabted to invite a professional to deal with it, but my landlord making it a bit hard for me... My cat had Pulmonary Mycoplasma when shw was little (came from the street) even befire I moved to this proparty, so I cannot really know if when shw is wheezing it is a reaction to the mold (the vet before says it is not likely connected to the mold).. But I do wonder if the mold can harm her in the long term? Hurt her lungs? Thanks.

To continue what I wrote, can the mold cause ling cancer in cats? That is my main concern. Thanks.

I've never heard of mould causing lung cancer in cats.  That does not, of course, mean that your cat could not have lung cancer.  But if that happened (and there may be many other possible explanations for the symptoms), I can't see legitimate logic to claim that mould caused it.

Ok, thank you do much for your answer! You calmed me a bit! The mold situation will be over soon, but just wondered about the long term effects it could have.