by Janet Merriam
(San Jose, CA, USA)
My daughter and I are allergic to cats, but we have been told that LaPerms could work for us. We REALLY want to be owned by two precious kitties! We live in San Jose, CA. Are there any owners of LaPerms within a couple of hours drive from us? We would love to come do a “sniff” test to see if we can finally fulfill our hearts’ desire!
Thank you!
Janet Merriam
Hi Janet….. thanks for visiting and asking. First, sorry to be a killjoy but I have never – until now! – heard that the LaPerm is hypoallergenic, meaning less likely to cause an allergic reaction in humans. However…they shed less fur than some other cat breeds so this may stop the allergen (see below) spreading from the saliva that is on the fur to the person.
The only cat breeds that I have heard are hypoallergenic are the Siberian cat and the Savannah cat (a wildcat hybrid). The Allerca cats (Life Style Pets) (I am talking about the Ashera cat in their range of cats) are Savannah cats.
Even this is based on anecdotal evidence. The truth is that all cats will to some degree cause an allergic reaction in people who are sensitive to the Fel D1 allergen because all cats have the Fel D1 allergen in their saliva. This allergen is deposited from saliva of the cat onto their fur when grooming.
Also some individual cats are less likely to cause an allergic reaction that others. I think the difference between individual cats is greater than the difference between the breeds.
Unneutered males are potentially more likely to cause an allergic reaction.
Here is some reference material:
If you still want to go and sniff a LaPerm…! You might try joining the LaPerm Yahoo Group. This will enable you to network to discuss with other LaPerm caretakers whether this breed is hypoallergenic and to meet up with a cat – perhaps.
But the best course of action might be to contact Jerrie E Wolfe. She is (was? – she has reduced her cattery) the number one breeder in the USA of the LaPerm and her cattery is in California as far as I remember. Click here to see a link to her cattery and others plus some clubs.
Good Luck
