Allergy-Friendly Companions

Siberians are known to produce lower levels of the Fel d1 protein, the primary cause of cat allergies. While no cat is truly hypoallergenic, many people with sensitivities find they can live comfortably with a Siberian, especially when introduced thoughtfully.

Are you or someone in your household an allergy sufferer wondering whether or not you might be ok with a Siberian cat as a pet? We recommend a T-shirt test to assess individual tolerance. Here’s how it works:

• You send us a clean T-shirt and we expose it to the dander and saliva of one of our cats.

• Once this is complete, we send the T-shirt back to you by post.

• The allergic individual wears the shirt for a few hours and monitors for any reaction.
  
  Although there is no better test than living with the cat, this method tends to give clearer results than spending a short time in a home with a cat, which can be misleading, particularly if the cat doesn’t want to spend much time on a strangers knee and/or there are other pets in the house. If you don’t react negatively to the T-shirt test, there’s a good chance you’ll tolerate living with a Siberian cat comfortably.

  Please be aware that it may still be necessary to utilise air filters, hoover regularly and keep on top of hygiene. Neutering has also been shown to reduce fel d1. We’re happy to discuss this further.