Hi Alberto,

I did happen to see your question texted into the radio show. Thanks for listening!

I have a really easy answer for you. I’ve never heard of a hypoallergenic cat but I have given some advice that clients have told me works extremely well to avoid reactions in themselves.

The allergy stimulating entities on a cat is the skin cells, dander and hair. This easily gets on the floor, couch and other surfaces. As your hand encounters it and you rub your face, or as it becomes airborne and floats around, it will irritate your eyes, throat, respiratory tract and skin. These things are significantly eliminated if you bathe the cat. I have been told consistently by clients that if they bath their cat, their allergies can disappear for weeks to months and then slowly return, necessitating another bath. You can further reduce this problem by vacuuming on a regular and modest basis. Washing your cat’s bedding, dusting and wiping surfaces will also help. Frequently removing loose hairs with brushes will really reduce debris and hairs left around the house.

Most clients have told me that the bathing alone resolved the problem and it is a natural cure for cat allergies. It would be my recommendation that you get a kitten and very rapidly start exposing it to water so it gets comfortable with baths. A great way of how to give a cat a bath is to start by putting a centimetre of water in the tub and getting their feet wet. Do this many times over days or weeks until you then sprinkle water on the back. You can gradually increase the intensity until you are spooning water on the back. This should get your kitten very comfortable with bathing and will possibly come to enjoy it if you pair it with loving attention or even treats during these episodes.

The regularity of bathing to control your allergies will be different for everyone. The shortest frequency I’ve seen is bathing monthly.

I hope this helps. I’m certain you will see success with this.

Dr. Clayton Greenway