Protecting cats from air outdoor/indoor toxic pollutants, etc.? (constantly, house, rescue)
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My neighbor smokes & I worry about 2nd-hand smoke to my cat. Last night I opened our AZ apt window & smelled rubber burning minutes later in parking lot & she was near the window when I ran to shut it. I can't win, eh?
So few hrs later I reopen it, & a fireplace starts up somewhere in apts & it sends wafting smoke thru the window & again I run to shut it.
So, aside from indoor pollutants like the new rugs put in here last yr having I'm sure, some harsh flame retardants, etc. in 'em then what is best way to avoid all this chaos daily?
Anyone concerend of their cat exposed to outdoor & indoor harsh chemicals, fragrances, soaps, dyes, etc.?
Well, you can't protect against every damn thing. You do the best you can. Really, out the window, I don't think it would be a big deal unless it was directly out there and the cat was right there (i.e. your neighbor blows smoke into the window right at the cat's face). All those things should dissipate rather quickly outdoors. Now you might SMELL some of those things, and the cat will definitely smell it (cat will smell it sometimes when you don't), but the odor is fleeting and not necessarily indicative of enough concentration of anything hazardous at such a distance.
Now if you said someone was smoking inside the house, that would be different with secondhand smoke. Even a fireplace in the house, though, not sure I would be worried. Other stuff like scents or chemicals, I could see trying to be aware of those inside to some degree. I wouldn't go heavy on air fresheners or scented candles or such. They tend to bother me anyway so I can only imagine what they do to a cat.
But I'm OCD w/ this yet I feel it is valid fears. Too many disregard the effects of outside insults/toxins on cat's health, & so don't protect them from these ills. I know all too well that 2nd hand smoke hurts human lungs, & assumed cats' lungs are even more prone being far smaller.
I know this sounds over the top but I do worry of all aspects that I can. Thanks for your words of reassurance tho, as it did help to realize that magnitude & size/duration/etc. of exposure time do in fact matter.
I am about to post something about my new rescued cat who may be asthmatic and our neighbor directly across the street loves to use the fireplace constantly.
My cats are indoors-only so outside toxins are not a concern. No neighbors are close enough to have their toxic sprays or fireplace smoke and fumes bother us.
If the air is toxic to pets, it's toxic to humans.
It makes no sense to live there live there and constantly worry about it.
Move.
It arguably takes more of a toxin to be a hazard to humans vs a small animal like a cat. Maybe not by much. If you turn your statement around, it would most likely be true all the time though. Air that is toxic to humans is almost assuredly toxic to pets.
All that said, if you read the first post, it isn't about some generalized air pollution. The OP was talking about fleeting events like a fireplace, smoking and tire burnout. Hardly things to move over.
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I can't win, eh? 
You do the best you can. Really, out the window, I don't think it would be a big deal unless it was directly out there and the cat was right there (i.e. your neighbor blows smoke into the window right at the cat's face). All those things should dissipate rather quickly outdoors. Now you might SMELL some of those things, and the cat will definitely smell it (cat will smell it sometimes when you don't), but the odor is fleeting and not necessarily indicative of enough concentration of anything hazardous at such a distance.
I am worried, too
