Hypoallergenic Cat Breeds: Types, Photos, Pet Choice And Keeping Rules, Owner Reviews

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-17 22:26

Who are they - hypoallergenic cats?

"I love cats, but I'm allergic to them." Each of us has heard this phrase countless times. Indeed, cat allergy is a very common phenomenon, and most people with a history of such a problem accept life as it is and try to stay away from the "mustache-striped" ones. But there are desperate extremals who are not used to giving up and trying to find that very wonderful cat that will not cause a negative reaction in them. Rumors about the existence of hypoallergenic cat breeds, spread mainly by their breeders, only fuel the desire to cheat fate. Let's try to figure out if a person with a cat allergy actually has any chance of finding a “safe” pet for himself.

Content

• 1 Allergy to cats: let's get to know each other!

  1.1 Table: Major Feline Allergens

• 2 Hypoallergenic cat breeds: myth or reality?

  • 2.1 Table: Breeds of cats believed to produce relatively low amounts of Fel d 1 protein ("hypoallergenic breeds")
  • 2.2 Photo gallery: cat breeds considered hypoallergenic

• 3 It turns out it's not just the breed

  • 3.1 Table: Factors Affecting Cat Allergenicity
  • 3.2 Photo gallery: cats conditionally contraindicated for allergy sufferers

• 4 So can you cheat fate?

  • 4.1 Tips from experienced

    4.1.1 Photo gallery: rules for the coexistence of an allergic person with a cat

  • 4.2 The civilized approach
  • 4.3 The enemy is unpredictable, but the risk can be minimized
• 5 Video: Dr. Komarovsky on how to cope with allergies without getting rid of the cat
• 6 Hypoallergenic cat breeds: owner reviews

Allergy to cats: let's get to know each other

Before we talk about hypoallergenic cats, here are two main misconceptions that confuse us. We are mistaken if we believe that fur is allergenic in cats, and we are wrong when we talk about "cat allergy" as a specific disease. By realizing how things really are, we can be critical of many statements that were previously simply taken on faith.

We will talk about the fact that allergy is not a disease. In the meantime, we realize this. To date, scientists know at least 12 (!) Different allergens that are spread by cats. The reaction to each of these antigens is purely individual, that is, a person's allergy can occur only to one of the possible allergens, to several of them, or not at all.

An allergic reaction is always individual

"Cat" allergens are designated by the letters "Fel d" (from the Latin "Felis domestica", domestic cat), followed by a specific sequence number. The vast majority of people react to the Fel d 1 protein, which is also called the "big allergen", although other substances excreted by cats are quite common. But here's the interesting thing: none of these substances are directly related to wool. This can be clearly seen from the table below.

Table: Major Feline Allergens

Allergen designation	Name of substance	Where is contained	The likelihood of a reaction to protein in people with cat allergies
Fel d 1	secretoglobin	skin; epithelium; the secret of the sebaceous glands; urine.	80%
Fel d 2	serum albumin	blood serum; dandruff; saliva; urine.	25%
Fel d 3	cystatin	blood plasma urine.	ten%*
Fel d 4	lipocaine	saliva; urine.	25%

* Some studies show that 60 to 90% of people who are allergic to cats react to cystatin, but most sources still cite Fel d 1, Fel d 2 and Fel d 4 as the most dangerous allergens.

From the above, two important conclusions should be drawn:

1. Wool is not a source, but only a carrier of the allergen. Some substances that poison our life are secreted by the sebaceous glands of the cat, are present on the skin and in its exfoliating particles (dandruff), already from there getting on the wool, while others a clean animal, licking its fur coat, transfers it to it along with saliva. However, it is quite clear that the absence of hair in itself does not make a cat hypoallergenic, and, therefore, choosing a breed based on this principle is initially incorrect.
2. People who are allergic to "cats" can react completely differently to the same breed or even to a particular animal, thus, talk about "hypoallergenic" cats in general, without specifying which antigen they have less than for others, it is fundamentally wrong.

Cat hair itself is not an allergen

Having realized these two truths, you can begin to find out the answer to the question of whether all cats are equally allergenic.

Hypoallergenic cat breeds: myth or reality?

