The Best Cats for Asthmatics

Owning a cat is one of life’s greatest pleasures. They bring their families unconditional love and constant random moments of joy. Unfortunately, their fur can sometimes cause irritation in humans or even trigger asthma attacks.

Though this means that owning a cat will be more difficult for asthmatics, it doesn’t mean it is impossible. There are some breeds of cats that are perfect for this situation. These breeds shed less and produce less dander, which is the leading cause of cat related allergy and asthma.

This weird video has some good content, and after that I’ll suggest the 5 breeds that I think are good choices if you have asthma. Note –  The woman in the video is talking about fel d 1 – the protein in cats that is the main cause of reactions in human.

Here is our simple guide to some of the cat breeds that are known for being hypoallergenic, and would be a great addition to an asthmatic home.

Balinese – These cats are often referred to as a “longhaired Siamese.” They have long, beautiful coats, which would make anyone with asthma nervous.  However, these cats are known to produce less Fel d 1 – the irritating protein that causes allergic reactions. They’ll still shed some fur, but breathing it in or being near their dander won’t cause the kind of allergic reaction or difficulty breathing that being around other cat dander will trigger.

Russian Blue – These cats pack a double dose of helpful fur. They not only produce less of the allergy causing protein, but their fur also doesn’t shed.  This means that they are less likely to cause allergic reactions, or trigger asthma attacks in those who live with them.  On top of that, they’re also extremely cute and require very little grooming maintenance.

Bengal – Bengals aren’t known for producing less of that pesky protein, but the answer to their magic lies on their fur. Unlike many cats, Bengals have a very special coat that doesn’t require much grooming on their part, which means their fur doesn’t contain much of their protein-packed saliva.  In addition to this, they also don’t shed very much, meaning you won’t find yourself having much of a reaction when living with this gorgeous breed. They can be very expensive.

Devon Rex and Cornish Rex – These cats are very closely related and are great in asthmatic homes because they have very little top coat, and instead mostly have a thin, soft down coat. This sheds very little, and requires little cleaning from the cat, keeping their asthmatic owners happy.

Sphynx – When it comes to being a great cat to have around those who suffer from asthma and cat allergies, this is the one. This cat doesn’t shed, because it doesn’t have any hair.  This means that these cats don’t have any means of spreading around it’s allergy triggering protein around the home, and there’s no grooming you have to worry about.

Regardless of which cat you settle on, it’s important to remember some additional facts about cats and their relationship to asthma and other allergies:

• Male cats tend to produce more proteins that trigger attacks and asthma, especially if they have not been fixed. This is true regardless of breed.
• Cats with darker hair tend to also produce more proteins when compared to lighter colored cats. No one is sure why this is the case, but studies have shown it to be true.
• Kittens produce very little protein, which means not having any reaction to a new kitten may change as the cat grows older.