I want a cat really badly, but my husband is very allergic. I've heard that there are certain breeds of cats that don't have cat dander. Can anyone give me more info on this??

Supposedly Siberians are one less-allergenic breed. However, it's actually a protein in cats' saliva that many people are allergic to rather than simply dander... the cat bathes itself, the saliva/protein are on the cat's hair, and voila, sneezing and itchy eyes ensue.

Make sure your hubby has a trial run with the actual cat you consider bringing home... even with the supposedly less-allergenic breeds, the allergen quotient can vary between individual cats. Get the cat from a reliable established breeder who is willing to take it back if you decide you cannot keep it.

I have also heard that Siberians are hypoallergenic. So I went looking on the web to see why and came up with this information:

http://www.siberiancats.com/allergy.htm

There are many other websites which confirm that it is probably suitable for people with allergies, but they all suggest that one has a trial-run beforehand just in case.

I imagine that they are very expensive. One website put a price of 700 USD!!!!

One of my friends who is very allergic to cats adopted a pedigreed hairless cat worth several thousand dollars from the animal shelter for normal price. I'm sure a shelter would be willing to work with you and figure out what breeds of cats would be good for you.

I've heard that Cornish Rex (or was it Devon Rex?) are good for those with cat allergies. They have very short, curly-ish hair and are hellatiously cute. :D
Sorry I'm not sure which breed it is, but you should be able to find information pretty easily online.

Check out this little guy:
http://made-in-afrika.com/kittens2cats/bi-color.Cornish.Rex.jpg

:smitten:

I've seen Cornish Rexes and Devon Rexes come through shelters. They look like ET, and feel like amazing, velvety suede. I have heard though, that a lot of cat allergies are to the cat's saliva, not it's fur, so some people still have problems with the non-shedding sort. Good luck with your search, anyway.

My friend/neighbor has a Devon Rex that she got for free because a woman at my office bought it for tons of money cause she wanted a cat so bad and her husband was allergic to cats. Well, her husband was Allergic to the Devon Rex as well and this woman ended up having to give her away!! I called my friend and told her, since she had once mentioned she liked how freaky weird Rex cats were, but wouldn't ever BUY a purebred cat (she has 2 shelter cats) and I was like "THIS MAY BE YOUR ONLY OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A HAIRLESS CAT!!" so she took her. Really, she has soft short downy fur. She's a really sweet little thing. She is not, however, hypoallergenic.

Is your husband allergic to dander or fur?

I've heard that Cornish Rex (or was it Devon Rex?) are good for those with cat allergies. They have very short, curly-ish hair and are hellatiously cute. :D
Sorry I'm not sure which breed it is, but you should be able to find information pretty easily online.

Check out this little guy:
http://made-in-afrika.com/kittens2cats/bi-color.Cornish.Rex.jpg

:smitten:

MR. BIGGLESWORTH!!