If you’d love to have a fun, furry pet but you’re plagued with allergies, you should see if a Siberian cat is right for you. While Siberians aren’t clinically hypoallergenic, they have a lot less of the protein in their saliva that causes allergies than other cats.

To give you an example, our oldest son was diagnosed as being very allergic to both cats and dogs. So we figured that we probably wouldn’t be able to have either in the house. This was a major disappointment for all of us: the boys would’ve loved to have some of furry creatures running about the house; my wife would’ve liked some creature company at home while I was away at work; and I had grown up with animals - almost every conceivable variety except cats - and it was very strange being without them.

But then one day we found out about Siberian cats, and my wife did a lot of research, we decided to go see one. As it turned out, there was a family nearby who owned a couple (and no other animals, so there wouldn’t be any other animal dander to worry about), and they invited us to come visit. We spent a good half an hour or more playing with the cats, with our oldest son burying his face in their fur and doing whatever else he could to try and provoke an allergic reaction.

Nothing. Zippo. No bloodshot eyes. No puffiness in the face, coughing, sneezing. Nada.

So, that clinched it. We did some more research and found a Siberian cat breeder here in the Maryland area (Reigning Cats), and went to see her. I gotta tell you, folks, that when it comes to sheer cuteness it’s hard to beat a kitten, let alone a couple of Siberian kittens! It was love at first sight, and we made arrangements to get a pair of kittens (brother and sister): while well-bred Siberian kittens aren’t cheap, I strongly recommend that you get them as a pair. I think our experience has been incredibly enriched by having the two of them, rather than just one. Their names? Nina and her brother Sasha.

I’ll save the fun - and tribulations - of raising them for another time, but suffice it to say that our oldest son hasn’t had any problems with his allergies in the nearly two years that we’ve had them.

In closing, let me remind you that Siberians are not clinically hypoallergenic: they still have some of the Fel d1 protein that causes allergies, and some people have expressed allergic reactions to Siberians. But if you suffer from cat allergies and would love to have one of these gorgeous and fun critters, they’re definitely worth looking into!