Hypoallergenic overview
Prospective adopters often email us about Siberian Forest Cats and allergies.
The most common questions are:
– my spouse, child, etc has allergies- a Siberian has no allergens, right?
– do they shed a lot? because we want something that doesn’t shed so it has less allergens
– can we come over and meet the kittens?
Cats are the only species that carries the feline allergen (Fel D1). It is the source of allergic reactions.
There are actually several sources of the Fel D1 allergen that people react to:
- Saliva – This allergen becomes airbourne when the cat grooms itself, and remains on the fur. The skin contains the highest levels
- Tears
- Skin
- Perianal glands contain the highest concentration. The glands secrete the allergen into feces.
Siberians are hypoallergenic. This does not mean they are free from allergens, but rather they have lower levels of the Fel D1 protein allergen than any other breed of cat.
Other hypoallergenic cat breeds:
Balinese (less Fel D1 protein)
Burmese
Cornish Rex
Devon Rex
Oriental Shorthair
Sphynx
Can you send me a fur sample in the mail?
Unfortunately, no because it’s vastly inaccurate.
Here’s an excerpt from siberianresearch.com “Fur Testing has a severe limitation. Individuals with allergic reactions to horses, rabbits and some other animals may have no reaction to fur, but still have severe or dangerous reactions to a low allergen Siberian. In these cases, it is very important to test in person at a cattery.
If you cannot visit our cattery, we can try to send you a fur sample. Testing directly with fur is preferable but you can also try testing with piece of cloth placed where the dam and kittens sleep.
Because allergen levels vary strongly in the Siberian breed, testing is most accurate when using fur from the dam and sire of the kitten you are considering. Allergen levels in fur often rise during late pregnancy and nursing.
Testing kittens can give incorrect reactions, as many people will react to kittens when they do not react to adult Siberians. Nursing kittens can trigger milk and albumin allergies. A common problem is dust from the litter box. Because young kittens tend to play in the litter box, the fur becomes covered in dust and allergens.”
Can we test our allergies to your cats?
This answer is complicated.
Yes, we absolutely encourage visits to our Siberians.
BUT, you must realize that a test in our home will not be a 100% true test.
There are many factors to consider:
First, we live on a hobby farm with other animals. We have chickens, goats, horses, and dogs. We try to make it so you will not come in contact with the other animals, but there may be presence of their allergens in our yard and our home as we interact with our animals, and ride our horses. For obvious reasons, don’t touch any of the other animals before coming into our home.
Second, we not only have Siberians in our home, but also Scottish folds, and 1 spayed himalayan.
Our home has very little carpet. We vacuum and wash our floors regularly, and our home is clean. To minimize allergens from other sources, we isolate a room in our entrance to allow you to visit with and interact with 1 or 2 kittens of your choice. So you generally aren’t in contact with our Scottish folds, but our ducting system may be unknowingly spreading allergens.
Third, our kittens are usually spoken for pretty quickly. So if you are looking to test allergens as soon as babies are ready to be seen in person (around 4-5 weeks of age), they will not be bathed, and will not only contain their allergens as they are starting to clean themselves, but they’ll also contain mom’s allergens, and possibly allergens from their siblings who are licking them.
Plus, allergen levels rise when a cat/kitten is stressed, when mom is nursing babies, in kittens who are just learning to use the litterbox as they play in it, and they are higher in nursing kittens.
How can we maintain a low level of allergens now that we have a Siberian?
1. Clean, clean, clean!
Your home is a major source of residual environmental allergens. Get a good vacuum with a HEPA filter to pick up sources of hair. Dust surfaces, and mop floors regularly. You will notice the biggest difference with this.
2. Bathe your cat
Groom and bathe your Siberian regularly. We bathe our kittens before they leave. We do not use a special shampoo. But you can use a hypoallergenic shampoo if you wish. Bathing every 2-4 weeks will reduce allergens greatly.
3. Consider an air purifier
An air purifier can help reduce levels of allergens in the air
4. Litter boxes
Something people tend to forget is that clay based or clumping cat litter is dusty. This doesn’t help if you have asthma or cat allergies! Some ways to help this is to purchase a different cat litter. There are many good brands on the market to help with this – there’s corn based (nature’s miracle), or wheat based (swheat scoop) litters. There’s also compressed wood pellets that help reduce dust greatly.
Our conclusion and policies
While we have had many people with allergies visit us, and choose a Siberian (approx. 40% of our siberians go to homes with people who have allergies), if given a choice, we will always give preference to a home without allergies.
We absolutely want to be sure that a home for our babies will be their forever home. It’s extremely difficult and stressful on the kitten to leave our home, go to your home, then find a new home again. Plus it’s heartbreaking for you, and family members as kittens bond quickly with their owners.
If we have to take a kitten back (which we will always do rather than asking you to rehome it), we need to isolate the kitten for the protection of our cattery due to possible illnesses or bacteria the kitten may have been exposed to while away, we take baby to the vet for a full check up again, and then we need to find another family for the kitten. At this point, kitten is older… since most people want a younger kitten, it’s often more difficult to place the returned baby, and then we get attached. You will not get a full refund.
If, after doing your research, you would like to test your allergies, please contact us devinepaws@gmail.com
But please appreciate that we work full time to support our cats and family, plus we have an active family with children and a hobby farm on top of the cats and vet visits.
We spend a considerable amount of time talking to people, ensuring a Siberian could be a good fit for them, answering questions, coordinating meeting times, and meeting with people (sometimes multiple times). We try our best to fit you in with our busy schedule, or if you have more severe allergies, we may recommend you meet with an older kitten from a pair we plan to do a repeated breeding with.
A small non-refundable deposit may apply to meet with us and our kittens.