Readers Respond: What other breed do you believe to be hypoallergenic and why?

Do you own a breed of cat that you consider to be hypoallergenic? Here is your chance to tell other cat lovers. Please be specific; do not ask questions here, nor reply to other users' stories. Think of this as your opportunity to write a "mini-article" about your cat breed of choice, as related to your allergies Share your story

Orientals are Great

I have recently rescued an pure bred oriental and to my delight he doesn't trigger any of my allergies. Others cats make me sneeze itch and swell but even sleeping with him by my face I don't even get itchy eyes. Its great! I'm going to adopt a balinese and see if they also don't affect me. Bonus, they are very friendly loving cats.

—Guest Niki

Our Manx mix seems to be hypoallergenic

We're not really sure exactly what our cat is mixed with since we adopted him when his previous owners passed away but his elevated hind quarters and short tail make him appear very manx-like. Anyway, I had allergies to my last tabby cat but have not had any problems with our manx X. My sister is very allergic to cats but when she comes to visit her eyes only itch if she rubs them after petting the cat otherwise she is fine too.

—Guest TFlower

Your best bet

as guest kiddo stated, and i restate, a Light colored, spayed, hypoallergenic breed kitten would be your best bet. I want a cat but my dad's allergic but here is something for ya

—Guest Cat lover Guest

I've done research...

I don't own a cat currently, because my dad is allergic, so recently I have been doing research on hypoallergenic breeds, and one think=g I have found is that Siberians have ben consistently listed as giving people little or no reactions, because they have less of the protein that forms dander. Same with the Russian Blue, though I found less info on them. Also, apparently males give a worse reaction than females, but altered males give less reaction than intact males. Also, apparently light haired cats tend to give less allergic reactions than dark haired cats, though there is no scientific evidence. But my overall impression is that it matters a lot with the cat, so you should spend time with kitty before you get her, and also, I have read about people who become immune to their own cat, after a few months of exposure. Also, allergy shots can clear away the allergies in a few years, so with patience your allergies could be gone for good. Hope this helps. =)

—Guest Kiddo

Long-haired cats better for me

Counter-intuitively, I've had almost no problems with my two long-haired cats (one Himalayan, one mini Maine Coon), although most short-haired cats (especially orange tabbies) cause severe allergies and asthma.

—Guest Leila

Bengal doesn't bother my allergies

After being hospitalized because of cat allergy I'd given up on owning cats. Even my friends Sphinx kitties had me running for my inhaler. Then I met some bengals, after 30 minutes of no reaction I chanced a snuggle. Still not allergy flare. I now have a bengal kitty who sleeps with me and I have no problems with my allergies. But my friends' cats, sphinx and tabbies, still cause me to be terribly sick.

—Guest Sonja1

russian blues & allergies

The Russian Blue produces less FEL D1 than other breeds; My husband has always suffered from rhinitis /hay fever; but when we wanted a housecat, we did some research and decided on Russian Blue. It never caused my husband any sniffles or coughs-- they are best buddies and watch football on TV together from the same armchair. Past the bouncy baby-cat stage ("atomic bomb in kitten form") Russian blues are affectionate but quiet (not like a Siamese) and makes a good indoor companion for an elderly owner who doesn't get out much.

—Guest R Wenner

Manx is a true hypoallergenic cat for us

we have owned three manx cats and one manx-domestic. Now with the half breed the only thing is when she scratches i get red itchy welt but never lasts long. with our pure breeds we have No issues. we have found that with this hybreed, the males seem to have a shorter life span so keep in mind for the cost a female is a longer life span. we have had to males both died before 5 yrs both had a organ failure. we have one girl who is 12 this year and another who is 2. they are very playful and have huge personalities.

—Guest Brooke

Is it the cat or the conditions?

I had a friend growing up who had several cats, but didn't keep a super clean home and the cats were outside as much as they were inside. I was over there a lot, and my eczema was often pretty bad after a night at their place, whether I touched the cats or not. I have had friends with spotless homes, though, and their cats never bothered me. I also had a job at a pet store, and we kept the cages really clean and those kittens never bothered me, but sometimes cats that customers brought in for the pet salon area would have my eyes watering. So I'm kind of wondering, is it the breed? Or is it the management of the animal and the living conditions? At least for people who don't have a real strong reaction to the cats, just watery eyes and itchiness.

—Guest Brooke

Bengal cats an allergies

My son was diagnosed with cat allergies, He had an allergy test because he showed an allergic reaction due to an antibiotic so it showed to my surprise that he IS allergic to cats. We have a pure Bengal Cat before my son was born and he has never had by now any allergy symptoms.

—ACROA

Manx

Tonight was the first time in 20 years that I could pet a cat without severe allergic reactions. Friends have a Manx, I survived all night without incident and here I am looking the breed up online to get one.

—Guest M chief

Bengal did well with my wife

We had a Bengal mix cat and my wife is very allergic to cats. Didn't pay a arm and a leg for it. He was such a moma boy too wanted to be held and pet all the time by my wife. We got him for $25.00 re-homing fee. He was a great cat. I would find a mix Bengal go to the owners home and see how you react to the breed.

—Guest Dennis

other allergins?

I have several cats now and have always lived with cats. I find that our sleek mostly black cat doesn't seem to bother me. My long haired stripey cat often sets me off. In the past I've noticed I got allergic reactions to short haired cats that were not the sleek type. One of them I remember actually seemed like he might almost be allergic to himself. My long haired kitty doesn't always set me off. I've noticed that like black cats often do, mine smells sweet. I have wondered if in my case I am not allergic to the cat dander/saliva, but to whatever else gets caught in the fur.

—Guest catowned

I don't think it has to do with "breed"

I think there are simply cats who do not have much or any FEL D1, because of lineage, or something. Supposedly black cats are the worst. Especially male black cats. But my two recovering feral siblings, both black, one male and one female, one short haired and one long haired, have never caused the slightest reaction for me. I've got more-than-moderate asthma, and it was discovered when I became allergic to cats. I've always had to spend time to build up any immunity to a specific cat's dander, and even then there were effects. Scratches really bothered me, and my face would be itchy from a kitty rubbing it. But the vowels have never caused me *any* reaction, from the first time I met them in the foster home. Which is good, since O loves nothing better than head-butting me, and rubbing up against my chin.

—acter

Maine-Coon!

I know the first thing people w/allergies to cats look for is short short hair as I usually did. Yet despite all of the precautions like not letting my cats sleep or even enter my bedroom, hepa filters, vaccuming frequently etc.I still suffered from my feline friends.Until one day a stray Maine Coon just wandered into my back yard and into my heart as well.At first I didn't think I could keep her bcuz her hair was so thick and long but after some time I realized that I had less of an adverse reaction to her than to my short hair domestic! When I informed my vet of this she wasn't surprised at all! She even advised that I should only have med to long hairs bcuz the dander gets trapped down into the fur thus less on me/floors.In fact I get migraines/severe allergies if I am around a short haired cat for any length of time. My husband has asthma and even he can handle the long hair better.My advice when cat shopping hold a lot of cats and let your body decide.

—KristinSuzanne23