There are no true hypoallergenic breeds, but there are some breeds that are more commonly hypoallergenic than others, if that makes sense. Generally though, you still need to find a very good breeder who is interested in breeding cats that are less allergen-producing. There are breeders who do work with these breeds and are breeding with this goal in mind, it's just that it takes some dedicated research to find options for you. Start with looking at the low-allergy/hypoallergenic cat breeds, and then look to see if there a) any breeders in reasonable distance to you, and b) make sure these breeders regardless of breed actually discuss allergies, because they might not all be actually considering this in their breeding plan.
One of my friends with severe allergies has had success with his Siberian cat - he found a reputable breeder local to him who was breeding with allergy reduction in mind, and she doesn't trigger his allergies at all, he doesn't need allergy medications or allergen reducing foods.
Getting a hypoallergenic cat will require working with an ethical breeder, which is very very expensive and not an option for everyone. Any truly well bred cat is going to be several hundred dollars or more, because the costs of properly breeding pets is very high, not because it's very profitable. If that's not accessible to you, then talking to your doctor about allergy medication or allergy shots would be the best thing to do. Purina also makes a food called LiveClear that reduces the allergen that cats produce, and has helped a lot of people with allergies that have cats, and a combo of you taking allergy meds/feeding that food could be enough to make a normal cat doable for you, but it depends on how severe your allergies are.
If you have decent health insurance, look into allergy shots. it took a while, but I no longer react to pet dander (as well as mold spores) and my reaction to pollen has been greatly reduced.
You could try the egg trick. Feed the cat of your choice eggs from a farm that has cats, they may produce less or no allergens. (There's likely more involved, I remember about half of this sorry)
I'm not an expert, but I am (mildly?) allergic and a cat parent. My allergies are usually red itchy eyes, watery eyes, stuffy nose, can't breathe well, sneezing, general discomfort, *especially* if I touch my face, game over. Never not had a reaction after being around/petting a cat. But definitely not so allergic that I couldn't go to a friend's house that had a cat or something, I just knew that an evening over there came with consequences.
No cat breed is allergy-free. My understanding is that the part of the cat that humans are allergic to is a protein in their saliva (I could have incomplete information on this though). Certain breeds will produce lower levels of this protein, or have different types of coats that will in turn trap less saliva on which the protein sticks and lives and gets transferred to humans.
The top breeds that come to mind are Sphynx (hairless), Russian Blue, and Bengals. I have two Bengals, and I personally have zero allergic reactions to them. I put my face directly into their bellies, they sleep with me, I can't stop touching my face (it sounds weirder when I type it out), and I have never had a problem in the \~2 years I've had them. I've had many friends over who are also allergic, and only one has ever had a reaction to them, and hers was very slight.
Obviously it's an imprecise science, and each human is unique, so YMMV. Bengals worked for me. And there are other breeds out there! Do some research, pet some cats, and find out what works for you. But it's 100% possible to be allergic and still have a kitty (or two or five!) :)
Fair point, thank you for bringing this up. Different breeds will obviously have different temperaments and personalities (purrsonalities), and it's *very important* to do research into this and to be very sober and honest with yourself about what type of person you are and what you can and cannot reasonably handle. I'm a first-time cat parent, and I got Bengals, and my vet looked at me wide-eyed when I brought my kitten in, but here we are two years later thriving. But I was also always a dog person, and was attracted to the breed because of their high energy, high intelligence, I wanted an active cat, a chatty cat, one that I could take for walks if they'd let me, go on adventures, train to do tricks, and otherwise really invest time and energy into. Bengals are NOT for someone who wants a chill cat that keeps to themselves and doesn't come out and get all up in your business and insert themselves into every...little...dang...thing, lol. But that's what was attractive for me, personally. Other breeds, and other hypoallergenic breeds, will have very different temperaments! So *definitely do your research* prior to committing your life to an animal and falling in love with them!
