Allergen-Free Cats?

Two years ago, Allerca, a San Diego based biotechnology company, set tongues a wagging when they announced plans to develop cats that they claimed would not produce the protein that causes people with allergic reactions to pet dander to experience the swollen, watery eyes, respiratory distress, skin irritation, sneezing, and nasal congestion that follows their exposure to cats and environments where cats reside.

Now, according to the Southern California company, they are ready to deliver the world's first allergen-free cats.

In June 2006, Allerca announced that they have successfully bred the cats, which they claim are "allergen-free" due to their lack of the protein known as FEL D1. A protein that occurs only in cats, FEL D1 is found in the cats' fur, saliva, urine, and skin glands, according to the New Scientist news service. Furthermore, they add, the FEL D1 protein adheres to furniture, carpets, and clothing, triggering the allergies in sufferers even in the absence of the cats.

Claiming that it has rendered the new breed of cats allergen-free through a process they call genetic divergence, Allerca has announced that they will be ready to deliver the new cats to the public in 2007.

Explaining that Genetic Divergence (GD) is a scientific method of producing the allergen-free felines by identifying cats that naturally posses far less than the usual amount of FEL D1 and breeding them through several generations with other similarly FEL D1 deficient cats, until, according to Allerca, they have produced a breed of cat that effectively lacks the allergy causing protein and are are virtually allergen-free. The biotechnology company also claims that this new science is completely humane. According to Allerca's Website, they have "focused on naturally occurring genetic divergences (GD) already present in cats that do no harm to the cats in any way."

Their claims that they have produced the world's first allergen-free cats have been met with mixed opinion. In an interview with New Scientist, Robert Wood, director of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, confirmed that some cats are, in fact, known to be very low allergen producers, producing approximately one-thousandth of the FEL D1 of a normal cat. However, Wood also cautions many people who experience allergic reactions to cats are exceptionally sensitive to exposure to the allergen, and that even reducing the source of that allergen dramatically may not eliminate the allergic reaction in some sensitive people. Furthermore, according to Wood, approximately 10% of people who suffer from allergic reaction to cats are allergic to a different protein, known as cat albumin, which is released in the urine.

According to their website, however, these new allergen-free cats are "the world's first scientifically-proven hypoallergenic cats," and that they "allow some of the millions of people with feline allergies to finally enjoy the love and companionship of a household pet without suffering from allergic symptoms."

Allerca are offering the cats to consumers for a whopping $3,950 a piece, plus a $995 processing and transportation fee. If you suffer from allergic reactions to cats and their environments and have longed for a for a furry little feline of your own, there may be a possibility on the horizon that will provide you with the opportunity to snuggle up with a fluffy little allergen-free kitty of your own, but, it won't come cheap.