No more cat allergies

Chemistry and Industry, Oct 2, 2006

The world's first hypoallergenic cats have gone on sale in the US. Allerca, a biotech company based in San Diego, California, has produced the cats by selective breeding. It started out by identifying cats that do not carry the protein Fel d1, which causes allergic reactions. A small number of cats naturally lack this protein.

These cats were then selectively bred to produce the kittens that are now on sale. The company started taking orders for the cats in 2004, but there is still a waiting list.