Scientists breed allergy-free kitten

A team of scientists believe they have bred the world’s first hypoallergenic cat. The discovery can potentially open the doors to millions of pet owners homes who’s allergies made owning a furry friend difficult.

For the incredible price of only $4,000 each, pet owners will be able to own their very own kitty sneeze free.

In a statement, the San Diego-based company, Allerca, said it had produced the cats using a technique known as genetic divergence.

Researchers were able to single out the genes of kittens with proteins that provided less than normal reaction in humans, they then selectively bred litters over several generations end up with an allergy-friendly cat, reports World Fitness.

In a statement, the San Diego-based company, Allerca, said it had produced the cats using a technique known as genetic divergence.

After identifying the genes of kittens with proteins that provide less of a reaction in humans, they selectively bred litters over several generations to end up with an allergy-friendly "super cat." The company said its customers are expected to take delivery of their hypoallergenic kittens in early 2007.

"For the first time, people who have been unable to own a cat because of their allergies can now enjoy a pet of their own without the associated risks and costs of allergy treatments," Allerca CEO Megan Young.

According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, about 30mn Americans suffer from some form of cat allergy.

Young said the company expected to be breeding 10,000 of the cats every year by 2009. The American Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) gave a cautious welcome to the Allerca announcement, saying it might help reduce the number of cats abandoned to shelters by allergic owners.

"But it will also be important to monitor the long term health of these cats to ensure that silencing the gene does not result in unforeseen effects on them," the ASPCA said in a statement, informs Gulf-Times.