Often, breeders of certain breeds, when praising their pets, put forward a "killer" argument: this is a hypoallergenic cat! Even a person who does not suffer from allergies, such an argument pleases the ear, because it is much more pleasant to keep an animal "safe for health" in the house. But let's immediately define the terminology.

First, "hypoallergenic" and "non-allergenic" are not identical concepts. The prefix "hypo" in translation from Greek means "below" and is used to indicate that some indicator is below the accepted norm. Hypoallergenic cats have all the "proper" allergens, but their level may be lower than in other breeds.

Hypoallergenicity is a relative concept

Secondly, when talking about hypoallergenic breeds, they always mean only the “big allergen” Fel d 1. The low level of one of more than ten allergic proteins, even the most “harmful”, makes it incorrect to assert that this breed is safe for allergy sufferers. …

The rest is so. The Fel d 1 level is not the same for different cat breeds. True, we failed to find specific figures, with only one exception, so that the data below, in general, are not confirmed by anything.

Table: Cat breeds believed to produce relatively low amounts of Fel d 1 protein ("hypoallergenic breeds")

P / p No.	Breed name	Short description	Allergenicity data
one	Siberian	Semi-long-haired cat with a very dense undercoat. Officially registered in Russia in 1989.	Average protein level Fel d 1: in saliva 0.08–27 μg / ml, in wool - 5–1300 μg, ml. The maximum amount of allergen in cats of silver color. Fel d 1 level is lower in 50% of Siberian cats than in other breeds, in 20% this indicator is really very low.
2	Oriental (oriental shorthair)	A very graceful, slender and flexible cat, having common ancestors with the Siamese, but having a different coat color and eye color.	The statement about a low level of Fel d 1 is not confirmed by numbers.
3	Balinese	Semi-long-haired variety of the Siamese cat.	The statement about a low level of Fel d 1 is not confirmed by numbers.
4	Javanese (Javanese)	Some organizations consider the Javanese cats as a kind of Balinese cats, the only differences are in color.	The statement about a low level of Fel d 1 is not confirmed by numbers.
5	British	A short-haired cat with a very thick undercoat, a strong and sturdy animal, the prototype of the Cheshire Cat from "Alice in Wonderland".	Information about the hypoallergenicity of British cats is denied by many owners.
6	Sphinxes (Canadian, Don, Petersburg)	"Hairless" cats, due to their very unusual appearance, are often called creatures from another planet. The Canadian Sphynxes have six wool, but very short, "suede", the Don and St. Petersburg ones are completely hairless.	Information about hypoallergenicity of hairless cats is based solely on the lack of hair and, as the owner's reviews show, are untrue.
7	Devon rex	An English cat breed characterized by soft and very short hair.	The statement about a low level of Fel d 1 is not confirmed by numbers. Many owners note that an allergy to Devon Rex does not appear immediately, but several weeks after the animal appears in the house.
8	Cornish Rex	A graceful and active animal with short hair, curled in waves.	They say that Cornish Rexes are even less allergenic than sphinxes, but there is no reliable evidence of this. The motivation is still the same: short wool flies less around the house.
nine	Allerca (Allerca GD)	A new breed developed by Simon Brody (USA) with the sole purpose of reducing the level of secreted allergenic enzymes to a minimum. Very beautiful short-haired animal with a leopard color (black spots on a golden background). Not for sale in Russia yet, in the USA it can cost up to $ 10,000.	It is declared that the production of Fel d 1 at Allerki has been reduced by 10 times, but the cat has not become hypoallergenic, this is confirmed by many lawsuits from disappointed owners.
ten	Usher	The breed, which today is called the "scam of the century" by the very same Simon Brody, who created the alleged hypoallergenic Allerca. As a result of a scandalous check, it turned out that the swindler was passing off the Savannah F1 cats (a hybrid of Serval and Egyptian Mau) for the new breed.	The breed is claimed to be hypoallergenic, but the data are not confirmed.

Alas, we have to admit: most of the statements about the hypoallergenicity of a particular breed (even if we make an adjustment for the relativity of the very concept of “hypoallergenicity” in relation to cats) do not find any scientific or experimental confirmation.

Asher: not only hypoallergenicity is refuted, but the very existence of the breed

And this is not surprising: there are no officially approved methods for assessing the "allergenicity" of a particular breed of cats, as well as there is no reliable scientific research on this matter.

