Hypoallergenic Siberian Cats

Got Cat Allergies?

Do regular cats make you or one of your family members sneeze? You may have heard that Siberian Cats are considered to be "hypoallergenic". Peraps that is the reason for your visit to this site? On this page you can find information about cat allergies, the reason why the Siberian breed is considered by some to be hypoallergenic and our experiences working with Siberian cats and allergy sufferers. If you still have questions after reading this, feel free to email us.

What is an Allergy?

The term allergy is used to describe an exaggerated response of your immune system to a substance that your body wrongly perceives as hostile. These substances are called "allergens". All allergens contain protein and almost anything can be an allergen for someone! House and dust mites, grass and tree pollens, molds and nuts are all common allergens. Allergens themselves are not harmful but if you are an allergy sufferer, it is your immune system's overreaction to these proteins that can cause a lot of misery, inconvenience, discomfort and in its worst case fatality.

During an allergic reaction your immune system believes allergens to be damaging so it produces a special type of antibody (IgE) to attack the invading material. This process leads to other blood cells releasing further chemicals (including histamine) which together cause irritation, inflammation and the symptoms of an allergic reaction. The histamine dilates your blood vessels, causes your mucous membranes (lining tissues of the nose and airways) to swell and stimulates the glands in the nose and your respiratory passages to produce mucus. Substances that cause the muscles of your respiratory passages to contract can also be released along with the histamine. If this occurs it becomes difficult to breathe and if you are an asthmatic, an asthma attack may follow.

Allergy symptoms can include:

• Sneezing
• Runny nose
• Itchy eyes, ears, lips & palate
• Wheezing
• Coughing
• Shortness of breath
• Sinus problems
• Dermatitis
• Nettle rash/ hives
• Eczema
• Sickness, vomiting, & diarrhoea
• Asthma attacks

The Basics of Cat Allergies

A number of different allergens have been identified in cats, but only one of these, called "Fel d1", is specific to cats alone; the others can also be found in other mammals such as dogs, hamsters, and horses.

The Fel d1 protein is created in the saliva, skin and anal glands of the cat. It is spread onto the cat's fur during grooming and once dry, it easily becomes airborne. It is not therefore the cat's fur that you may be allergic to and hence long haired or short-haired and even hairless cats can all cause reactions in allergic individuals.

The Fel d1 production is regulated by the cat's hormones and the highest levels are found in un-neutered males. The lowest levels have been found in spayed females. The level of Fel d1 increases with age which may explain why some people adopt a kitten only to find that they are allergic when the kitten grows up! That said, when living with a cat the repeated exposure to cat allergens may also reduce an individual's reaction to the cat. It is thought that high levels of exposure to the allergen may induce the production of "regulatory T cells" in the body. Researchers believe that immune system responses are normally kept under control by these special cells. (2005) Cats and Allergies. PLoS Med 2(3): e94

If you suffer from allergies to other animals as well as cats, chances are you will still have an allergic reaction to a cat that has a low level of Fel d1. The Siberian Research Inc, a not-for-profit corporation, believes that if you are allergic to cats and not any other animals you are most likely only allergic to the Fel d1. They believe that Fel d1 accounts for around 60% of allergic reactions to cats.

Hypoallergenic Siberian Cats?

Research has shown that all cats produce some Fel d1, but some cats produce considerably less than others. The Siberian Cat breed is thought to produce some of the lowest levels of Fel d1. There is strong anecdotal evidence from Siberian breeders and owners to support this theory, but scientific data is currently limited. The UC Davis University of California has however now begun researching the hypoallergenic nature of Siberian cats.

The Siberian Research Inc has found a strong correlation between allergen levels in cat saliva and allergic reaction experienced by cat allergy sufferers. They have found that this trait for lower Fel d1 levels found in Siberian cats is genetic and is thus passed on to offspring.

You must remember that "hypoallergenic" means having a decreased tendency to provoke an allergic reaction, as opposed to the term "non-allergenic" which means having no tendency to provoke an allergic reaction. Therefore, some individuals allergic to Fel d1 will still react to the Siberian breed. Whether you react will depend on the severity of your allergy and the level of Fel d1 produced by the particular Siberian cat.

Snowgum Allergy Experiences

Here at Snowgum, both my husband and I suffer from mild cat allergies. Our symptoms when cuddling other cat breeds include sneezing, itchy eyes, ears, nose and throat. I usually find myself reaching for an antihistamine tablet. My mother also suffers from cat allergies and Asthma. All of us are however fine when interacting with our three Siberian cats. When my mum comes to stay she does not wheeze or sneeze as she did for many years while living with our family's pet Abyssinian cat.

