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Hypoallergenic cats

post #1 of 27
11/24/09 at 6:26pm
Thread Starter 
Is there any breeds that are better for allergies than others? I have heard Siberians and Russian Blues are naturally hypoallergenic - is there any truth to that? Is that for people with severe allergies, or just minor allergies?

I believe Rexes are also not too bad?

Is it possible to have a cat if you're highly allergic? (I'm asking for a friend...)
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post #2 of 27
11/24/09 at 6:35pm
I am very allergic to cats but my allergies never stopped me from having cats.
My mentor used to rescue rexes and she had to stop because of her allergies.
The cornish were ok but the other rex types made her sick.
She breeds sphynx now.
I have a Russian Blue and I am just as allergic to her as I am to other cats.
It is the saliva in the cats that causes allergies.
I would stay away frm long hair cats.
My dad is ok with short hair but not long hair.
Can your friend get allergy shots?
They helped me.
The Cornish Rex,Sphynx and Siberians are the best breeds for allergies.
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post #3 of 27
11/24/09 at 6:41pm
First of all there really are no "hypoallergenic" cats despite a lot of claims (one of them being and "engineered" cat).

There are several breeds that shed less then normal and may be tolerated for those with mild allergies; not too severe. Even then its a 50/50 chance.

These cats are pretty good for allergies:

Rexes (devon, cornish, selkirk)
Very short coated Siamese/Orientals
Bengals
Ocicats
Russian Blue
Burmese
Sphynx.

If you are allergic to the saliva and not the fur you won't be able to tolerate any cat as all of them do lick their fur/skin!
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post #4 of 27
11/24/09 at 6:43pm
My sister is very allergic to cats, but can live comfortably with Sphynx.
An in-law of mine is also allergic to cats but can tolerate our home which has a Sphynx.
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post #5 of 27
11/24/09 at 6:49pm
I have moderate cat allergies and take meds as needed but the distilled water on a towel or rag works great... I Cannot under any circumstances have like a Persian or other fluffy longhair
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post #6 of 27
11/24/09 at 7:08pm
Thread Starter 
Apparently cats such as the Siberian produce less "Fel d 1" which is the compund in the saliva which people are allergic to.

My friend's wife has been having allergy shots for a couple of years now, their current cat does not go into their room, they moved to a house with hardwood floors to cut down on the amount of possible allergens in the carpet, she takes daily allergy tablets, he brushes the cat regularly, she limits her contact with the cat, and she still gets incredibly congested - she's 50-90% all the time apparently, and has just had another surgery to help clear out her sinuses

They are most likely going to have to rehome their current cat, but they both love cats, so would like to consider a cat in the future. But they will obviously do a lt of research, and try to spend time with a particular breed, then a particular cat before they consider bringing it into their home.
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post #7 of 27
11/24/09 at 7:22pm
I hope they find a cat that works for her.
She should go to cat shows and see how she reacts to certain breeds.
I am showing this weekend.
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post #8 of 27
11/24/09 at 7:30pm
Siberians are know for being better on allergic people, since they produce little to no FEL D-1 protein, resulting in little to no dander production...
ETA: Usually breeders let you take the kittens home for a week or so for an "allergy test run" before cashing the check, when allergy is a deal breaker.
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post #9 of 27
11/24/09 at 7:36pm
My friend has Siberian kittens right now.
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post #10 of 27
11/24/09 at 7:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mews2much View Post
My friend has Siberian kittens right now.
did she get it because of allergies? if so, what does she say? they are gorgeous
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post #11 of 27
11/24/09 at 8:03pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by carolinalima View Post
Siberians are know for being better on allergic people, since they produce little to no FEL D-1 protein, resulting in little to no dander production...
ETA: Usually breeders let you take the kittens home for a week or so for an "allergy test run" before cashing the check, when allergy is a deal breaker.
Good to know, thanks for that :-)
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post #12 of 27
11/24/09 at 8:11pm
I have also read that both lighter furred and female cats produce less allergens. That may only make a different to someone who is just mildly allergic.

I've known some people that are allergic to cats that have just as much trouble with my sphynx, and others that have no problems at all with them. I guess it depends on the individual!
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post #13 of 27
11/24/09 at 8:30pm
Brooke that is true about female cats.
I was told that by alot of the breeders.
My friend breeds Siberians Carolina.
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post #14 of 27
11/24/09 at 8:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45 View Post

Rexes (devon, cornish, selkirk)
Very short coated Siamese/Orientals
Bengals
Ocicats
Russian Blue
Burmese
Sphynx.
I don't know about the Selkirk since they shed a lot.

My sisters partner is very allergic but is fine around my Ocicats, even the silvers who shed more than other colours (but still much less than 'regular' cats)

If your friends can visit different breeders they'll be able to see if different breeds are better for the allergy. I wouldn't bother visiting at a show, since there are so many cats and fur in the air.
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post #15 of 27
11/24/09 at 8:55pm
I can not be near selkirk rex at all.
I sneeze non stop around them.
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post #16 of 27
11/25/09 at 2:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BrookeSphynx View Post
I have also read that both lighter furred and female cats produce less allergens. That may only make a different to someone who is just mildly allergic.
I read about this, too. Does anyone have any anecdotal stories agreeing or dismissing this? It seems that after that study came out, a new one was conducted a few years ago and it dismissed that thought.

