The downside however is the risk that the allergies won’t settle down, and will push you over the edge into full-on symptoms that never stop. Our first cat, I got used to. Number 2 reactivated asthma that had been dormant for over a decade. This was over 20 years ago, obviously we no longer have cats, we’ve moved twice, and I still have asthma… sigh…
So proceed with extreme caution on this.
I believe the Allerca people have shut down (or are about to do so).
I’ve also heard that Siberians are less allergenic than other breeds, though as above, proceed with caution.
I dunno, but any site that offers to send samples of FUR to test whether one is allergic or not can’t be completely trusted. People are allergic to the dander (because of the cat’s saliva), not the fur!
I’d think fur would have dander clinging to it. It makes sense- if a clump of fur produces less sneezing than another clump of fur, the first cat is less allergenic.
As someone already mentioned, Abyssinians produce comparatively lower amounts of dander and have been known to be compatible pets for those with a history of cat allergies. This link from an Abyssinian rescue agency also has some tips for how to cope with allergies without getting rid of your pet: http://www.abyssinian-rescue.com/allergies.htm. It includes an allergy remedy that requires a prescription drug from your vet that is diluted and added to their food. I have been in vets offices where this remedy was administered under the Vet’s supervision, but only have anecdotal evidence that it worked for some of the people who tried it.
If you want a kitten that never grows up, why not consider a ferret? I can’t imagine purposefully submitting myself to fall in love with a pet that would cause an allergic reaction. I love cats, I’m allergic to cats. I visit my friends’ cats and then go home to recover. . .
FWIW, I’m allergic to cats but I find that the degree varies by the type of hair the cat has. I get allergies from cats that have short fur that gets everywhere- one little piece sets off an allergic reaction, but cats with long hair don’t bother me nearly as much. Perhaps it’s because the long-haired tend to shed in clumps, whereas short hairs fly everywhere.
My wife is very allergic to cats. However not our Siberian cat. Sometimes if she rubs her face in his fur her eyes will get irritated, but that is about it.
With most cats, merely touching one will cause my wifes skin to turn red and burn.
As I’ve read it, Siberians just naturally have less of the Fel d 1 protein, which is what causes allergies and is the thing that Allerca claims to be breeding out of normal tabbies. Also note, if you are allergic to dogs than Siberians won’t do much for you since then you’re allergic to something else (fur maybe?).
You need to get a purebred Siberian. When we looked a few years back kittens were going for $600-800 in Oregon, but we were lucky enough to get our cat as a 6 year old male for only $100. The breeder didn’t want him anymore since some of his kittens were coming out with kinked tails.
If you get a Siberian expect to have a cat that is social and loyal like a dog. Mine always comes when I call him, which isn’t very often since he is almost always in the same room anyways. He wants to be near people all of the time. If there is a cat that combines the best traits of dogs and cats together, this is it.
Years ago I had a cat allergy (among others) but loved cats. We had some anyway. Quite a few, actually. My cat allergy went away and the cats are still here. Still quite a few, actually.
I have gotten shots on and off for most of my life, and still do. But now there are only other allergens in the shots.
My husband is allergic to dogs and after living with dogs for over 15 years, he has developed asthma. Most of the year he’s miserable in his own home. You know, because of the dog.
I had 2 cats for 12 years. About 7 years ago or so I started having all sorts of sinus and dry eye problems. I would wake up in the AM with my right eye all dry and puffy. I developed chronic sinusitis and even developed nasal cysts which were once surgically removed. When it was suggested by my doctor that I may be allergic to cats, I didn’t believe it right away. I was tested by an allergist but it didn’t show any allergies to cats.
I suffered for about 4 years and even went to the trouble of paying for someone to clean out our heat ducts. I even tried keeping the cats out of our bedroom and ran a HEPA filter in there as well. Nothing seemed to work and my symptoms got worse.
I ended up on Nasonex Spray and Zyrtec. That combination seemed to help, but it only cured me about 50%. I was still waking up with the dry eye and still suffered from on and off chronic sinus infections.