Agree, there is something to think about!

Photo gallery: cat breeds considered hypoallergenic

This is almost the only animal whose hypoallergenicity is confirmed by at least some numbers.

Orientals are close relatives of Siamese cats

Javanez - a cat from the island of Java

The Balinese cat is similar to the Siamese, but has a longer coat.

It's even strange that such a fluffy is considered hypoallergenic.

The opinion about the hypoallergenicity of sphinxes is greatly exaggerated

Devon Rex - short-haired cats

Cornish Rex: a cat with wavy hair

Allerca is the promised hypoallergenic cat

It turns out it's not just the breed

As it turns out, it's not just the breed that affects cat allergenicity. Below are some interesting facts to keep in mind for allergy sufferers.

Table: Factors Affecting Cat Allergenicity

Factor name	How does
Floor	Cats secrete more allergens than cats.
Color	Animals of a dark color and pattern are considered more allergenic than light ones. Perhaps, although it is not known for certain, the amount of antigens secreted by animals is somehow related to pigmentation.
Age	Sexually mature cats secrete more Fel d 1 and Fel d 4 proteins than kittens and older animals.
Fertility (the ability to produce offspring)	Fertile cats are more allergenic than sterilized cats, with the maximum amount of antigens released at the time of sexual arousal.
Part of the body	The largest amount of Fel d 1 protein is concentrated on the cat's face.
Lifestyle, diet, care features	Sometimes the allergy is caused not by the animal itself, but by its food, litter for the toilet, toys and other "accessories", as well as dust accumulating on the wool. This false allergy phenomenon is called the dusty cat effect. By the way, there is an assumption that light-colored cats are considered less allergenic simply because they are better visible to dirt, and, therefore, they are cleaned more often. The dusty cat effect can also explain the fact that long-haired animals cause a stronger reaction: allergy to dust is a phenomenon no less frequent than cat allergy.
Health status	The amount of allergens excreted by animals is directly influenced by some diseases, especially the respiratory, genitourinary, digestive and immune systems: chronic rhinitis, coughing and sneezing, dandruff, dripping urine, vomiting and diarrhea - all this is an additional release of allergens into the surrounding space.
Individual characteristics	Studies show that even kittens born in the same litter, having the same color, sex and living conditions, can have different degrees of allergenicity.

Let's sum up the disappointing results. You cannot have a sterilized, light-colored kitty, bathe or comb her every day, stay away from her face and thereby guarantee yourself safe from painful bouts of allergic cough, runny nose and itching. All of the above data are very conditional and relative, and, most importantly, they are valid for some allergens and do not affect others at all. Nor should you rely on the fact that cats are said to be more likely to cause allergies in women and cats in men. The author had to observe how one and the same person began to suffocate, as soon as he entered the house in which an elderly Thai cat lived, and at the same time could cuddle for hours with a chic chocolate Briton, who, as Carlson said, was in full bloom.

Photo gallery: cats conditionally contraindicated for allergy sufferers

A black cat promises not only misfortune, but also allergies

Cats are more allergenic than cats

Fertile cats are more allergenic, especially during mating

Allergies can be caused not by the cat itself, but by its food.

The older the kittens, the more allergen they release.

The most allergenic place in a cat is the muzzle.

So can you cheat fate?

Of course, cat allergy is not a reason to despair. People who are hypersensitive to the proteins secreted by this animal can live happily ever after by observing certain precautions. True, opinions differ radically as to which rules should be followed. Perhaps we will not be mistaken if we say that there are two fundamentally different approaches to the coexistence of an allergic person and a cat. Consider and evaluate both.

Experienced tips

The first approach is based on the fact that a cat is a soul mate, family member and best friend, and life without her is meaningless. Those who adhere to this theory are advised to focus on minimizing contact with the allergenic protein (without getting rid of the source itself) and on treating allergy symptoms.

