03/24/2001
By Steve Steinberg / The Dallas
Morning News
Cat lovers, this is nothing to sneeze at.
The Siberian breed has become hot news among allergy
sufferers who have always wanted a cat but feared the
resulting wheezes, sneezes, hives, watery eyes and other
problems. But some breeders and allergic owners say that
many people who react to other cats can cuddle a
Siberian without trouble.
Melissa Young of Arlington has a 2 1/2-year-old
nephew, Keegan, whose immunodeficiency disorder makes
him allergic to dogs and cats. He's even been
hospitalized a couple of times after reacting to cats.
Yet Keegan, who spends a lot of time at the Young
house, plays with the Youngs' 6-month-old Siberian
without any problem.
"[Keegan] loves the cat, and he cries when he has to
leave," Ms. Young says.
Or take 6-year-old Zach Mays of Wylie, who would
normally react strongly if he held a cat. But he can
play with his 3-month-old Siberian kitten with nothing
more than occasional slightly reddened eyes, says his
mom, Denise Mays.
Allergy sufferers don't love their Siberians just for
the non-sneezy benefits. Siberians are handsome,
round-faced, shaggy cats, and breeders and owners even
ones without allergies cherish the cats for their
affectionate natures.
Pet Lenhard of Melbourne, Fla., said her Siberian,
Grigori, seemed "to know I'm sad right now" after her
husband died in May 1997. Writing to Florida breeder
Lynda Nelson, who sold her Grigori, Ms. Lenhard said:
"He washes my arm or face and gives massages in the
early hours of the morning when I can no longer sleep."
A Nelson client who does have cat allergies, Ernie
Sherman of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., wrote in 1997: "It
is still somewhat difficult to explain how these
beautiful creatures have changed my life. They have
provided me with a special feeling of companionship and
responsibility. They have all the qualities associated
with cats, yet show traits usually attributed to dogs.
They exhibit a loyal and protective behavior which other
people also notice." Mr. Sherman, who has had lifelong
asthma and could not have pets before, now owns four
Siberians.
The cats are said to have regal bearing; they also
carry a pretty majestic price tag. Breeders charge ,
depending on age and other factors. However, that price
may include not only the cat's basic vaccinations, but
spaying and neutering too.
Why many allergy sufferers can own Siberians without
swelling like the Goodyear blimp remains a mystery. Ms.
Nelson says the cat lacks the allergy-triggering Fel d 1
protein usually found in feline saliva and skin
secretions. (Cats spread the allergen around mostly via
their dander.)
Not likely, says Dr. James R. Richards, director of
the Feline Health Center at Cornell University's highly
regarded veterinary school. "I am unaware of any studies
that show that any one breed is less allergenic than
another, or that one breed produces lower levels of Fel
d 1," he says.
A prominent immunologist agrees: "In every cat
species that's been looked at, there's been this major
allergen [Fel d 1] lions, tigers, Sphinx [hairless house
cats]," says Dr. Peyton Eggleston, a researcher in
pulmonary immunology and urban asthma at Johns Hopkins
University's National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences Center.
The fur is flying
Georgia breeder Kathy Wade cites tests done by an
independent Virginia laboratory in 1999. Indoor
Biotechnologies, which does sophisticated tests for the
presence of allergens, sampled fur from four cat breeds
sent to the lab. Ms. Wade says the tests revealed much
lower levels of Fel d 1 among Siberians and Abyssinians
than typical house cats.
Not so fast, the lab says. In its most recent Web
posting, the lab says breeders have misinterpreted the
test results and that the Siberian fur actually showed
high levels of allergen.
"The company would not provide recommendations on pet
ownership based on the results provided under these
circumstances," the lab states. "The results do not
provide convincing scientific data that Siberian cats
are 'hypoallergenic,' and it is unfortunate that they
have been widely disseminated on the Web and used by
breeders of Siberian cats to promote the breed."
Minnesota's Dvorovoi Cattery offers another theory:
"Siberians produce less dander than most cats, probably
due to their oily base fur. Since dander is just dry
skin, the oils in the fur keep the skin from drying
out."
"Interesting thought, but it still seems far-fetched
to me," says Cornell's Dr. Richards. And Dr. Eggleston
flatly rejects the notion: "One of the sources of dander
is the sebaceous glands, which produce the oil."
Some breeders, such as Audrey Oliver of Arizona,
scoff at the whole nonallergenic business: "There's no
such thing as a hypoallergenic cat. ... It's something
that has created a lot of problems for those of us who
are trying to be very honest with people."
She advises allergic customers to bathe the cat at
least once a week, bar it from the bedroom, vacuum and
dust religiously and comb the cat frequently to reduce
shedding.
Dallas allergist Dr. Gary Gross further suggests
using air cleaners with HEPA filters (and using a
HEPA-filter vacuum cleaner as well). He also suggests
calling the Allergy Control Products toll-free line
(1-800-422-DUST) for detailed information on allergen
reduction.
So what's happening?
Can anything, then, explain why Ernie Sherman can
have four Siberians and still draw a breath?
Dr. Eggleston offers a couple of possibilities.
"There's a very significant emotional component to
allergic disease," he says. "It's not that people are
crazy, but in any therapeutic trial for asthma, there's
about a 30 percent placebo rate.
"People have done 'challenge' studies where allergy
sufferers are given allergen solutions to inhale. With
suggestion, you can markedly influence that response."
If you believe strongly enough that you won't be
allergic, he says, you may still have symptoms. They
just won't bother you as much.
He warns, though: "We see a lot of people who are
attached to cats who have lots of chronic illness that
we are absolutely sure is related to their ownership of
cats."
Dr. Eggleston also cites research done by Tom
Platts-Mills of the University of Virginia medical
school. Dr. Platts-Mills' data shows that "at higher
levels of cat allergen exposure, you may actually have
less sensitization. He's suggesting that maybe this is
why people say they can tolerate their cat. ... I'm not
sure about this, but the data is there."
To help allergic prospective customers decide, some
breeders will send them a snip of Siberian fur to put
inside their pillowcase for a few nights' trial if they
can't visit the breeder.
But Dr. Gross calls the pillowcase trial
"ridiculous."
"The best way would be to go and spend some time with
a person who owns one or to go to a breeder and spend
the day there," he says. "Unfortunately, some illnesses
such as asthma are worse at night, so even a negative
daytime trial might not be definitive."
It may all boil down to this: If you hang around a
cat for a few days and it doesn't make you sneeze and
wheeze, that's all you need to know.
"If it works for you, it's fine," says Dr. Eggleston.
"You don't need lots of explanations."
It worked for Lynda Nelson's client Georgi
Brochstein, who sent the breeder this e-mail about his
family's new Siberian:
"She has fit in beautifully and has such a place in
our hearts. Everyone who comes in contact with her is
charmed by her friendly manner and patience around small
children. One small child in particular is my 2-year-old
grandson, Logan, who has had problems with asthma since
he was an infant. The look of pleasure on his face when
he has the kitty in his lap and pets her gives us such
joy because he couldn't understand before why he
couldn't be around animals." |