Hypoallergenic Cats
Discussion
Hi Guys,
Wanted to get a Bengal as I have spent time with one before with few issues, however went to see one over the weekend. Had a really bad allergic reaction which meant I actually had to stop driving half way. Lucky there was a Krispy Creme on the A3!
Anyways, I have been told that Siberian's are okay. Anyone else got exerience?
Cheers
Sunil
Wanted to get a Bengal as I have spent time with one before with few issues, however went to see one over the weekend. Had a really bad allergic reaction which meant I actually had to stop driving half way. Lucky there was a Krispy Creme on the A3!
Anyways, I have been told that Siberian's are okay. Anyone else got exerience?
Cheers
Sunil
Ah, my thread has arrived!
I've three of them, as the GF is allergic.
First thing to know is that hypo doesn't mean allergen free.
The GF reacted to the first (female) one we got - she came out in hives where she'd been licked, after we'd been to look at her. This prompted an over night think (we went for it in the end). The GF pretty much got used to the cat in a month or so...so after six months, we got another two. No more hives; GF has got used to them completely in that respect.
This was meant to be just the darker grey one, with an eye to getting the ginger, but the ginger had been spoken for in the meantime, by a girl whose boyfriend was allergic.
In the end, he didn't have a reaction, but she did! Two weeks later he's at ours without problems.
So overall, they can be better for allergy sufferers, about the same, or worse. They have less dander than most cats (but conversely, much more hair - our three are pretty much unstoppable shedding machines), the dander can have less of the allergen that most people react to than other cats, about the same, or more. It depends on the individual cat (and obviously, their parentage), the time of year, and whether or not they've been neutered (allergen level is meant to drop after neutering).
Most siberean breeders will send you a hair sample on request, for a small fee. Which proves nothing, as the kitten coat is completely different from the adult coat. So you need to see the parents, and see how you react to them, as well as the kitten.
In short, you should go visit the breeder.
I've three of them, as the GF is allergic.
First thing to know is that hypo doesn't mean allergen free.
The GF reacted to the first (female) one we got - she came out in hives where she'd been licked, after we'd been to look at her. This prompted an over night think (we went for it in the end). The GF pretty much got used to the cat in a month or so...so after six months, we got another two. No more hives; GF has got used to them completely in that respect.
This was meant to be just the darker grey one, with an eye to getting the ginger, but the ginger had been spoken for in the meantime, by a girl whose boyfriend was allergic.
In the end, he didn't have a reaction, but she did! Two weeks later he's at ours without problems.
So overall, they can be better for allergy sufferers, about the same, or worse. They have less dander than most cats (but conversely, much more hair - our three are pretty much unstoppable shedding machines), the dander can have less of the allergen that most people react to than other cats, about the same, or more. It depends on the individual cat (and obviously, their parentage), the time of year, and whether or not they've been neutered (allergen level is meant to drop after neutering).
Most siberean breeders will send you a hair sample on request, for a small fee. Which proves nothing, as the kitten coat is completely different from the adult coat. So you need to see the parents, and see how you react to them, as well as the kitten.
In short, you should go visit the breeder.
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