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Thread: Company to Breed Hypoallergenic Cat

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    Default Company to Breed Hypoallergenic Cat

    For $3,500, you can own the world’s first hypoallergenic kitten. Yes folks, the kitten is due off the “assembly line” in 2007 and promises to solve the dilemma of cat lovers suffering from a cat allergy (). Allergy specialists, however, have their doubts.

    The cat in question is no clone. It’s also not fur-free. It’s the product of animal genetic engineering, which will “silence” the gene that produces the Fel d 1 protein () produced by a cat’s glands. The protein is very prevalent in a cat’s saliva and skin and causes a cat allergy in cat-loving (and hating) humans.

    When the cat allergy gene is suppressed, the cat produces very little of the allergen protein, explains Simon Brodie, president of ALLERCA Inc., of Los Angeles, the biogenetics company developing this special cat.

    “Many people think they’re allergic to cat hair or dander (), but they’re really allergic to the protein,” Brodie tells WebMD. “And the nice thing about this process, it doesn’t completely suppress the protein production. If the cat still needs this protein, it’s still expressing it, so it can produce the protein, but in such tiny amounts that it won’t cause problems.”

    It’s not allergy-free, but it produces much less allergen, he explains. “It’s like hypoallergenic makeup. The allergens are still there, but in very small amounts that don’t trigger allergic reactions.”

    A British shorthair cat () -- a playful, friendly lineage – was chosen for this first line of hypoallergenic cats. Every kitten will be sold pre-spayed and neutered. “We don’t want our cat to breed with a non-hypoallergenic cat and [have] someone attempt to sell the kittens as hypoallergenic,” says Brodie.

    “That’s like buying a knockoff Gucci purse that hurts someone’s health,” he tells WebMD.

    Cat Allergy Specialists Are Skeptical

    “I have my doubts that this is going to work,” says David Rosenstreich, MD, director of allergy and immunology at Albert Einstein School of Medicine in New York. “Fel d 1 is the major protein that patients are allergic to. But there are other proteins that cats produce that people are allergic to. Getting rid of Fel d 1 will not create a completely non-allergenic cat,” he tells WebMD.

    “I’m not sure I like the idea of genetically manipulated cats, but I’ll keep an open mind to it,” says Gailen D. Marshall, MD, PhD, director of clinical immunology and allergy at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.

    A cat lover with a cat allergy doesn’t have many options, he adds. Allergy shots suppress the symptoms, but the allergy is still there, which can be dangerous when asthma is involved. “And trying to bathe a cat is about as easy as herding cats,” Marshall tells WebMD.

    Since the “new cat” still produces small amounts of allergen, he’s concerned about the cumulative effects. “It could be problematic over time. The allergen protein is very stable; it lives for long periods of time. This cat will still have dander, still groom itself, still have a kitty litter box. That cumulative amount could become an allergy issue -- it’s simply delayed rather than eliminated.”

    Also, the Fel d 1 protein isn’t the only allergen a cat produces, Marshall says. “That makes a big, big difference.” A small percentage of cat allergy sufferers would be “just as allergic to that $3,500 cat as any cat from the SPCA.”

    The hypoallergenic cat “is an option, albeit an expensive one,” he tells WebMD. “Until this animal is available for several years, I would reserve judgment. To suggest this is a panacea for a cat allergy is very premature.”

    By , reviewed by , MD

    SOURCES: Simon Brodie, president, ALLERCA Inc., Los Angeles. David Rosenstreich, MD, director of allergy and immunology, Albert Einstein School of Medicine, New York. Gailen D. Marshall, MD, PhD, director of clinical immunology and allergy, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson.

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    God/dess onlythebest's Avatar
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    Default Re: Company to Breed Hypoallergenic Cat

    Wow!!!
    One of woman's cardinal rule: Body parts can be fake,everything else has to be real.

    一个女人的枢机规则:肢体可以伪造,一切必须真实.

    中国大CHINESE BIG BOOBS!!!中国大




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    God/dess VADEN's Avatar
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    Default Re: Company to Breed Hypoallergenic Cat

    I will also have to say, WOW!



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    tampafldancer
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    Default Re: Company to Breed Hypoallergenic Cat

    me too. WOW~!!

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    God/dess kitana's Avatar
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    Default Re: Company to Breed Hypoallergenic Cat

    I say WHAT THE FUCK?! This is crazy stuff.

    Kitana
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    Quote Originally Posted by ExoticEngineer View Post
    Feel like a damn salt lick at the goats petting zoo!
    <08SM>

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    Default Re: Company to Breed Hypoallergenic Cat

    Interesting...
    the theme to weird science is now playing in my head......

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    Veteran Member minky's Avatar
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    Default Re: Company to Breed Hypoallergenic Cat

    I have a Cornish Rex cat - he's meant to be good for people with allergies as he has really short (and curly!!!) fur.

    If anyone's looking for a good breed of cat to buy, this is the one!
    He's got the craziest personality, and looks so funny... My husband named him Camp Freddy - because he's really Camp.

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    Default Re: Company to Breed Hypoallergenic Cat

    im with blade on this one "weird science"

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    Veteran Member Jillian's Avatar
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    Default Re: Company to Breed Hypoallergenic Cat

    My rich uncle who lives in Montanna claims that his dog was genetically engineerd so he's not allergic to him. The dog is super cute btw


    [/URL]

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    Default Re: Company to Breed Hypoallergenic Cat

    WOW...but:

    Messing with a species is like randomly removing bolts from an airplane....might not matter now, but eventually it probably will.

    That protein is there for a reason....do we really know the impact genetic engineering (or any major change to the natural world) will have 2, 4, 7, or 12 generations down?

    I'm a fan of sustainable living...that is, doing things that make an enjoyable life without ruining the options for others (now and in the future) to have an enjoyable life. Not sure what the impact of the hypo-kitten is, but in general I wonder if humans really have the intelligence, understanding, and experinece to match their technology.

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    Default Re: Company to Breed Hypoallergenic Cat

    You gotta admit thougth- this is pretty wild, no matter which side of the technology fence a person sits on !

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    Featured Member discretedancer's Avatar
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    Default Re: Company to Breed Hypoallergenic Cat

    I also wonder the impact (not good I'm sure) these little gems will have on the adoption rates of regular cats...dying every day in shelters and on the streets.

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    Default Re: Company to Breed Hypoallergenic Cat

    I am allergic to cats, so that seems cool. HOWEVER, there are so many homeless animals and cats are all over the streets. So now, people will pay $3,500 for a cat, when they can get a free cat or take allergy pills. So sad...

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    Default Re: Company to Breed Hypoallergenic Cat

    what wouldn't be bad (not sure it's good) is a spray or a pill to make your regular cat hypoallergenic. Or just take allergy shots,

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