Global Courant
Siberian cats are called hypoallergenic. For me this is true. The definition of hypoallergenic is lower in allergens, not allergy free. Every cat is different, just like every person. We have 5 breeding cats here at Kings Choice Siberians and one neuter plus kittens occasionally. I am highly allergic (hives, asthma, allergy, etc.) complete with the allergist test to prove it. I can live with 2, no problems. So much, I need some light medication. I bathe them every 2 – 4 weeks – Siberians can be bathed and in fact many enjoy the water, it removes a small amount of Fel d1 and then I always pamper myself by burying my face in their clean dry fur. In my house I have no curtains, only blinds and carpets are thrown alone. I also don’t let my cats sleep in my personal bedroom, to create a free zone. Finally, I assign the litter service to others and have rolling self-cleaning litter boxes in case I end up doing it. I’m doing fine with all that. Temporarily, until the kittens are housed – we have 10. I’m sitting here just fine typing this right now, springtime no less, not scratching my eyes as if I’d be in the house of someone with only one house cat. Every person and cat is different. I get a slight itch when a kitten’s claw pierces me, but they’re very young and covered in mommy’s saliva. Just a touch of Benadryl cream and it’s gone.
Vacuum, bathe them and invest in a real purebred Siberian – not a shelter cat. Frankly, it is very doubtful whether there are purebred Siberians in shelters. If you’re willing to occasionally take meds and/or Benadryl cream for scratches (assuming you have a very high allergy like me), you should be fine. Customers with fewer allergies tell me they have no symptoms at all. As I said, all cats and people are different. We only breed traditional Siberians. The difference between a traditional and “not” is that the others have a color point gene. They got this somewhere in their background by crossing over to the Siamese. I shy away from this as I don’t want to add a potential allergy level to what is already a great breed. They have been called Nevas, Neva Masquerade, Color Point Siberians, CP or even Lynx – they are all the same. Some allergy sufferers also claim they do well with the Nevas, but to me it’s not worth the risk. You can recognize them immediately by their white color and Siamese-style markings. Traditional Siberians come in every tabby color and many solids. Cinnamon, lilac and fawn are the only disallowed colors. The reason for that is that it was produced again through outcrosses. They are not natural traditional colors for Siberians.
I have people asking me about Fel d1 testing. This is not a good way to choose your Siberian. The testing facility will tell you that they have a 50% margin of error on perfect tests. That failure rate actually increases with any errors in the collection. This makes the test worthless. It’s also very expensive. Breeders offer these numbers more to please the public than for any real value. Fur testing is also useless because the breeder could have bathed the cat first. Bathing with the month before invalidates the test. Another cat may have licked the test cat transmitting saliva with Fel d1. So how does this come down? Well, NOTHING is allergy free. They recently discovered that people can be allergic to cold air. So saying allergy free is lying. However, as I said hypoallergenic means fewer allergens. Yes, it is possible for a Siberian to be hypoallergenic. Even a severe allergy sufferer like me can live happily with my own cat. You must be willing to put in the footwork to research your cattery of choice, to pay the expenses involved in breeding such a marvel, and to take precautions so that you can live a long and happy life with a great pet that often lives past 20 years. If you’ve always wanted a cat – it’s your dearest desire and you’d be willing and responsible, then I’d advise you to check out the breed. It might be just what you’ve always wanted.
Siberian cats – The myth of the allergy-free cat
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