Siberian cats - hypoallergenic!
Please let us explain all the facts about the hypoallergenic qualities of the siberian cat.
Hypo means less. Hypoallergenic means less allergenic, not non-allergenic.
It is a very common misunderstanding for people with cat allergies to think they can definitely have a siberian cat. This is simply not true. The majority of allergic people is very likely able to tolerate a siberian, but there still are people that get an allergic reaction to a siberian cat.
There is NO such thing as a non allergic cat.
Every cat has allergen levels. There is no such thing as a non-allergic cat. A common misconception is that allergen levels is caused by cat hair, which is why a lot of people do not believe a long hair breed, such as the siberian cat, can be hypo allergenic. Cats produce a protein in their saliva called Fel-D1. This protein contains the allergen levels. Because the cat grooms itself, the saliva, and with that the Fel-D1 protein ends up on the coat, and causes dander.
Siberians produce much less of this Fel-D1 allergen protein then any other breed. Because of this, the siberian cat is often a good choice of allergy sufferers.
It is not true that siberian females produce less allergen levels then males.
Whoever made up the story that females are lower in allergen levels then males is full of it. There is no research that backs that up. Allergen levels are different for every cat and mostly has to do with the lineage of the cat, but nothing with gender. In fact, my males are lower in allergen levels then any of my females, so that disproves the theory that allergen levels are gender related. They are not, but it is often used as a sales tool.
I get a lot of questions about people that want me to send them a fur sample, or that want to send me a T-shirt so I can let the cats sleep on it and then send it back. As much as I would like to accommodate those requests, it simply has no use. As soon as the hair is brushed off, the allergen levels start to wear off immediately. By the time it arrives at your house after 2-3 days in the mail, the allergen levels are down to zero, and a fur sample test will not give you an accurate reading on whether you possibly could have a siberian cat or not.
Then there is the issue of adjustment. Let's use an example. When you go to a cattery and you successfully hugged a bunch of siberians without any problems, you are probably in heaven and will purchase a kitten. However, when you take the kitten home, all of a sudden after a few days you experience some sneezing, watery eyes and you start itching. You probably call the breeder in panic that you are highly allergic and that you need to bring the kitten back. What in the world happened here?
Your body needs time to adjust, it's as simple as that. You go from living in a house with clean air, to living in a house that has low levels of cat dander in the air. Your body is not used to that, and needs a few weeks to adjust. This means you can experience some allergy symptoms for the first few weeks, but eventually it will taper off and you will be fine. Give yourself and your body some time to adjust to the kitten. As long as the allergy symptoms remain minor, you will be fine. If you get violently ill , you need to call the breeder immediately and return the kitten.
To make a long story very short, allergy testing doesn’t give you an accurate reading, simply because it’s a very temporary exposure to dander. I have had people here that had a major allergic reaction, took a kitten home anyway and were fine after a week or 2. I have had people that were completely fine here, and got an allergic reaction when they took the kitten home and were exposed to the allergen levels long term, but they too were fine after about a month. It works like this: if you have an allergic person, the body has to adjust to long term exposure, no matter what.
Siberians all have some degree of allergen levels, and the body needs time to adjust to that. In most cases, a kitten goes home and for about 4-6 weeks the allergic person’s body is adjusting and they may have allergy symptoms. After a 4-6 weeks they should be gone, or at least significantly taper off. When the cat starts shedding it may temporarily flare up again. An allergy test will tell you what reaction you will have short term, but to know long term, you need to have a siberian in your house for at least a month, and be prepared to give it that much time to adjust to the cat’s allergen levels.
Mailed in fur samples won’t do any good, by the time it arrives the allergen levels have died down, so that test is not accurate at all. You can do an allergy test in the car here, where I put a few siberians in the car for a few hours, and then you can sit in there too with them to play with them and see what happens. However, that is allergen overdose, so often people do get a reaction and think they can not have a siberian, while they probably can.
I can give you wonderful ‘sales” stories about how you can have a siberian and how a fur sample will tell you whether you are allergic or not, just to sell you a kitten, but it’s simply not true. The only way to truly know is to have one living in your house for more then a month. I wish it was easier, but the truth of the matter is that the outcome of any allergy test is inaccurate even though some breeders will not tell you that because they want to make a quick sale.
If you are allergic, and you are planning on buying a siberian kitten from us, make sure we know about this. There will be a special clause in the contract in case the placing of a kitten does not work out due to allergies.
We do not allow "allergy visits". Besides the fact that allergy testing has no use, in this day in time it is also dangerous to invite people in your home. Especially in Corona time.
