Cat for someone allergic to cats?

PollyOnAMission

I grew up always having a cat, then when I was around ten years old I suddenly became allergic to my cat and any other cat I encountered. I also became allergic to some dogs, although not as badly as cats.

I've since had pet gerbils, who caused me no problems, so that might be worth looking into if you want a pet. Everyone is different though, so it would be wise for your wife to spend some time in a home with any animal to check the effect. The thing with gerbils etc is they live in a tank, so your wife would not have to come into contact with them. The kids/you could handle them but your wife wouldn't need to; it all depends on the level of allergy if they were just in the room in a tank.

I now have two whippets and am not allergic to them in the slightest, despite being allergic to other dog breeds. I think it's fur trapping dander and dust that does it, so a dog with no undercoat was perfect for me. I still did some tests before bringing them home though; I spent time with the individual dogs (including rubbing their fur near my face!) to make sure I didn't react to them.

There are several dog breeds that may be suitable for your wife, but that doesn't necessarily mean a dog would be the right pet for you. You should choose a dog only if you want a dog specifically, not because you can't have a cat.

Fluff15

Bichon Frises are also hypo-allergenic. My friend has one and she has a friend who is seriously allergic to cats/dogs/nuts/anything, as well as asthmatic (she once had a reaction to somebody breathing on her who'd had peanuts at lunch) but this friend is okay with the Bichon!

Bichons are a lovely breed and small too, so sort of cat sized. Or you could get a giant breed of rabbit, which can stay outdoors and is less maintenance than a dog, but as interactive as a cat/dog. Please do not get another kitten though, there's already so many needing to be rehomed and it would be unfair to push another from pillar to post.

Dimey

This company Bluebell 1000 supplied is new to me.
http://www.allerca.com/html/development.html

Money aside, it seems amazing that they've bred cats and dogs without the Can d1 and Fel d1 allergy genes. Great for allergic humans who want pets.

I do hope that Can d1 and Fel d1 isn't later found to be essential to the animal in some way.

GwylimT

stir_crazy wrote: »

Or any of the "-oodle" cross breeds as I believe they have been bred to produce pets with the qualities of specific breeds but with the poodle fur for the reason above.

Incorrect, a oodle, e.g labradoodle can have labrador like fur which is greasy and sheds like crazy, you don't however know what sort of coat your dog/!!!!! will have until it is an adult. Many people are buying poodle crossbreeds as they incorrectly thing it will not shed and then dumping them in rescue centres when they do, especially as their fur tends to be longer and so the shedding problem is worse than your regular labrador.

ohmochraich

Might be a better idea to establish if its really worth the trauma to your poor wife just because the kids want a cat or if the kids would understand why it's not really a good idea. In someone allergic to fur -short haired or hairless are usually less of a problem than big fluffy long haired beasts. In someone allergic to dander ( as many allergy sufferers are) it is the individual dander ie individual cat and hairless can actually be worse as the fact they have no hair barrier means constant exposure to dander.
As for hypo allergenic cats....there are none....but there are a bunch of charlatans with extensive back stories of ripped off customers who are happy to charge people a bomb for a cat based on rubbish! http://uk.search.yahoo.com/search?p=allerca+pets&fr=ipad&fr2=intlr&ei=UTF-8 lots and lots of info on the infamous Simon Brodie ....the same guy who tried to sell people Asheras for silly money ....when his Asheras were Savannahs! http://messybeast.com/asheras.htm
anyway...I digress! the only real way to find out if you are getting a cat that is not going to cause a problem is trial and error! Which obviously would not be fair to either your wife or the cat!.
How old are your children? Maybe you could encourage them to help out in a cat rescue place etc as then they'd get their time with kitties but your wife wouldn't have the same exposure.
I have 4 cats and I have an allergy to one of their fur ( big fluffy long haired Maine coon boy) - unfortunately the one I react to is the biggest, cuddliest cuddle pest who doesn't care that he makes my eyes stream, my skin itch and makes me sneeze and wheeze.
It also makes a difference what your home furnishings etc are like as carpets, and upholstery hold allergens more and are more difficult to clean than, say, washable wood floors, laminates, leather sofas etc.

Hope you find a solution!

Dimey

Ah so Allerca is all a scam then - thanks ohmochraich.

stir_crazy

Person_one wrote: »

Where did you hear that? Most of them don't breed 'true' yet, so its a complete gamble. They can be anywhere between the two coats, and most I've seen are seriously shaggy!

Incorrect, a oodle, e.g labradoodle can have labrador like fur which is greasy and sheds like crazy, you don't however know what sort of coat your dog/!!!!! will have until it is an adult. Many people are buying poodle crossbreeds as they incorrectly thing it will not shed and then dumping them in rescue centres when they do, especially as their fur tends to be longer and so the shedding problem is worse than your regular labrador.

I'm sure it was when they first became popular it was mentioned as being one of the benefits of them, I dont know where I heard it as it just seemed to be one of the things that was said at the time. I don't know a lot of dog people so the only doodle I've seen was my SIL's and it had the poodle fur so didn't shed. My apologies as it seems to be the wrong impression that I had.

ETA: a quick google seach brought up a number of websites citing that these -oodle breeds are hypoallergenic... it seems that there is a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation out there for potential owners.

catkins

stir_crazy wrote: »

I'm sure it was when they first became popular it was mentioned as being one of the benefits of them, I dont know where I heard it as it just seemed to be one of the things that was said at the time. I don't know a lot of dog people so the only doodle I've seen was my SIL's and it had the poodle fur so didn't shed. My apologies as it seems to be the wrong impression that I had.

ETA: a quick google seach brought up a number of websites citing that these -oodle breeds are hypoallergenic... it seems that there is a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation out there for potential owners.

Yes, that's the problem. People think they don't shed so are ideal for people with allergies.

People get them, often having been assured by the breeder that they will not shed and often as a puupy they don't. Once the adult coat starts coming through though I it can be an entirely different matter and they can start shedding (often a lot!). Then people get rid of them.

Also, even with a breed that does not shed people can be allergic to them. My brother in law had had dogs of his own (collie, labrador and a mongrel) and was fine with all of them. A friend of his has a bichon frise and my brother in law cannot go to his house at all, even if the dog is not there and the house has been hovered to within an inch of its life! His eyes swell up, he can't breathe, starts wheezing etc.

cef66

I have a son who is allergic to cats and asthmatic.We also have 2 rabbits, one long haired, who cause him no problems at all as they live outside. When they were baby rabbits he used to bring them into the house for short periods and just remembered to not rub his eyes when playing with them and wash his hands afterwards.

Bluebell1000

Interesting to read a bit more about Allerca.

The science behind the idea seems sound though, even if the company itself has had issues. (Note my husband and I both studied genetics). We had been wondering if it were possible to develop a screening method that was cheap and quick, to see which cats produced high FEL d1 levels and which had lower levels - it does seem clear that some cats are less allergenic than others. Anyway, I think we have too many other projects going on at the moment, but maybe one day...