Common Sense, I don't thing people hate cats.
They say that, but are really afraid of them.
Posted on 09/26/2006 1:23:10 AM PDT by CommonSense1stOverParty
If you are allergic to cats, would like to have one and have $3,950 spare, this may be your lucky day. Allerca Inc., California, USA, says it has managed to breed the world's first hypoallergenic cats. People who are allergic to cats and buy one of these will not experience sneezing, red and itchy eyes or asthma - except in very acute cases.
The company says that as soon as the news got out people rushed to place orders and now there is a waiting list.
The company tested thousands of cats, looking for those tiny few that do not have glycoprotein Fel d1. Glycoprotein Fel d1 is what triggers allergic reactions in humans - it can be found in the fur, pelt, saliva, serum, urine, mucous, salivary glands, and hair roots of the cat. On finding a decent number of cats that did not carry glycoprotein Fel d1, the scientists selectively bred them.
The kittens of these selectively chosen cats do not produce human allergic reactions - they are hypoallergenic cats.
The company stressed that their cats are not the result of genetic engineering. About one in 50,000 cats do not carry Glycoprotein Fel d1 - it was a question of finding them and breeding them, there was no genetic modification.
It is estimated that about one third of all humans are allergic to cats. The market for hypoallergenic pets could be huge.
The company says its cats are friendly, playful and affectionate. They have cats in several coat colours and patterns. The coat is "medium-long, with low maintenance and minimal shedding."
I had read Himalyans-- because of their low dander -- a almost allergy free to have. For years I though I was allergic to cats. Then found out I was just allergic to the stuff outdoor cats roll around in.
< filthy_hippy>
Far out, MAAAAAAAAN!
< /filthy_hippy>
If you build a better mousetrap, you get to charge more for it. OK, that is until governmental intrusion takes it's toll.
:^D You have a graphic for everything!
Awwwww, precious kitties! Now everyone can enjoy them!
How's this one?
"Norwegian Forest Cat"
That's the cat I'll next get, if after my old kitty (18 yrs) passes into kitty heaven, I succumb to my natural impulse to get another one. I love their looks. I love the Maine Coon cats also, but they are SO big, the idea of what I would find in the litter box each day intimidates me. :>)
ROFLMAO!! I can see it now... people going to a cat show and asking the breeders how big the turds are, then choosing what breed they get on that basis! ;p
Seriously, though, I like big fluffy cats. With Maine Coons, I suppose the females are fairly big (10 to 12 pounds), but it's usually the male cats who are the whoppers... 20 pounds and then some... although I'm sure sometimes they have Amazon cats!!
We have a Maine Coon and her halfbreed son. They are delightful!
I would love to have a purebred cat someday! I have three long-haired torties who were "happy accidents." One of them has a voice like a Siamese.
I have met at least two Maine Coons in the flesh and also find them delightful. When I have the money for a purebred, I will be considering a Maine Coon, but also maybe a Norwegian Forest Cat, or a Siberian, or a Ragdoll...
Then again, there are a lot of wonderful random-bred, rescue cats out there!
My prettiest tortie (now 5 y.o.) was dumped, along with her three litter sisters, in a box in a parking lot in front of a pet shop when they were only about two weeks old, if that, and very wobbly. I saw her not long after they rescued them, and decided I had to have the tortie (there were two calicos and a black kitten also in the litter, all long-haired and all female), and bought her at seven weeks old.
My other two are from cat rescue organizations. The oldest came to me shaved because her owner had an allergic (maybe also jealous) girlfriend. When we brought her home, she needed our body warmth a lot. She likes people, but is a curmudgeon and doesn't like other cats. She's also declawed and paranoid; I probably shouldn't have adopted her, but she's kind of old to re-home (nine years).
The youngest is a "limousine" cat... built long and low. She has a body that is tortie, but also has some big splotches of color. She sounds like a Siamese. Allegedly one of her siblings, or maybe her mother, looked Siamese. She started out life as a feral, but turned out to like people. She herds the other two around. We joke that she may be part border collie. ;)
My first tortie was a kitten who had been dumped in the alley behind my apartment in about 1989. She was so sweet and so stunningly beautiful that I have liked torties ever since, especially long-haired ones.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAE1Xy2e0cg&mode=related&search=
A video of 2 siberians playing
Heh... the bug must have been like the Energizer Bunny... it sure took a lot of punishment and kept on going!
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