What confirmed it for me was one week when I was out of the house on a camping trip. One would think that being in all that pollen and ragweed that my allergies would have been hitting me strong, but nothing happened… until I got home. I walked in the door and my right eye nearly swelled up shut.
One month later, we got rid of the cats and I’ve been fine ever since.
So my point in telling all of this is that while some people get better after long-term exposure to cats, some people do not. Everyone is different. If you really want a cat, you should find out first how allergic you will be around it and decide for yourself if the benefits of having a cat outweigh your suffering.
On a related note, I’ve also heard that diet can affect how much a cat will affect your allergies. I don’t know of any studies that confirm this though, nor do I know what kind of diet is supposed to work, but you may want to research that angle of it too.
Sure, all the curiousity of a kitten, none of the sense of self-preservation instinct. The nice thing about a cat is that as they grow up they eventually stop thinking of things to endanger themselves every time they’re alone in a room. Ferrets…I loved mine dearly, but even at 8 years old they needed to be closely supervised outside their cages.
I’ve changed my opinion of bunnies, though. My mom’s late doe was a terror, but my dad’s baby buck is a sweetheart. He even likes sitting on laps. Turns out that a lot of does aren’t as friendly as bucks. A young male that you spend a lot of time socializing might make a good subtitute for a cat.
For those of you who are suggestion alternate furry pets (ferrets, bunnies etc.) bear in mind that if the OP is allergic to cats, s/he may also have (or develop) an allergy to other critters.
We have guinea pigs. Normally they’re not an issue for me - and the fact that they are in a fairly confined area (one room of the house, and generally in their cage) means that allergies aren’t too big of a deal - but I have definitely found that when I have to handle them a lot - such as when one is sick - my allergies act up. The one critter tended to try to crawl up my front as I was holding her and trying to feed her, and she’d huddle under my chin… and my neck / chest itched for days (probably also contributed to an asthma flareup).
I am assuming that ferrets / bunnies would generally be confined to a subset of the house - wouldn’t have free run as a cat does - so the allergy issues may be more controllable. But, it’s definitely something you’d have to consider.
My wife has always been allergic to cats. We got Boris about 2 years ago. She has no allergic reaction toward him. You just never know. I don’t know if it just went away or what.
Um, doesn’t anyone know that small dogs like chihuahuas and yorkies can be trained to litter boxes?
If you live in a decent-sized place, dogs that are under about 8 pounds are easily trained to use litter boxes, and they’re small enough to get plenty of exercise when played with indoors. It wouldn’t be recommended for a studio apartment, but even my small 1-bedroom would accommodate a 5 pound chi-chi or two.
Small dogs like that can also be easily paper-trained or pee-pad (puppy-pad) trained. And then you can take all your time out of the house with them going to agility classes! At least that’s what I would do.
Ferrets are neat, but they stink. Even if their scent pouches or whatever they have are removed, they still smell. I’ve only known three people (closely) who had ferrets and two of those people had an, uh, odor, from the ferrets. Rabbits are cute, but they’re still just rabbits and not nearly as much fun as either cats, dogs, or ferrets.
It can go the other way too, so probably everyone should be a little mindful of that. Allergic to cats may not mean allergic to all cats, and not allergic may not mean you won’t have an allergic reaction to one.
My son never had any allergies at all, and being my son, he was born and raised in a house with lots of animals, particularly cats. He never had any problems at all until I started dating my husband who had taken in an adorable fluffy gray alley cat. My son adored that cat and would sit with him for hours. When we started occasionally spending the night at my husband’s apartment (after we were engaged for those who might criticize my son being there ;)) he slept with the cat on the pillow next to his head. It was a great kitty and they bonded well. But after a few days and nights of my son cuddling with this particular cat he developed the red, itchy eyes and other symptoms of an allergy, and as time went on it was clear that he could not be around the cat for any length of time without great discomfort. It was sad, but hubby re-homed the kitty and my son never had a problem with cats either before or after that particular one. In fact my current rescued kitty is right now sleeping within inches of my son’s face, and they both look pretty content.