Burmese cats are extremely popular, and allergies will concern many would-be owners. But are Burmese cats hypoallergenic?
Key Takeaways
- Not Hypoallergenic: Burmese cats are not hypoallergenic as they produce the Fel d1 protein in their saliva, fur, and urine, which triggers allergic reactions in humans.
- Managing Allergies: Steps to minimize allergic reactions include regular brushing to reduce shedding, feeding a balanced diet rich in vitamins and proteins, and using air purifiers to remove allergens from the air.
- Shedding Patterns: Burmese cats are a lower-shedding breed with a fine, short coat that mainly sheds seasonally. Regular grooming can help manage shedding.
- Alternative Breeds: While no cat breed is completely hypoallergenic, some breeds like the Siberian produce less Fel d1 protein and may be better suited for people with allergies.
Table of Contents
- Why Do Burmese Cats Cause Allergies?
- How To Own A Cat When You’re Allergic?
- How To Minimise Allergic Reactions?
- Are Any Cat Breeds Hypoallergenic?
- Are Burmese Cats Hypoallergenic? Final Thoughts
Why Do Burmese Cats Cause Allergies?
Like all cats, Burmese cats produce the Fel d1 protein in their saliva, fur and urine. This protein is what triggers allergic reactions in humans.
Burmese cats have different fur patterns based on the positioning of their stripes and all of them have the distinctive “M” markings on their forehead associated with tabby cats.
Read more about tabby cats here.
When cats shed fur, groom themselves and use the litter tray, they spread the Fel d1 protein around your home, which can cause allergies if you come into contact with it.
How To Own A Cat When You’re Allergic?
You cannot control how much Fel d1 protein your cat produces but you can limit the amount it is spread around your home.
One of the main ways it is spread around is by your cat shedding.
The amount your cat sheds will depend on their breed and factors such as their diet, health, the season and other reasons explained below.
Long-haired cats tend to shed less than short-haired breeds. It can, however be more difficult to groom longer-haired cats as their fur easily tangles.
Short-haired cats tend to shed more but are much easier to groom.
There are ways which you can try to reduce the amount your cat sheds:
Brushing Helps With Shedding
Brushing your cat is one of the best ways to reduce excessive shedding.
Regular brushing removes longer hairs and ones ready to fall out anyway. This will prevent fur from falling on your carpet, furniture and clothing.
Cats will need brushing in different amounts depending on their breed.
Brushes We Recommend
These brushes are very effective and a favourite for cats who dislike brushing. They are the perfect size, remove a lot of fur and leave your cat’s fur soft and fluffy.
For cats that don’t like normal brushes, gloves can be helpful to get your cat used to being groomed.
Diet
Cats should always be fed a quality, balanced diet.
Although most readily available cat food will have a suitable balance of ingredients it is still possible for cats to become deficient in specific nutrients. Vitamins A, E and B are necessary to produce and maintain healthy fur and when a cat does not get enough of these they can shed more than usual.
All cats need plenty of protein to maintain healthy fur. Some dry foods have less protein than wet foods, which often have a higher meat content. If your cat is shedding excessively, switching to a mix of wet and dry food or entirely to wet food could improve this.
Many different food options are available, so experimenting with different ones can help find the right food for your cat to improve their coat and reduce shedding.
Stress and Shedding
If your cat is stressed, they may shed large amounts of fur in clumps.
There are many reasons your cat could be stressed and it doesn’t always mean something is medically wrong with your cat.
Cats can become stressed from changes in location. Bringing a new cat into your home can be a stressful time. Read here for tips on introducing a new cat into your home. This is especially true for rescue cats with existing issues or troubled pasts.
Loud noises can be stressful for cats. This can include loud music, excessive traffic noise and thunderstorms. It can be helpful to try and reduce background noise if you notice your cat is shedding lots of fur.
How To Minimise Allergic Reactions?
Change clothing and bedding regularly
If your cat sleeps on your bed, stopping this will make a big difference for allergy sufferers.
Washing and changing the bedding and your clothing often will also help.
Vacuum regularly
Removing cat hair and other particles from your floors and surfaces will help prevent a build up of allergens for you to come into contact with.
Clean out litter tray often
Outdoor cats may not use a litter tray but if they do, or your cat is an indoor cat, cleaning out their litter tray often will reduce the allergens in the area and avoid them getting carried through the house.
Wash hands regularly
Cleaning hands often will reduce the spread of allergens onto your household items.
Use an air filter
Air purifiers remove harmful particles and flying loose hair from the air before they can settle on your clothes, furniture, or bedding.
In our view, Philips make the best air filters. The Philips 3000i continuously detects and removes allergens from the air is extremely effective with high-grade HEPA filters to remove 99.97% of airborne allergens, pollen, dust and other particles.
Philips air filters are expensive, and a more budget-friendly option would be this model from Levoit.
Change carpets to solid flooring
If you have a Burmese cat you’ll know that a lot of the hair they shed ends up on the floor. Carpets can hold and build up hair and other particles much easier than solid floors.
Even vacuuming often doesn’t remove all of this from carpet easily so while an extreme step, changing for solid floors could be an option for an allergy sufferer that wants to keep cats.
If you have carpets in your home it will seem like no matter how much you vacuum the hair doesn’t go away!
That’s where a hand held carpet scraper comes in handy. This little tool will easily brush all of the cat hair out of your carpet so you can vacuum it up. You will be amazed how easy it is and how much hair appears when you use it.
Read this article for more about why Burmese cats shed and how to minimise it.
Are Any Cat Breeds Hypoallergenic?
No cat breed is completely hypoallergenic but some breeds such as Siberian cats produce less Fel d1 protein and can be better choices for people with cat allergies.
There are also some breeds of cats which shed less fur than others. These can be better choices for people with allergies.
Cat Breeds Which Shed Less
Are Burmese Cats Hypoallergenic? Final Thoughts
Burmese cats are not hypoallergenic.
Burmese cats produce the Fel d1 protein in their saliva, fur and urine like all cats. This protein is what triggers allergic reactions in humans.
Burmese cats are a specific breed with a fur pattern associated with the group of tabby cats (read more about tabby cats here). They are no different to other cats in producing this protein.
Frequenly Asked Questions
While Burmese cats enjoy human company and interaction, they can be left alone for moderate periods if they can access food, water, and a clean litter box.
Burmese cats are known for their outgoing, affectionate personalities and love of human company. They are also highly intelligent and energetic.
Like most cats, Burmese cats have the instinct to scratch. Providing them with appropriate scratching posts and training is important to avoid furniture damage.
Burmese cats are known for being very vocal and may frequently meow to communicate with their owners.
It is generally recommended to keep Burmese cats indoors to protect them from potential dangers such as predators, cars, and diseases.
Many cat breeds are known for their friendly and affectionate personalities, including the Siamese, Maine Coon, and Ragdoll.
Burmese cats have an average lifespan of 10-17 years, up to 20 years in some cases.
Burmese cats are not considered high maintenance, but they require a certain level of attention and interaction from their owners. A Burmese cat may be the perfect fit if you’re looking for a friendly, affectionate, and intelligent cat that will keep you entertained.
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