[net.pets] hypoallergenic cats?

smb (04/01/83)

This may sound weird, but do such critters exist?  That is, I would like
to have a cat, but my wife is allergic to them.  Some folks have told us
that Abyssinian cats are indeed hypoallergenic, and we have some evidence
that Siamese cats (or at least, one particular half-Siamese we knew) don't
cause my wife to react.

		--Steve

mark (04/01/83)

Allergies vary from person to person, but I am certainly allergic
to my sister-in-law's Siamese cat.  I suspect that a person with
cat allergies will often be bothered by any cat or dog that sheds.

mag (04/01/83)

I am aware on one type of hypoallergenic cat-- the English Rex.
These cats are a genetic mutation which has bred true.  They possess
no undercoat, the part which causes allergic reactions, and their top
coat is very thin, soft, and wavy, like Persian lamb.  They also have
one of the friendliest dispositions of any cats I have encountered.
Last time I looked, breeders were selling kittens for about $100.

					Mike Gray, BTL, WH.

bch (04/01/83)

Unfortunately it is not the fur *per se* of cats that most people are allergic
to, but the saliva spread on it from constant cleaning.  I have heard (but
do not have positive evidence) that Abyssinian cats induce fewer allergies
than others.  They do have very short fur and tend not to shed.  I would
tend to think that any cat which sheds only a little would be a good candidate
for a companion to those allergic to cats.

				Byron Howes
				unc!bch