Are There Really Hypoallergenic Cats?

"The Siberian is a medium to large cat first arriving from Russia in 1990. Their overall appearance is of excellent physical condition, strength, balance, power, and alertness, modified by a sweet facial expression. Siberians are a natural breed and reflect the climate in which they developed, with their very dense, medium to long, water repellent triple coat. This coat is accented with a ruff around the neck, full fluffy britches, and a bushy tail, normally carried up with pride but also quite useful to wrap around the face and paws to keep warm.

Although it has not been proven scientifically, many people believe that the Siberian is hypoallergenic. In fact, many allergy sufferers have a sensitivity to FelD1, and some Siberians have a lower than average occurence of FelD1 in their saliva. When a cat licks its fur, the saliva dries and flakes to create the dander to which people are allergic. This can vary from cat to cat and person to person. If you are allergic to cats and want to test your allergic response to Siberians, it is best to test with the Siberian you are thinking of getting. Spend time with it and find out how you react. There are no guarantees, but there is hope for allergy sufferers.

Siberian cats are very personable and want to be near their owners. They enjoy the company of children, dogs, and other animals. They are fearless and easygoing. Not much disturbs their natural calm and equanimity. They seem to know when they are needed for psychological and moral support and spend time with the person who needs that support. They are a quiet breed that expresses itself in a melodic way through sweet mews, trills, chirps, and lots of purring. All types of toys intrigue them. Some learn to play fetch, while others are intrigued by the moving cursor on the computer screen or sit and watch, entranced, as you type. Acrobatic by nature, the Siberian will play hard, often executing amazing somersaults in pursuit of a feather toy. An over enthusiastic kitten may need to be rescued while attempting to climb the bricks on the fireplace or jump to the top of a bookshelf. Siberians stay playful throughout their lives." (Excerpted from the Cat Fancier's Association Siberian web page).

This is Bubba wearing my Sterling Silver Cat pendant that actually looks a lot like him. Stay tuned for more photos and stories of both Bubba and his younger brother Bunny.