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Allergy and Hypoallergenic Siberian Cat Issues
SIBERIAN CATS
HYPOALLERGENIC ISSUES - ALLERGY HINTS & TIPS
We do not guarantee our cats to be hypoallergenic.
The Siberian Cat breed being known as an non-allergic pedigreed cat, reduced allergic prebred cat , or as having hypoallergenic fur is something newly associated to them and and as of yet, scientifically unproven. There are other breeds who make hypo allergic claims, the Siberian is not the only one. Perhaps you may want to read up on all these breeds and be sure that the Siberian is the right cat breed for you.
In my opinion, there is no such thing as a allergy free cat (excluding the one developed in the labratory, they hope to clone). Siberians may possibly cause a less allergic reaction than some other breeds, but that would be on a case by case bases. A completely individual issue.  I do not have pet allergies, so it is hard for me to know about them. The generally accepted percentage (unscientically proven) is that there is an 80% allergy success rate with adopted Siberian kitties. I think that number may be slightly higher, with folks willing to do the extra to make the situation work. But unfortunately, no matter what you do, it may simply just not work for you. Every Siberian cattery has successfully placed cats/kittens with allergy sufferers and as far as I know they all have also had failures (possibly an exception somewhere). Your allergy response is strictly an individual thing. I do not believe there is any such thing as an across the board rule that sex or color makes a difference. I know there is a rumor  that females are more hypoallergenic than males. Or that certain colors can make a difference. But in my history of placing Siberians from my cattery these beliefs are a fallacy. I have had to rehouse a kitten due to allergies and it was a female. I have never had to rehouse a male. I have not noticed any visitors having more of a reaction to one color over another.
If want a female,because you believe females don't spray, that again is another fallacy. It is my experience that both un neutered sexes could possibly spray. I believe, most catteries would confirm this fact to you. I know it's always a slim possibility a neutered cat might spray, but that is really pretty rare and almost alway due to the owner delaying alteration. If you stop bad habits BEFORE they start, you shouldn't have to deal with these issues later. Those that do, many times the owner comes to have found a reason why and it is because the cat is upset by something. Spraying is an animal response to the stimulas surrounding the cat, the same as any other body illumination in an undesirable place is. Adjusting the upsetting factor can possibly cause this action to cease.
For every breeder who tells you that one things works better for Allergy relief, there is another who will tell you the opposite.  Each cattery can only tell you what has been their experience, and what works for their cattery. I might ask an individual cattery, which sex or color they have had better success with, or even which pairs might have a better success rate. Then listen to their allergy advice - but understanding this information pertains to and is only involving their own cats! I would do that for each and every cattery I contacted. What really matters is what works for you and not what worked for everyone else.
There are numerous things you can do to help you live with less dander, resulting in less allergic or asthma reactions. If you would like, you will find a list of helpful ideas on the opposite side of this page. Even with doing these helpful things, unfortunately there are always some people who cannot tolerate living with Siberians Cats. It's up to each individual how much your willing to tolerate and how much your willing to do to make this situation work. No guarantees, either way. All you can do is spend time with any cat/kitten of your choice, along with at least one parent and hope for the best. Your spending time with an adult cat to insure you get exposure to the amount of dander that is on a full sized cat, kittens have much less dander proportionally - possibly leading you to believe you have no reaction when indeeed you do.
It is very hard on kitties (both physically and mentally) to be rehoused and can be quite a financial blow to the new owners if the placement doesn't work out. There are no cash refunds, but we are always there for both you and kitties. We will always assist you in rehousing kitty if the need should ever arise. Although it is unlikely you would be able to get the original purchase price from someone else, Siberians tend to always have value. You should be able to recoup some, if not most of your purchase price (dependant on individual situation). But, even if you get the full original price, there will usually be expenses occurred along the way. With this in mind, wouldn't it be better to take a drive up here to have direct comtact with Siberians to see if you are able to be around them comfortably before obtaining one verses finding out later things don't work out? So, unless you have lived with or been around a large number of Siberians without problems, it is best to visit in person.  You should always have personal contact with the cats at the cattery you plan to get a kitten from. It would be of no value to you to get exposure to my cats and then purchase a kitten elsewhere.  I only allow visits to cats for approved adoptive applicants.  I had in the past been allowing visits to test for allergy reactions for others, but have now stopped that practice. It isn't in your best interest nor kitties to visit cats in a place that you don't plan to adopt from. As people can be effected by one line, and not another.  That is why if you should have an undesirable reaction with cats at one cattery, we always suggest at least try at one other cattery before giving up.
Before coming here, the first thing we usually do is send out a cloth our cats have spent lots of time with to prospective kitty owners to see if they react. We will send the cloth out at no charge (within the US and only ask the mailing costs to other countries - we only ask because of the higher postal fees) for those who fill out and return a "Adoption Application." I find the cloth to be a fairly accurate indicator for allergy responses due to the amount of cantact it has had to our Siberians. I put the cloth with the father to rest on for at least few days. He lays and sleeps on it. Then I take it over to mamma cat and babies. Mamma smells daddy on the cloth, so she immediately starts laying on the cloth to cover daddy's scent. The kittens come to lay with momma so everyone is all over it. The kittens like the cloth, so they also play with it and teeth on it. After about week the cloth is pretty well catted up. It's full of cat spit, hair and dander, much more than you would get from normal contact with one cat.  I then put the cloth in a ziplock bag and send it off. I ask people to spend time and close contact with the cloth for a few days, but not to over expose themselves sending their immune system crazy. Example: do not immediately bury you face in cloth, just keep it in a pocket, up a sleeve, in a sock or on a table near by. Have contact with this cloth with caution, as we would not like to see anything bad happen to you!  But, even if you have no reactions to the cloth, we will still REQUIRE you to spend time with our cats before we will allow you to adopt one! Spending time with and having direct contact to the cats, is the best thing to do. We need to be as careful as possible when placing our kittens in allergy homes. It is very traumatic to kitties and a financial blow to new owners if a placement doesn't work out and kitty then has to be rehoused. Because each person's allergy is as individual as they are and allergy reactions to different lines can vary so much, you need to be exposed to the line and cat you choose to own. Once again - it will do you absolutely no good to do well with our cloth/cats and then try to live with a kitten from elsewhere.
Exposure/contact to our cats is done in an enclosed car. If you can sit in a car for 30-60 minutes without a reaction, hopefully should be able to live in close quarters without to much discomfort.  It wouldn't be to often that you would get such a high dose of kitties dander. We can't offer accurate reaction exposure in my home because we have a dog and non-Siberian cat here, besides it isn't as intense as in the car.  Consequently, the best place to test is the car anyway. We usually test with mama cat depending and if that goes well, then  lastly with the kitten(s) of your choice. We respectfully ask that you have normal pet contact with the cats. Such as with holding, petting, snuggling and other normal kitty handling.  We do not advise you do anything out of the ordinary during visitation.  Please do not stick kitty parts in your eyes, mouth or other like places.  If you do so it is against our wishes and at your own risk! You could cause a problem that might not happen within the norm of cat handling/owning. You may also cause undue stress resulting in hurting kitty or yourself! Doing unusual things to/with animals may also cause unpredictable and undesirable reactions from kitties. If you come with children, we ask that the parents supervise their children's handling of pets. Although our kitties are used to be handled by children, not all children know the correct way to handle cats.
If you have pet allergy issues, we recommend you discuss pet visitations and ownership with you Doctor before exposing yourself. None of us would want anyone taking any undo risks with their health. We allow visitations when we have available kittens so that if you should be able to be in close contact with kitties without discomfort, you would be able to select your perspective kitty at the same time. That could save you trips here and if there is a child involved, it would hold the excitement level down to something more tolerable for them.  
Ideas To Help Keep Dander At A Minimum
Although these suggestions are offered to help with living with Siberian cats, they would be helpful for any dander carring furry friend. There are also many things that can be done to help keep dander levels to a minimum, thus keeping allergy reactions to a minimum.  scientific studies have shown that steps can be taken in homes with cats to significantly decrease one's exposure to cat allergen.

