One of the most difficult conversations I can have with my patients is the role of their pets in their asthma and allergies. Cherished dogs and cats are truly part of the family and the need to place them out of the home for health reasons is emotionally painful. Now a biotech company in California has bred a hypoallergenic cat. Allerca, located in San Diego have bred cats so that their glands do not produce the protein responsible for most human cat allergies. The cats are extremely expensive (around $4000) and Allerca carefully interviews and screens prospective owners to ensure that these special pets find the best homes. But for cat lovers, they may not have to choose between their pets and their allergy symptoms.
