Can people with cat allergies find felines who won’t make them sneeze?. Many potential cat owners can’t be friends with the feline thanks to allergies. For some, it means red nose sneezing, and itchy skin every time a cat comes near brothers it can mean agitating asthma or even anaphylactic shock with severe very rare occasions.
If you want to enjoy cat as a pet but have a cat allergy it could be very frustrating. This is why the idea of hypoallergenic cat breeds brings hope to many people with allergies. But is it even possible?.
What Causes Cat Allergies?
Some people believe it is cat hair which causes an allergic reaction to humans, this is also why many think careless cats must logically be hypoallergenic.
However, the root cause of cat allergies in humans is due to proteins which are secreted in the sebaceous glands at the root of the hair follicle and encapsulator.
These are known as “Fel d 1” protein and “Fel d 4” protein respectively. If a cat was hypoallergenic and it’s not that they wouldn’t have fur it’s that they wouldn’t have these allergy-inducing proteins.
The bad news is that all cats have these proteins to some degree, the good news is that some cats have much less than others.
Breeds to Consider
There are no cats which are truly hypoallergenic, but there are some breeds which will not aggravate allergies as bad as others.
These breeds include: Bengal, Siberian, Siamese, Balinese, Devon Rex, Australian mists, Javanese, officer cat, and Russian blue.
What Makes Them Hypoallergenic?
They are called hypoallergenic because they produce lower allergens than the more common cats we know (produce less of Fel d1 protein than others).
Many people with mild cat allergies have one of these breeds and report little to no symptoms. However, if you have severe cat allergies it is unlikely any camp Reed will not cause at least some problems. For the rest, it might mean a new life as a cat owner without sneezes and other annoying allergy symptoms.
Just a quick note to be careful if you see hypoallergenic cats for sale. Some breeders claim to have created a completely hypoallergenic cat breed, but there’s little to no scientific evidence to back this up.
If you have severe cat allergies don’t be fooled by unscrupulous or misinformed breeders.
