garddwr Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Our cat is going to have kittens, and we would like to keep one of them. We don't have any cat allergies among people living in the home, but many extended family members do. That being said, none of them have significant trouble with our particular cat--I have had comments from multiple people that they can be in our home/even pet the cat without experiencing significant allergic reactions. We seem to have lucked out and found a relatively hypoallergenic cat. She's not a particular breed--she has medium long, thick, black hair. I'm wondering if there is any way I could figure out which if any of the kittens might take after their mother when it comes to allergen production. I know there is a protein in cat saliva that is often blamed for cat allergies--would it be possible to test a kitten to find out (without a ridiculous expense, that is)? If she happens to have a female kitten who looks just like her I would absolutely go for that one, hoping the genes would play out right. The cat she mated with looks nothing like her--short haired, two-colored. I don't trust his genes at all :-) He hung out on our back porch for days so we got plenty of observation time! We definitely want a female, as I have read that males have significantly higher allergen production. We have postponed spaying this cat in hopes of getting a kitten we could keep--when we got her as a kitten last year we actually brought her sister home with her, but the sister ate something poisonous and died :-( I promised my kids we would try for kittens so we could keep one. I just don't want to make our home unfriendly to our cat-allergic relatives. --Sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 I would look for one with a similiar coat and hope for the best. We have had reasonably good luck with our cat as well - mostly because he is not a heavy shedder. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Long haired cats are supposed to be less allergenic, so I'd pick the fluffiest. It's a gamble if you don't know the breed, however. My new kitten looked long haired at 7 weeks but by 10-12 he developed more of a short haired coat. We still love him, but I wouldn't have picked him if I had known. He makes my parents sneeze and my long haired kitty never bothers them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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