14 DAY TRIAL // The world's first naturally bred hypoallergenic cats have recently gone on sale in the US. These cats have been bred by an American pet company called Allerca, which thought about helping allergic people who would desperately want to have a pet in their homes. This is how the company members came with the idea that naturally bred cats, which cause no allergy in their owners would be the solution.
They started to breed the new type of kittens and have recently announced that the lovely, playful animals are out on the market. The producers also announced that despite the fact that the price is rather high ($3,950, about ?2,075) there are many demands and a waiting list has already been made.
It is a known fact that people who suffer from allergies, such as asthma, are not allowed to have cats or dogs around the living place, as the covered-in-fur animals could only aggravate their owners' conditions. But the Allerca researchers identified the exact protein in animals' saliva, hair roots and fur which amplified the severity of human allergies' symptoms.
After tracking down the harmful protein which triggered responses such as persistent sneezing or watery eyes in allergic people, the Allerca team also identified particular variations of the feline D1 gene which caused the production of the protein. This is why researchers chose to start breeding certain cats which were found not to present the particular variations of the D1 gene.
Dr Bernadine Cruz, spokesperson for Allerca, pointed out: "These cats have been naturally bred. Allerca found a naturally occurring divergence in the specific gene sequence and bred from there. Since it is natural, there are no long-term effects to worry about beyond natural evolution."
Tests on the new hypoallergenic cats have been carried out by Dr Sheldon Spector, Allergist and Clinical Professor at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). He found that the animals carefully chosen and naturally bred by the US pet company do not trigger any allergic response in asthmatics. He stated: "This observation exposure shows the Allerca cat has hypoallergenicity. I believe our design is very unique and a first of its kind since observing exposure to a hypoallergenic cat is so new to our field."