HOWEVER, I am dealing with severe cat allergies right now (my lungs and breathing are affected) and I definitely am reacting much more to my dark-colored cat than my cream-colored one. I really wish I knew I had cat allergies before bringing home a dark-colored male 4 weeks ago! I haven't been able to breathe properly, I keep wheezing and sneezing all the time since he came home.
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post #17 of 27
11/25/09 at 4:00am
I met someone at the shelter who has Siberians due to her husband's allergies, they also had to give up their last cat because of them, but have two Siberians now. He is about 20% congested still but he doesnt just have cat allergies but other than that, they are just plain beautiful cats.

They also bathe the cats regularly, wipe as Sharky mentioned and use filters in their home for other allergens
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post #18 of 27
11/25/09 at 4:51am
Some people react more to one type then another. When I was breeding rexes, I let a local family have one of my kittens for a week to see if their child could tolerate. Unfortunately, she could not and they were heartbroken and had to return the kitten to me. Everyone had fallen in love with the baby in a week.

I'd rather let someone "borrow" a cat for a short time then to buy one and then have to return it - especially if it was long distance.

I'll have to ask my friend who shows a Selkirk about their shedding; was assuming they were low shedders - so may have to cross them off my "list" of cats for other people to try.
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post #19 of 27
11/25/09 at 5:21am
GK, our Selkirk doesn't appear to shed much, if at all. I did see fur come off her while we were driving home from the cat show, but it isn't like regular cat hair...it's like lint. Since she's been home, I haven't noticed anything. Hubby is allergic to everything, he's become immune though and is just fine with our 8 cats.

I find my Devons to be really good for not shedding AT ALL.
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post #20 of 27
11/25/09 at 5:41am
Bengals are typically good cats for people with mild to moderate allergies. Because bengals don't shed much if any and their fur is pelted and short, they don't groom nearly as much as many other breeds.
Less grooming equals less dried saliva.

There are exceptions of course and our silver boy Jack likes to groom himself alot. If I pet him and then say rub my eye, I'll pay for that mistake with an itchy eye for several hours.
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post #21 of 27
11/25/09 at 5:44am
A topic close to my heart. I have bad cat allergies and have done a lot of research on this. I also get the allergy shots, etc.

Abyssinian are also better for someone with cat allergies. Yes, females are better than males usually. Also, some Siberian cats produce less fel-d1 than others. Tabbies produce less than colorpoints for example. Kittens produce less than adults.

I'll try to dig up some links.

http://www.freewebs.com/felineproteine/feld1.htm
http://home.comcast.net/~lundbergsib...allergies.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberian_(cat)

That's the tip of the iceberg for links, but it should get them started.

The first step with a Siberian is normally a fur sample test. The breeder will mail you a fur sample from the cats and you are supposed to sleep with it between your pillow and pillowcase to see if you have a reaction. I've done the fur sample test, I've talked to different breeders, etc. For me, I had less of a reaction to the Siberian fur than I do to Abby's fur. I would love to get another cat, but I don't want to chance that adding a Siberian to my house with Abby will be enough to push my allergies over the edge. I may very well be able to handle two Siberians, but not necessarily a Siberian and Abby. My next cat will most likely be a Siberian though.
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post #22 of 27
11/25/09 at 6:21am
My (ex-)boyfriend is allergic to cats but doesn't get reactions from my BSHs, BLHs or Fold, which are usually known as a lot shedding breeds (which I don't agree with). He used to be very allergic, and we were a bit conserned how it would work out if he moved in with me (2 years ago), but there hasn't been any problems, and the cats have access to our bedroom. Our youngest kitty, 4 months old British Longhair, sleeps in our bed. He was also able to come to cat shows with me and has now much better toleranse.

I forgot to add that last spring I had a friend staying here over a weekend and he is very allergic to cats, oddly he also was 'immune' to my cats. He said that it hadn't happened before and he had tons of allergy drugs with him which he didn't need to use at all.
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post #23 of 27
11/25/09 at 7:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mews2much View Post
I am very allergic to cats but my allergies never stopped me from having cats.
My mentor used to rescue rexes and she had to stop because of her allergies.
The cornish were ok but the other rex types made her sick.
She breeds sphynx now.
I have a Russian Blue and I am just as allergic to her as I am to other cats.
It is the saliva in the cats that causes allergies.
I would stay away frm long hair cats.
My dad is ok with short hair but not long hair.
Can your friend get allergy shots?
They helped me.
The Cornish Rex,Sphynx and Siberians are the best breeds for allergies.
It is not the hair that causes allergies, it is the dander and the saliva. Since all cats lick their coat, hair length has nothing to do with it. And my experience is that long hair cats often shed less than short hairs.

My long hair kitty appears to not cause allergies in people who are even highly allergic. I've had several allergic people here who aren't even aware we had a cat. This same cat also doesn't get fleas even though she is an outdoor kitty and is not treated with flea preventative. Is there a connection? I don't know. But it is odd.
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post #24 of 27
11/25/09 at 7:18am
Our new next door neighbor loves cats but CANNOT be around them. He has such a severe allergy that his throat swells up and he has to go to the hospital. Poor guy!
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post #25 of 27
11/25/09 at 7:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Catkiki View Post
Our new next door neighbor loves cats but CANNOT be around them. He has such a severe allergy that his throat swells up and he has to go to the hospital. Poor guy!
I wonder if his doctor can help him. I would do whatever it takes - shots, pills, etc. if I was that allergic!
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post #26 of 27
11/25/09 at 10:43am
Thread Starter 
Wow, thanks for all the responses! I'll have to do a summary and send it to my friends, they'll be very greatful
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post #27 of 27
11/25/09 at 3:24pm
I have cat allergies too. The ones that really flare up my allergies are the Shorthairs. Shorthairs are the worst those little spiky, sharp hairs. My Persian on the other hand has never given me a reaction. I guess every person is different.
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