CNN has a story about a company in California taking deposits on
genetically engineered hypoallergenic kittens to become available in
2007 ... at US$3500 each, neutered.
<http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/10/27/biotechnology.cats/index.html>

--
T.E.D. (tdavis@gearbox.maem.umr.edu)

I'm totally allergic to cats, but some cats are definitely worse than
others.  Short haired cats cause way fewer problems for me than long
haired ones do - maybe it's because there's less hair to collect
dander? I don't think that my problem is with the saliva - cats
licking my face is no problem, but petting cats and then touching my
face before washing my hands is a recipe for hours of watering,
itching eyes and a runny nose.

Allergist told me to get rid of my cat.  I told him to get lost.  He
told me to ban it from the bedroom.  I asked how he'd respond if his
wife told him that.  He told me then that if I insisted on having the
cat, and letting it in the bedroom, that I was going to...brace
yourselves...BATHE the cat every other day.

I nearly fell out of my chair laughing.  "It's clear that you've never
owned a cat" I said. "Oh, I'm sure it's no problem," he said. "Just do
it like you would with a dog.  Put it on a leash and take it out onto
the driveway and hose it off. I'm sure it will be fine."

It was the funniest thing I'd heard all month, maybe all year...

Things that help if you insist on letting the cat share the bedroom
(heh heh: try sharing the pillow!):  prescription antihistamines
(better living through chemistry!!).  If you get itchy eyes, there is
a prescription antihistamine eyedrop that is safe to use daily
(Patanol) and works very, very well for me (and is safe for contact
lens wearers too). One thing that seems to make a HUGE difference for
me is to run a HEPA air filter in the bedroom next to the bed.  I
don't have a huge one, the tabletop versions seem to work pretty well
for me, and I sure notice a difference when I don't run it.

You're right. The reason I've got two Devon Rex cats today, is that a friend
of mine had a landlord who was allergic to cats. So if she wanted to have a
cat, it had to be one he could accept. She found a breeder having Devon Rex
cats. Success!

But what had this got to do with me and my choice of cats? Well, my wife
accompanied our friend when she was picking up the cat from the breeder, she
fell in love with another kitten from the litter and... The rest is some
kind of history.

My wife and I split up, and we now have two Devons each, and we look after
each other's cats when necessary. We just love them because of their temper
and their beauty and... Well, I'm absolutely sold!

Hans

One of those low allergy cat breeds sounds pretty ideal. Why don't you
see if you can play with one of them and how you react? You really
should consider getting diagnosed, that sounds like good advice.

I can't imagine my life without my kitty and I do suffer from mild
allergies. I am forced to be disciplined and vacuum every day. That
helps a lot and it's good exercise. I've heard good things about the
Roomba Robot Vacuums that seek dirt. They're also supposed to be good on
pet hair and then you don't have to do the work and have more time to
play with your new kitten.