Making your Dash Count

Siberian Cats March 23, 2009

Posted by makingyourdashcount in Fun Stuff, Uncategorized.
Tags: "cats molting", molting, Siberian, Siberian Cat, Siberians
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Most people who know us also know of Chloe, our Siberian cat. We originally bought Chloe because of her hypoallergenic qualities.

Siberians, as a breed, have less of the FEL-D1 allergen inciting protein in their saliva than other cats. When other cats clean themselves and then shed, the proteins that are in their saliva deposit in the dander throughout their homes. However, when Siberians shed, there is no allergen, so otherwise intolerant allergy sufferers can tolerate and live with a Siberian. (They say up to 90% of allergy sufferers can live with a Siberian.)

We know that our family falls within that percentage. Although I have always been cat allergic and dealt with it because I loved cats, Anna’s allergy is sudden and intense. Before going into a cat’s home, Anna has always needed Benadryl to manage the symptoms. Not so with Chloe. In fact, Anna can sleep with Chloe. It is truly amazing.

Lest anyone think that Chloe must be one of those really strange looking furless animals, she has plenty. In fact, as a medium long hair cat with a triple coat of extra fine fluff, she has fur to spare.

The point of this post is my frustration with breeders who advertise that Siberians do not shed, that they “molt” twice a year.

I suppose this is true, if you consider that they “molt” for 6 months at a time. If you do not groom your Siberian, she will also deal with fur balls and matting along her bikini line (as her vet refers to it.)

We brush Chloe at least daily with a small dog “rake” and could easily stuff a pillow with a month’s worth of collection. Raking has become one of Chloe’s favorite daily routines so I wouldn’t let this scare you away from this breed. Why breeders choose to lie about this is beyond me.

In fact, even if we did not have allergies, I would consider a Siberian. Chloe is extremely social and playful. She runs to the front door when the bell rings; she plays fetch with hair ties and “hide, seek and pounce” daily. As a kitten, one of her favorite activities was sliding down a make shift sliding board. Our life would be lacking if we never bought our Siberian Kitten almost 5 years ago.

I just wanted to post some truth in advertising about how this amazingly wonderful breed does shed.