Allergy Info

While no cat is completely NON-allergenic, Siberians are considered HYPOallergenic because they typically have lower levels of Fel d1 (the protein that people tend to be allergic to).

From dictionary.com:

hypo-
1.  a prefix appearing in loanwords from Greek,where it meant “under” ( hypostasis); on this model used,especially as opposed to hyper-, in the formation of compound words ( hypothyroid).

Allergy Visits:

If you are normally allergic to cats we encourage you to come visit us to see if/how you respond to our cats.  We charge $50 for an allergy visit. If you place a deposit within 24 hours we apply that $50 towards your deposit.  If you have  You can book an appointment through our Facebook page: https://fb.com/book/spellboundsiberiancats/ 

Please keep in mind that our home currently has five adult Siberians plus however many kittens are here when you visit! If you DON'T react here it is extremely unlikely that you would react to one or two cats in your own home.  If you DO have a mild reaction we are happy to schedule another visit with only one or two cats on another day.

Fel d1 (Allergen) Testing:

If your allergies are severe enough that you need to know that allergen levels are rock bottom:

we don't currently offer Fel d1 testing, but there are a handful of breeders in the US who specialize in low-allergen cats and who regularly test their cats and kittens.

You can find a list of the breeders using the most accurate testing method on the Kitten Testing website: www.KittenTesting.com.

(You may find other breeders who claim to do testing, but if they aren't listed on this site they are using an old testing method that Kitten Testing stopped using because "...the error rate exceeds 40% in kittens and 20% in adult cats.")

 From KittenTesting.com

Hypoallergenic is not synonymous with non-allergenic, and no breed
is completely non-allergenic.  If you’re allergic to cats, a Glycoprotein known as Fel d 1 is the most likely culprit. Cats shed it in their saliva, skin oils, feces, and urine.

This protein is present in all cats; however, some cat breeds produce less of this protein than others, making them hypoallergenic.

After testing fur and saliva samples from Siberian cat breeders, Indoor Biotechnologies in Charlottesville, Virginia, concluded that about 50 percent of Siberians have lower Fel d 1 levels than other cats, and about 15 percent of Siberianshave levels so low that they can be safely placed in homes where people have severe allergies to cats.

Sources:

Catster
Pet Finder
Pet MD
KittenTesting.com