No Such thing as Hypo-Allergenic Cats? "The prefix "hypo" means "less than" and thus the word hypoallergenic tells the kitten/cat buyer that the breeder believes the cat to to produce fewer allergens than other cats. How is this measured or regulated - well it isn't. There are no legal regulations defining allergens (let alone allergens in cats), nor are there any guidelines. So the world "hypoallergenic" has very little meaning. Around 2-15% of the worlds population is allergic to cats and 1/3 of these have a cat in their home. Up to 40% of Asthma sufferers are sensitive to cats. A large proportion of cats surrendered to shelters are from allergic pet owners. Up to 25% of Rex cats that are in need of assistance from rescue organizations are there because their new owners cannot cope with their allergic reaction to their Rex cat. Cats bought because of their so-called hypoallergenic nature. Many allergic people report more or less allergic reactions to individual cats. Considerable allergen variation exists between cats and at differing times the same cat. Allergic Symptoms may not occur until there have been several days or weeks of continuous exposure to the cat. There have been reports of both, reductions or an increase in symptoms after long-term exposure to cats. An asthma study by Thomas Platts-Mills, MD, PhD and his colleagues showed that high exposure to cat allergen appears to be protective for some children and a risk factor for others. Male cats produce more allergen than female cats and neutered males produce less than non-neutered males (but not always). Kittens produce less allergen than adult cats. A study of 321 patients with allergies showed that dark-coloured cats where 4 times more likely to cause more sneezing, wheezing and overall allergy-symptom than light-coloured cats did. Another study showed cat allergen levels in domestic living rooms are not related to cat colour or hair length. Woollen sweaters retain more cat allergens than cotton tops even after washing." Interesting Read!