*Such as rinsing the cat weekly to get lose dander removed,  
*Keeping nails neatly trimed and filed can help reduse irritations
*Keeping kitties skin moistureised and conditioned so dander (Dry skin) doesn't form as readily. There are rinses, wipes and lotions designed to help with this.  
*A very good premium food helps prevent dander also.   the proper balance of essential fatty acids and nutrients will keep skin and hair in optimal condition, reducing shedding and dander
*There are washing cloths (wipes) for cats that help remove & neutralize dander.
*There is also a new cat bed that attracts dander, so when kitty lays there most of the dander remains on the bed.  So washing the cover often helps reduce the level of dander around.  
*Frequent handwashing after handling kitty, and especially before touching the eyes  helps tremendously!
*Perhaps even changing a shirt after holding kitty.  
*Or putting a blanket/towel on your lap while holding kitty, so that can be removed afterwards and most of the dander would go with it.  
*Dust frequently, using damp cloths to prevent the rerelease of particles into the home environment.  
*It helps to keep the house clean using a vacuum with a HEPA filter,
*Keep pets off your cloth furniture and bed,
*Use dander neutralizers
*Wash all bed linens in hot water (at least 130 degrees) every two weeks
*Brushing helps remove lose dander.
*When ever possible, brush the pet outside to remove dander
*Clean the litter box outside this will keep both dust and dander to a minimum.  Perferably have someone else change the litter. Unscented is less irritating than scented.
*Putting doggie sweaters and similar clothing on a dog can help control the release of dander, reduce shedding, and protects the pet's skin from indoor and outdoor
*Air currents from forced-air heating and air-conditioning will spread the allergens throughout the house. Homes with forced-air heating and/or air-conditioning may be fitted with a central air cleaner. This may remove significant amounts of pet allergens from the home. The air cleaner should be used at least four hours per day.
*Circulate fresh air in your home as much as possible. Open windows, change air filters on furnaces and air conditioners often.
*The pet should be restricted to a few rooms in the home or a level.
*Consider placing plastic covers on the couch or other upholstered furniture  
*Keeping up with allergy medication, if you have a prescription  helps too.
*Use of  over the counter allergy relief medication, including the use of Allergy relief eye drops helps. ~
(Never take medication without first consulting your Physician)

There are so many helpful aides and tips, that most people are able to find a workable situation, only those with the most sever allergies seem to find this to be difficult to overcome.  
I was also told there is an adjustment time when the new kitty comes to live with allergy effected people, after which time you could build up resistance. What I gather is that, after living with kitty a short time you can build up an immunity, wheather it be temporary or permanent.

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