# The Hypo-Allergenic Cat **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 29, 2000, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypo-allergenic-cat/43269 "2000-11-29T23:19:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Vinylm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/df705f/32.png) [@Vinylm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vinylm)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypo-allergenic-cat/43269/1 "2000-11-29T23:19:15Z")
What causes cat allergies? Is it their hair, dander or saliva? I remember hearing from someone a while back that there was a book called “The Hypo-allergenic cat” which suggested a diet that you could feed cats to keep them from producing allergens. A friend of mine wants to have her boyfriend move into her place. He’s highly allergic to cats. She’s proposed limiting her little furry friends to one room of the house once he moves in. This of course will be traumatic for the cats. Is there anything like this book/diet that she can use? Also, I know there are cats that are less allergenic that others, but what would you do with a cat that you already own? ---
**Author:** ![jeyen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a4c791/32.png) [@jeyen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeyen)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypo-allergenic-cat/43269/2 "2000-11-29T23:41:13Z")
Welcome! There’s tons of info available on the Web. With a quick search, I found these: [http://www.wicatclub.com/10\_9.html](http://www.wicatclub.com/10_9.html) [http://www.primenet.com/~pjs/aa-alergy.html](http://www.primenet.com/~pjs/aa-alergy.html) [http://www.methuen-mspca.org/petcare/htm/sniffle.htm](http://www.methuen-mspca.org/petcare/htm/sniffle.htm) [http://www.catchow.com/article.asp?category=1&storyID=81](http://www.catchow.com/article.asp?category=1&storyID=81) I haven’t evaluated any of these sites, but they are places to start. I recommend that you do some Web searching in addition to checking these boards. Best wishes! ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypo-allergenic-cat/43269/3 "2000-11-30T00:31:47Z")
It’s not just the cat that’s responsible. A lot obviously depends on a person; specifically, what cat products the person has developed an allergy for. Some people are allergic to hair, some to dander, some to both, some to other things. If you’re allergic to hair, you could theoretically deal with a hairless cat. It’s hard to make generalizations. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypo-allergenic-cat/43269/4 "2000-11-30T02:10:17Z")
There’s no such thing as a “hypo-allergenic” cat–different people react to different cats in different ways. For example, my spouse, who has been going through systematic desensitization treatments for over a year now, still reacts more strongly to Abyssinians (a short-haired breed) than Maine Coons (a large, long-haired breed). Contrary to popular belief, in many cases “hairless” cats (such as the Sphynx) can be _more_ allergy-causing than some of the longer-haired breeds. This is because the most common allergen is produced by the cat’s sebaceous glands, which are located in various places on their bodies. The hair can provide a buffer, while a hairless cat is shedding sebum at a much higher rate. One thing your friend can do to help is to keep the cat completely out of the bedroom. Another is to buy one or more HEPA filters, which can filter out a lot of cat allergen. Still another is to treat the cat with a product called “Allerpet,” which claims to be effective in about 85% of cases and which is recommended by many cat folks. Bathing the cat regularly can help too. I don’t know anything about diets that can help cut down on allergens. Good luck to your friend. We just got two kittens last week after a catless period of over ten years, and it’s working out well so far. ---
**Author:** ![dublos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f08c70/32.png) [@dublos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dublos)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2000, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypo-allergenic-cat/43269/5 "2000-12-01T00:10:52Z")
Another way to cut down on the allergens. Bath the cats. Most people with feline alergies are frequently surprised if they go to a cat show. They can usually tour the entire show without a reaction. The thing is, for most breeds of cat shown, bathing is a requirement to be shown. You won’t find a Maine Coon in the hall that hasn’t been bathed, and you don’t even want to imagine what a Persian that hasn’t been bathed looks like. -Doug