Now I know some of you will think the best way to answer this question is ‘a dog’. But would you believe there are actually cat breeds out there that ARE best recommended when it comes to cat allergy sufferers? This is certainly good news for cat lovers when their body doesn’t share the same love for felines!

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The allergy sufferer isn’t allergic to the cat itself, but more to the protein that the cat produces. These proteins are usually found in their skin, urine and saliva. They can be known scientifically as the Fel D series, ranging from Fel D 1 to Fel D 8, with D 1 and D 4 the most important. These proteins or allergens are most commonly spread problematically when the cat sheds its fur. This way the allergen then stays in the air, furniture and the surrounding area for months to come, ultimately causing a problem for the allergy sufferer.

It’s impossible to find such a cat that does not secrete this allergen…

HOWEVER, there are breeds of cat out there that produce less of this than others. These breeds are less common than the typical domestic cat that we all know and love. But there are still plenty available and known to many cat lovers; some of these breeds include Sphynx, Burmese, Devon Rex, Siberian, Russian Blue, Bengal, and the list goes on! Whilst these cats are thought to produce the same amount of protein, they do however shed less fur and skin than other cat breeds. This means they shed less of the allergen, and in-turn are less problematic for allergy sufferers.

It is however thought that a female cat produces less of the actual protein itself when compared to males; especially the typical ‘tomcat’; so this is also something to bear in mind if you or one of your household is an allergy sufferer.

There are also ways in which the impact of a cat allergy can be reduced in a home

Some of these way include:

  • Grooming your cat on a daily basis can greatly reduce the amount of shed around your house. Which effectively means less allergen around your house.
  • A thorough hoover and clean of your house at least once a day; again this can significantly reduce the amount of allergen in your house by way of you extracting it.
  • Regularly cleaning items such as bed linen and furniture can also help in the realm of cleaning and extracting the allergen from the house.
  • It’s also thought that by restricting your cat access to your bedroom (where you likely spend a large portion of your time when at home) can greatly reduce allergy symptoms.
  • Lastly (but by no means least!), air purifiers can prove to be quite effective by reducing allergens floating in the air itself.

It’s thought that it is best to follow all these steps quite religiously in order to achieve the best result in reducing allergy symptoms. Other benefits to this include some extra bonding time with your feline and a very clean house!

Severity of allergies can vary between people 

Sometimes with all the will, cleaning and air purifiers in the world, allergy sufferers do still really struggle. For people needing that extra help, there is also medication available. However we would always recommend a human(!) doctor’s advice prior to adopting this approach. It is also worth noting that it is possible for some individuals to build up a natural tolerance to the allergen that their cat produces over time. However we would certainly never recommend to put yourself into harm’s way in order to achieve this!

Prevention is perhaps the best approach

Overall, it’s important to be aware that an allergy sufferer would unfortunately never be able to achieve the ‘hypoallergenic cat’. Prevention is usually key in being the most effective way to reduce your exposure to the allergen. If you are a cat allergy sufferer with a cat, or are thinking of getting a cat, and would like some more advice on what to do or how to deal with a particular situation, we would recommend you speak with your doctor and to your local vets who will always be happy to help.