We have provided fur samples and performed allergy test visits for many individuals considering adopting a Siberian cat. Most are successful, but some are not. The response seems to depend of the severity of your allergy. We usually find that if you are a severe allergy sufferer you will still have an unacceptable response to the breed. If you have mild to moderate allergies, then you are usually fine living with a Siberian kitten (or two!).

We have placed a number of kittens successfully with people who usually suffer from cat allergies. In fact, all the kittens pictured on this page now live comfortably with cat allergy suffers!

We will only allow individuals with known cat allergies to adopt kittens from us if they test favouably with our cats. People who produce an unacceptable allergic reaction when visiting will not be offered a kitten for adoption. It is too stressful for the kitten and all people involved to have the kitten returned. When considering adopting a kitten from us, please let us know if you or your family members have cat allergies and if we have a litter planned we will assist you with allergy testing as outlined in the next section.

We advise of the following precautions for allergy sufferers when collecting your kitten:

• Purchase a cat tree/climbing frame for your cat to sleep/play on
• Purchase machine washable beds for your kitten to curl up in and wash them regularly
• Purchase washable throw rugs for them to use when on the sofa and wash them regularly
• Purchase a HEPA filter vacuum and use it regularly
• Hard floors are better than carpet as allergens are more easily removed
• Leather and other washable upholstery is better than fabric upholstery which can trap allergens
• Place the kitten's litter box in an area easily cleanable and not in your main living area. Dust from litter has been known to provoke allergic reactions
• Use a clumping litter and clean the litter box daily. Change the litter regularly as Fel-d1 and other allergens are found in urine and feces
• If you are also allergic to feathers, be careful when selecting toys for your kitty as most toys contain feathers!

For people that experience strong allergic responses to other allergens, monthly bathing of the cat and early neutering is advised.

Allergy Testing We Can Offer

Please note, due to a hectic schedule we cannot offer any allergy testing including fur samples at present. We may do this again in late 2010. Thanks for your understanding.

Allergy testing is time consuming and as we have busy schedules we cannot offer allergy testing all year round. If we have a litter planned, we will offer allergy testing to individuals who are considering adopting a kitten from us. As test results vary according to the individual cat's allergy levels we will not perform allergy tests for individuals wishing to adopt from another breeder. If you wish to adopt from elsewhere, we advise that you visit that breeder and meet the cats from which you will have a kitten.

The first step of our testing procedure involves us sending you a fur sample from the mother of the litter. Fur will be provided from the cat's brush, we will not cut our cats' fur! As allergy levels rise during late pregnancy, if she is towards the end of her pregnancy we will offer you a fur sample from our other female Siberian cat. Using the fur you test for a reaction by rubbing the sample on your face and watching to see if you experience a reaction. We will send you detailed instructions with the fur sample.

If you have had an acceptable reaction to our fur test then you can go on to book an allergy test visit with us. In this visit you will meet either the mother of the planned litter or if she is pregnant, our spayed female. You will be asked to hold her and put you face on her fur. Please note, when our girls are pregnant we do not allow visitors to touch them. We don't want to risk them catching any bugs that may affect their pregnancy. As our cats have free run of our home, during your visit you can be certain that you will encounter the mother's Fel d1 and thus even if you cannot hold the mother of the litter, you should get an accurate result. Please note, our un-neutered boy also lives in our home and thus you will be exposed to higher levels of Fel d1 in the visit than you would expect to experience should you go on to adopt a kitten or two from us.

We allow one hour for an allergy visit. If you are going to react, you will probably do so in the first 15 minutes. We recommend you watch for allergic reaction over the next few hours after your visit as allergic reactions can sometimes take longer to develop. If you have shown no reaction towards the end of the visit and if you want to meet with a higher allergen cat, you would be welcome to meet our un-neutered male who should have higher Fel d1 levels than our girls. This will allow you to gauge the full extent of your reaction to our Siberian cats.

We do charge for our allergy testing procedures. These fees are payable in advance by paypal or in cash during your visit. We do not accept cheques. Our fees are as follows:

• Fur sample and testing instructions posted to you- £10
• 1hr allergy test visit- £50.

If you do visit us to test your allergies you will be required not to visit other catteries or pat any other cats for 2 weeks prior. Visitors will also be asked to wear freshly laundered clothes and use a hand sanitiser on arrival. I understand that this may sound over the top, but we need to have strict rules to ensure we can provide accurate testing and most importantly, healthy kittens for you to adopt!

Please note, as we are a small breeder and only have a few litters per year we cannot guarantee you a kitten even if you react favourably to our allergy tests. We will do our best to accommodate you however we cannot control the number of kittens born in a litter!