Allergy Free Cats May Be the Answer to Some Prayers

When I think about a perfect moment, I think about curling up on my sofa in front of a lit fireplace (if it is chilly) a good book in my hands and curled up beside me my fluffy purring kitty cat, Bright Eyes. I know I am one of the lucky ones. I have allergies. But knock on wood one of them is not an allergy to my furry friends, namely cats. Yet, I realize many people faces this problem. Some are lucky and pop a pill or two and the allergies are gone. Other people just can’t be around cats or dogs at all. Many of these allergy people would long to own their own cat. Now thanks to science they can. Yes, now science has breed a new form of cats that are allergy free.

First, I must point out that these cats are expensive. You won’t be able to go down to your local pet store and buy one. To buy one, you have to be put on a waiting list and you better have a spare $3,950 ready to spend.

The company that has breed the cats is Allergic Inc. They are located in California.

The company claims that these hypoallergic cats will not cause allergic reactions such as sneezing, red itchy eyes or asthma like symptoms, unlike your asthma is a really acute cases.

Cat allergies are caused by a protein within cats. This protein is called Fel D1 Glycoprotein. This protein is found in most cats. It is located in the cat’s saliva, serum, urine, mucous, salivary glands and hair roots.

The company Allergic Inc, did not alter any cats. Their hypoallergic cats were not engineered in the lab. What they did was simple, yet it wasn’t an easy task. Of about every 50,000 cats you will find every one of these cats but possibly one that has the Fel D1 protein. What they did was go looking for the few without that protein. Then they bred the cats. The kittens that was produced did not have the Fel D1 protein and they do not cause allergic reactions to humans.

Yet, the company and their scientists remain firm that these cats are like every other cat, minus the Fel D1 protein. They are playful. They are affectionate. They are colorful. They have kittens in all colors and color patterns. The kittens also have medium long that offers little shedding and little maintenance.

It is estimated that about one third of all humans are allergic to cats. This is a huge market for Allergic Inc. They estimate that by 2007 they will be able to market about 200,000 cats a year.

As soon as the news broke, many people showed a real interest in owning one of these cats. The company has had orders from all across the world and people are willing to pay the price. Right now, people who are interested has to put up a deposit of $500 per cat and then they are put on a waiting list. When they receive their cat, the cat will be spayed or neutered, to keep the cat from mating with a normal cat that still has the Fel D1 gene.

Some animal lovers say that Allergic Inc. and the other companies that will soon be mimicking their work are exploiting cats. But the scientists claim that no harm comes to the cats by removing the Fed d1 protein. The removal of the gene just makes it easier for more humans to have the chance to love a cat without all the itching and sneezing.

Of course, it wouldn’t hurt if some government agency keeps a close eye on companies like these. Right now, they do not have any guidelines they have to follow.

If you are a cat lover, with allergies and you have the money, I am sure you would love to have one of these new furry creatures. I know I would.

In the future, the company hopes to breed some allergy free dogs, too.