This might sound like a daft question

[bunchamunchycrunchycarrots]

But is there any type of cat breed that is better for a child who is allergic to cats? I'm thinking along the same lines as a dog that doesn't shed and is tolerable to someone who is allergic to dogs.

Apologies if this is a daft question!

Not daft at all buncha . You might like to read the following thread and in particular the post from lonecatwithkitten .

\link{http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_litter_tray/1727018-Suitable-cat-for-mild-asthmatic\asthma thread}

How bad is the child's allergy - and is he or she desperate for a cat or something?

Thanks. She's just desperate for a pet and has atopic eczema. Her dad had 2 cats years ago and they triggered a reaction in her skin condition but she's much better now and of all the options for a pet I think cat would be the most practical. We live in a flat, I work, so a dog is out and I am not keen on hamsters/guinea pigs etc. I'd prefer to get something I can buy insurance for to cover vet bills as I can't do big one off costs.

The thread posted - are Burmese cats a good choice? They seem v pricey though. But look gorgeous. Ill go and check out the others mentioned.

Well I'd be real careful. You say that her Dad's cats triggered a reaction in her and you'll see from lone's post that allergies can get very serious indeed.

I'm lucky in that no-one in our family has an allergy to cats so far but others may have experiences which they can share with you.

Thanks. DD has had other exposure to cats which didn't have the same effect - her childminder had a cat til last year and she was fine with him but the difference was in how clean the home was. CM home was spotless but ex home not. Ill do some more research but might have to accept this'll need to remain a pet free home.

I scored 3 out of 5 on the allergy scale for cats as a kid and can literally rub my face all over my bog standard moggy with no ill effect. DPs dad was just here and didn't react to her but does react when he goes into a house with a cat and low cleanliness standards.

Queen I think the 'low cleaning standards' is what makes the difference for DD. I'd need to brush up on that one too if we did get a cat. I have a friend we just went to visit recently and she has 4 cats and 2 dogs. We stayed at a hotel because I didn't want to put DD through what might happen if we stayed, and I thought even visiting would be an issue, but I was pretty amazed with how well she coped, and her skin was OK in that house. My friend's house isn't as clean as the CMs but it's not as bad as I remembered it, which was clean considering she has so many pets.

I'll keep researching and exposing DD to cats and see how she copes. We might try a sleep over at my friends to see how she copes with a more prolonged stay/exposure and then if it seems DD is coping OK we'll have a think about a cat. I think we'll give it a good year of research etc. before we actually commit to getting one.

Maybe it would be worth saving up for a roomba in that time then. Ours is far better at hoovering than we are and if you set it off regularly it can do a whole floor of a house before it needs emptying. I've tested 4 out of 5 for dust mites and normally need to stay out of rooms that have just been hoovered but I'm fine with the Roomba because it doesn't kick up dust at all. It might be worth it for your DD even if you don't end up getting a cat.

Thanks that's helpful to know. Ill look into the roomba.

They're really good even if you don't have a good reason to get one. I'd be surprised if a regular hoovering that didn't kick up a load of dust wasn't good for your DD's eczema but even if it's not, not having to worry about the hoovering will give you more time to do things that will help.

fwiw (as a continuation to my post on someone else's cat allergy thread) my dd has eczma (although it rarely flares up these days) and so far (fingers crossed) she hasn't had outbreaks of it since getting our cat

ps: i am not not a regular hoover.....bit lazy in that dept tbh. when i first got her i spent a small fortune hiring in prof' cleaners. then when i stopped it used to hoover all the time (& dust) but now i am busy with work plus a bit lazy/not a major housework person but my asthma doesn't oddly enough seem to have become bad (fingers crossed)

It is quite common to become used to a particular cat, I think. I can rub my face in my cat but I wouldn't try it with a cat I didn't know (even without the claws). OP - it might be that your childminder cleaned enough that there wasn't too much of the allergen about when your DD came and she became accustomed to it but turning up at your ex's allergen filled flat was too much.