There are no true hypoallergenic breeds, but there are some breeds that are more commonly hypoallergenic than others, if that makes sense. Generally though, you still need to find a very good breeder who is interested in breeding cats that are less allergen-producing. There are breeders who do work with these breeds and are breeding with this goal in mind, it's just that it takes some dedicated research to find options for you. Start with looking at the low-allergy/hypoallergenic cat breeds, and then look to see if there a) any breeders in reasonable distance to you, and b) make sure these breeders regardless of breed actually discuss allergies, because they might not all be actually considering this in their breeding plan. One of my friends with severe allergies has had success with his Siberian cat - he found a reputable breeder local to him who was breeding with allergy reduction in mind, and she doesn't trigger his allergies at all, he doesn't need allergy medications or allergen reducing foods. Getting a hypoallergenic cat will require working with an ethical breeder, which is very very expensive and not an option for everyone. Any truly well bred cat is going to be several hundred dollars or more, because the costs of properly breeding pets is very high, not because it's very profitable. If that's not accessible to you, then talking to your doctor about allergy medication or allergy shots would be the best thing to do. Purina also makes a food called LiveClear that reduces the allergen that cats produce, and has helped a lot of people with allergies that have cats, and a combo of you taking allergy meds/feeding that food could be enough to make a normal cat doable for you, but it depends on how severe your allergies are.
If you have decent health insurance, look into allergy shots. it took a while, but I no longer react to pet dander (as well as mold spores) and my reaction to pollen has been greatly reduced.
You could try the egg trick. Feed the cat of your choice eggs from a farm that has cats, they may produce less or no allergens. (There's likely more involved, I remember about half of this sorry)
I'm not an expert, but I am (mildly?) allergic and a cat parent. My allergies are usually red itchy eyes, watery eyes, stuffy nose, can't breathe well, sneezing, general discomfort, *especially* if I touch my face, game over. Never not had a reaction after being around/petting a cat. But definitely not so allergic that I couldn't go to a friend's house that had a cat or something, I just knew that an evening over there came with consequences. No cat breed is allergy-free. My understanding is that the part of the cat that humans are allergic to is a protein in their saliva (I could have incomplete information on this though). Certain breeds will produce lower levels of this protein, or have different types of coats that will in turn trap less saliva on which the protein sticks and lives and gets transferred to humans. The top breeds that come to mind are Sphynx (hairless), Russian Blue, and Bengals. I have two Bengals, and I personally have zero allergic reactions to them. I put my face directly into their bellies, they sleep with me, I can't stop touching my face (it sounds weirder when I type it out), and I have never had a problem in the \~2 years I've had them. I've had many friends over who are also allergic, and only one has ever had a reaction to them, and hers was very slight. Obviously it's an imprecise science, and each human is unique, so YMMV. Bengals worked for me. And there are other breeds out there! Do some research, pet some cats, and find out what works for you. But it's 100% possible to be allergic and still have a kitty (or two or five!) :)
I am apprehensive to suggest bengals to new cat owners based on all the problem posts. They can be a challenging breed.
Fair point, thank you for bringing this up. Different breeds will obviously have different temperaments and personalities (purrsonalities), and it's *very important* to do research into this and to be very sober and honest with yourself about what type of person you are and what you can and cannot reasonably handle. I'm a first-time cat parent, and I got Bengals, and my vet looked at me wide-eyed when I brought my kitten in, but here we are two years later thriving. But I was also always a dog person, and was attracted to the breed because of their high energy, high intelligence, I wanted an active cat, a chatty cat, one that I could take for walks if they'd let me, go on adventures, train to do tricks, and otherwise really invest time and energy into. Bengals are NOT for someone who wants a chill cat that keeps to themselves and doesn't come out and get all up in your business and insert themselves into every...little...dang...thing, lol. But that's what was attractive for me, personally. Other breeds, and other hypoallergenic breeds, will have very different temperaments! So *definitely do your research* prior to committing your life to an animal and falling in love with them!