Many people who buy Siberian cats and kittens do so because someone in their household is allergic to cats.
Since Siberian cats and kittens are hypoallergenic, even people who react badly to normal cats might be able to live happily with a Siberian cat or kitten!
From dictionary.com:
hypo-
1. a prefix appearing in loanwords from Greek,where it meant “under” ( hypostasis); on this model used, especially as opposed to hyper-, in the formation of compound words ( hypothyroid).
Our allergy story:
My husband is allergic to pretty much anything that has fur or feathers—we have friends who we can’t visit in their home because their cats tend to spike his asthma—but I was raised with lots of pets and really missed having them. Cats have always been my favorite—the fluffier the better—so when I learned that there was such a thing as hypoallergenic cats, I did some research. When I discovered that there were FLUFFY hypoallergenic cats, I was sold (and so was Abby, our first Siberian cat... lol).
After living with our first Siberian cat for three years with no allergy or asthma problems whatsoever—and believe me, it isn’t because we try to minimize the allergens in our house… we are NOT people who constantly brush a cat to minimize shedding, or constantly sweep and vacuum up hair that DOES shed—I started thinking it might be nice to have more of them around. I got my chance when a friend told me that her son had a breeding pair of Siberian cats for sale, and now here we are with litters of our very own Siberian kittens for sale!
As for allergies: even with up to six adult Siberian cats and TWELVE Siberian kittens at a time in our house, my husband has no more problems with allergies or asthma than he did before. #colormehappy
Hypoallergenic is not synonymous with non-allergenic, and no breed
is completely non-allergenic. If you’re allergic to cats, a Glycoprotein known as Fel d 1 is the most likely culprit. Cats shed it in their saliva, skin oils, feces, and urine.
This protein is present in all cats; however, some cat breeds produce less of this protein than others, making them hypoallergenic.
After testing fur and saliva samples from Siberian cat breeders, Indoor Biotechnologies in Charlottesville, Virginia, concluded that about 50 percent of Siberians have lower Fel d 1 levels than other cats, and about 15 percent of Siberians have levels so low that they can be safely placed in homes where people have severe allergies to cats.
Allergy Visits
By far the majority of our owners are allergic to cats—some VERY allergic—and we understand if you would like to test your allergies to our cats. Come visit us, pet our cats and kittens, and reassure yourself before making a decision.
Most visits up being around an hour.Please keep in mind that our home currently has five adult Siberians plus however many kittens are here when you visit! If you DON'T react here it is extremely unlikely that you would react to one or two cats in your own home.
While we've never had anyone report a serious reaction, we've had a few people end up with sniffles or watery/itchy eyes after visiting; if you DO have a mild reaction we are happy to schedule another visit with only one or two cats on another day.
Fel d1 (Allergen) Testing
If your allergies are severe enough that you need to know that allergen levels are rock bottom:
we don't currently offer Fel d1 testing, but there are a handful of breeders in the US who specialize in low-allergen cats and who regularly test their cats and kittens.
You can find a list of the breeders using the most accurate testing method on the Kitten Testing website.
(You may find other breeders who claim to do testing, but I don't know of another list... If I find one I'll add it here!)