The general rules are as follows:

1. A relentless and relentless struggle for clean indoor air:

   • remove all carpets, soft toys, heavy curtains and other "dust collectors" from the house, hide books behind glass;
   • we carry out wet cleaning and dust removal every day, paying special attention to upholstered furniture, walls, floors and pet's favorite habitats, where the largest amount of wool, dandruff, sweat, saliva can accumulate; do not forget to use a protective mask during cleaning;
   • we wash clothes and bed linen a little more often, store clean linen in airtight bags;
   • we install a high-quality ventilation and air purification system and do not forget to regularly change or clean filters;
   • ventilate the room as often as possible, sleep with open windows whenever possible;
   • wash the litter box regularly, remember that urine contains a large amount of allergens;
   • we minimize contact with any other allergens: we remove flowers, scented candles from the house, we do not use deodorized chemicals, we quit smoking.

2. Compliance with the rules of personal hygiene:

   • wash your hands thoroughly after each tactile contact with the animal, do not touch the face, especially the eyes, until this procedure is performed;
   • entrust the care of your pet (combing, bathing, cleaning the tray, etc.) to a family member who does not suffer from allergies;
   • we communicate with the cat in dosage, trying to avoid contact between our face and the muzzle of the animal (we exclude kisses), we do not allow the animal to sleep in its bed, sit on its clothes, etc. - in a word, we do so that the “footprints” of the cat in the immediate vicinity was as small as possible.

3. Monitoring the "cleanliness" and health of the cat:

   • comb the hair daily, removing dead hairs and particles of the epidermis, during the molting period we carry out the procedure several times a day;
   • bathe your cat regularly (American studies show that regular water removes up to 80% of allergenic protein from the skin, while using soap cuts this percentage by almost half);
   • we provide our pet with a balanced diet, use hypoallergenic food;
   • we carry out preventive measures aimed at preventing the appearance of skin parasites and dermal diseases in the animal;
   • we monitor the health of our pet: we carry out deworming and vaccination in a timely manner, regularly visit the veterinarian.
4. Use of antihistamines.

Photo gallery: rules for the coexistence of an allergic person with a cat

We carry out wet cleaning daily

Removing carpets ruthlessly

Wash hands after contact with a cat

We brush the cat regularly

We don't let the cat into our bed

We take antihistamines

Sounds convincing, doesn't it? Alas, in reality, everything is far from as rosy as in theory. It seems that people who give such advice do not quite understand what an allergy is. When you wheeze and gasp, when your eyes itch and itch unbearably, when liquid mucus flows from your nose, and tears from your eyes, when you sneeze continuously and cannot stop, when you feel like a human again, just running away from your own home, - you will not think about airing the room, or about wet cleaning. All your thoughts will be occupied with one thing: how to get rid of the beast.

Difficulty breathing is the most dangerous manifestation of allergies

In this sense, the advice that usually ends the list of recommendations for allergy sufferers looks especially touching: if these measures did not help, urgently seek a temporary shelter for the cat. Fine!

You can always get rid of the source of allergies!

In other words, we take a kitty of a "hypoallergenic breed", try to get along with her for a while, and if it doesn't work out - well, we'll find another house for yesterday's "best friend" and "family member". Perhaps this approach seems normal to some, but, from the subjective point of view of the author, it has little to do with responsibility for those whom we have tamed.

A civilized approach

The second approach, accepted all over the world and, in general, being civilized and correct, is that a person who is allergic to cats should stay as far away from this animal as possible and not exactly within the same apartment. Modern medical science claims that the best treatment for allergies is to stop contact with the source. And if with an allergy to pollen from annually flowering plants, such contact cannot be completely excluded, then in the case of a cat, everything is much simpler. But if we realize this truth before the animal gets to our house, it will be much easier for us and the cat.

Allergy sufferers shouldn't have a cat

No amount of hygiene measures will help get rid of the allergen; moreover, in fact, they are completely ineffective.

We add to this that bathing is very harmful to the skin of the animal itself, since the water washes away the protective fat layer, which is necessary for thermoregulation and maintaining water balance. By the way, owners of sphinxes should think about this: hairless cats are usually recommended to bathe more often, because their skin from time to time is covered with a brown wax coating, which seems untidy and unaesthetic, but in reality it just protects the animal from the cold. Thus, by fighting to reduce the allergen in the air, we are actually harming our pet's health!

