Fish and Aquarium

Ten to fifteen percent of people in the United States are allergic to dogs or cats, cats being the most common allergy by far. Unfortunately, many of these people love cats, or have children or life partners who do, so they sniffle and sneeze their way through the days, wishing someone would invent a hypoallergenic cat.

Many people are under the impression that, they are allergic to the cat fur. In fact, the allergy is caused by a protein secreted by the cat’s skin and salivary glands. When the cat licks itself (and we all know cats are indefatigable groomers) the saliva/protein mixture dries into a powder like substance that coats the cat’s living space.

Over the years, desperate pet lovers have tried many breeds and types of feline to find a hypoallergenic cat.

Short Haired Cats

Since the problem is with the cat’s skin, and not with it’s fur, getting a short-haired cat doesn’t help curtail allergies.

Siberian Cats

Some people whose allergies are usually triggered by cats find that they can own Siberian cats with no reaction. This has led some to call the Siberian a hypoallergenic cat. Scientist arguably present that the Sieberian breed of cats secretes considerably less amount of allergy causing protein. Purebred Siberians cost around $500.

Rex Cats

Devon Rex and Cornish Rex cats both have both been billed as hypoallergenic cats by some fans. They have very light coats of fur. Since they actively secrete allergy causing protein, however, most people suffering from cat allergies will continue to suffer from allergy symptoms in presence of cat. Rex cat command a market value of $500 to $700.

Hairless Cats

Some people are so frustrated by their allergies, they decide to get hairless cats, thinking they can’t possibly be allergic to a pet without hair. Sphinx cats cost between $900 and $1200, which makes it doubly disappointing when they trigger allergy symptoms. Hairless or not, Sphinxes produce enough allergens on their skin to cause a reaction in many allergic cat lovers.

Gender/Color

Studies have shown that female cats produce fewer allergens than do male cats, and that light-colored cats produce fewer allergens than do dark-colored cats. Although these facts are substantiated by scientific data, it does not change the scenario for the allergy sufferers.

ALLERCA Hypoallergenic Cat

In 2004, a company named ALLECRA claimed to have bred a genuine hypoallergenic cat–one that would not produce allergens. ALLECRA claims that their specialty cats are sweet, friendly, free of genetic defects, and long-lived (although of course it’s too soon to tell about the latter claim). Scientific studies so far have shown that in ALLECRA cats the amount of protein that causes allergies is so small as to be undetectable. The value of this cool pet? $3,950.

It’s a lot cheaper to keep buying Kleenex.