Bathing is bad for your cat's skin

Taking antihistamines is not the best option either. Indeed, the modern pharmaceutical industry offers a large number of allergy medications. All of them are quite effective when it comes to relieving the symptoms of an allergy while simultaneously stopping contact with its source. If communication with the allergen is forced to continue, only hormonal agents can really help. However, hormonal drugs can cause serious harm to the body, so they are used only in extreme cases when other treatments are ineffective. Let's formulate the same idea a little easier: keeping a cat in the house and clogging an allergy with hormonal drugs is utter nonsense!

Diprospan is an effective hormonal drug for relieving allergy symptoms

Let us support what has been said with one more argument. Despite the fact that allergy is sometimes called the plague of the 21st century (according to some sources, today at least half of the adult population and 9/10 of children in the world suffer from its manifestations), scientists have not yet figured out the nature of this phenomenon. Until recently, it was believed that we are talking about some strange malfunction in the work of our immune system, which for no reason at all begins to react to completely harmless substances, mistaking them for enemies. It was assumed that over the centuries, through natural selection, the organism of our ancestors created a complex system of defense against numerous pathogens attacking us from the outside. However, since in the modern world there are such "primitive" problems as, say, parasitic worms (it is to them that our body reacts by producing class E immunoglobulin,it is also synthesized upon contact and an allergen) are very rare, the experience of the immune system that has become "unnecessary" is manifested in a disproportionate response to completely different stimuli.

Our immune system reacts to allergens in the same way it does to parasitic roundworms

Thus, according to the generally accepted theory, allergies are an immune response to a non-existent threat that causes us unnecessary suffering. However, recent research suggests that this is not the case at all.

Modern medicine does not know how to treat allergies. All antihistamines existing today are aimed only at suppressing allergy symptoms, and not at treating it. By the way, this is evidenced by the very name of the medicines. Histamine is a substance that is released when an allergen comes into contact with immunoglobulin and causes allergy symptoms (runny nose, cough, difficulty breathing, skin redness, etc.). Thus, the "antihistamine" effect of a drug means either reducing the amount of released histamine or neutralizing it.

Antihistamines are aimed at suppressing symptoms, not treating

But if scientists' assumption about the true meaning of allergies is correct, then by taking antihistamines, we are doing ourselves a "disservice": instead of running from the enemy that our immune system has pointed out to us, we silence it. Let us recall the words of the classic: "The Trojans did not believe Cassandra - Troy, perhaps, would have stood to this day." Let's not repeat the Trojans' mistake. Let's believe our body.

The enemy is unpredictable, but the risk can be minimized

No one is protected from allergies. She can manifest herself after the cat has entered the house, and quite often this is the case. Since, as we have already said, cats produce not one, but several allergens, and their number depends on a huge number of factors, up to the individual characteristics of a particular individual, an allergy analysis made using ready-made allergens (for example, before purchasing a cat), can give a negative result, which turns out to be unreliable.

Another unpleasant property of allergies is that it can accumulate in the body without manifesting itself in any way, and then suddenly "explode" in the form of severe symptoms, and the amount of substances causing such a reaction begins to grow at an alarming rate.

On the other hand, allergies can be "outgrown". At puberty, the immune system sometimes reconfigures, and there is no trace of yesterday's problems. However, it also happens the other way around. In a word, the main feature of allergy is its unpredictability.

At puberty, allergies can pass, or, on the contrary, appear

This does not mean at all that no one should have cats. But the elementary precautionary rules can still be followed:

1. If you or your family members are severely allergic to cats, give up the idea of looking for a hypoallergenic breed. Find another hobby.
2. If someone in the household is prone to allergies, ask the breeder for a small clump of wool from the exact animal you are going to take into the house, and use it for skin scarification tests. This will allow, with the maximum degree of probability, to get an answer to the question of whether you can get along with this cat.
3. Set up a "trial period" with the breeder during which you can return the cat if it causes an allergy in someone close to you. A conscientious seller must understand such a request.

Video: Dr. Komarovsky on how to cope with allergies without getting rid of the cat

Hypoallergenic cat breeds: owner reviews

There are no hypoallergenic cats. This is a myth, the belief in which can turn into a tragedy for the whole family, including a pet. If you choke in the presence of a Persian cat and feel great playing with the Sphynx, this does not mean that hairless cats are right for you. The only reasonable way out for a person who is allergic to animals is to refuse to purchase them, because by giving a creature accustomed to us to a shelter or "into good hands", we commit treason.