Siberians

[BorisJohnsonsBarber]

I haven’t had a cat since I lived at home with my parents (I’m 40 so been a while!) and I’m about to have my first cat as a moved out proper grown up. We have talked as a family (DH and 2 DC) and due to my DC1 allergies we are going to be having a Siberian. We are on a waiting list with a breeder who will have a litter due in the next couple weeks, with the hope to have our new family member home at the end of the summer. If it wasn’t for allergies I would happily have a moggy from a shelter before anyone says!

I’m looking for advice from other Siberian owners on how best to prepare. Our breeder has loads of info and has been great, but nothing beats other Siberian parents! He will be an indoor cat if that makes any difference though I do plan on harness training him. And I’m saying him as I’ve said I prefer male due to always having boy cats when younger.

thanks in advance

No experience about Siberians, but I wouldn't rely on him being hypo allergenic. All cats can cause a reaction. But if he's long haired, get a tangle teaser and a metal comb.

My Dh is allergic to cats and we have three Siberians for the last 15 years and he doesn't have any reaction to them - they are gorgeous cats! Here is our baby at 2 on the insta famous dolls bed/cats bed

Am not sure about how to prepare- when we brought our eldest three home (over the course of three years) they each scooted off and hid for a day or two - one went under our bed so DH and Dd who was about 5 at the time spent some time sitting on the bed, chatting and watching tv so she could get used to our smell etc. when we bought number 4 home in 2021 (the baby above. - our eldest cat died in 2020) he was super confident and just wanted to explore and wasn't fussed about having a bolt hole - he did however have (and still does) an expectation that the world would bend round him - for example, he would snuggle in to one of us, get comfy and fling himself backwards confident in the knowledge we'd put our arms in place to make sure he didn't fall - to be fair it worked and his belief the world would right itself to keep him safe is continually demonstrated to be true 😂

are there particular questions you have at all?

Ours is super confident - came straight out of his basket when he arrived home and wanted lots of fuss and explored. He wasn't even slightly scared of other 2 older cats who we were planning on introducing him to over several days!
He's very fluffy - grooming can be a bit of a pain, very affectionate and into everything! Good luck!

Our Siberian is almost 3. She's really affectionate and always wants to be where the people are. We got her because my DH has allergies; everything has been great on that score. She does go outside because we couldn't bear to keep her in, but she doesn't go far and always comes running if you call her. She's gorgeous.

Oh the pictures 😍 they’re such beautiful cats

Did anyone keep up the expensive food or do you find they’re happy enough with supermarket stuff?

We used the mainstream stuff like Hills/Royal Canin etc but in last year or so we've switched to Scrumbles which they love (but not as much as roast chicken)

My goodness I've not heard of this breed of cat. They look like a big ball of fluff.
gorgeous 😍

They are just gorgeous. We have two for the same reason - allergies - and my DH has had no trouble with them.

Prepare for very friendly, very people oriented. After Siberian 1 I would have said smart but then we got Siberian 2 who exists in a permanent state of surprise at the world. He's not the thickest cat I have owned but that's because the bar is set very low.

You'll definitely need brushing apparatus and it's good if you can get started early and accustom them to it. Hairball paste is worth investing in.

They are agile and energetic so I think he'll appreciate being harness trained and able to adventure.

Enjoy

Our 3!

I just make sure we use grain free food. She has Applaws biscuits available all day, and a pouch of Harrington's or an Applaws tin in the evening. Hairball paste is a good call; ours loves it too which is useful. I started off putting it on her paw so she would lick it off, but she loves it so much she'll eat it off a spoon

Mine just showed up at my house during covid. Not chipped , no collar, not neutered.
I think he'd be left behind
Get ready for shedding. Their coats don't matt like other long hair cats but so much shedding. Not 100% on the anti allergy - people who react to cats still sneeze visiting me.
I use the chunkest litter as he digs like a demon.
Walks about 1km a day with me and my dog . Not keen on harness , just follows us.
He's very affectionate with kids and visitors.He actively seeks dog affection which is weird. Our neighbours have a lab and he's often sitting with her in their garden.
He goes out but is indoors 80% of the time. Really defends the house from other male cats but has a whole harem of girlfriends.

We also got a Siberian due to DS allergies. Originally we're going to get 2 cats but decided on one due to allergies - if we had two and DS reacted to them, we'd not have known if it was to both or one, and which one! He's had zero reaction.

A friend who is severely allergic to cats stopped coming to ours. Her DH loves cats and always had them until their relationship. Then she came but took medication first. Then she came and about 1.5 hours into dinner, we asked how she was doing with the medication and allergies. She suddenly realised she'd forgotten to take the medication. She'd had zero reaction. Her DH was very happy! They now also have a Siberian!

What I did to prepare was bring a kitten harness so that in the car on the way home if he wasn't happy in the carrier I could put the harness on (and lead) and have him on my knee/keep him away from the driver. This ended up happening (it was a long drive).

He then stayed in my bedroom for a few days. Put his food on one side near where he hid and litter on the other. Then let him out onto the landing, then bathroom, then downstairs. He couldn't quite manage the stairs at first.

Oh! I made the mistake of changing his food. Don't do that. Whatever the breeder feeds the cat, keep going with that until he's been there a few months. The vet said afterwards that it's really common for kittens to get sick if you change their food (I hadn't had an actual kitten since childhood). I eventually changed to low odour food for indoor cats..meaning low poo-odour! It makes a difference!

Also wait and see what he likes to sleep on. Mine likes firm surfaces, with no cushions or blankets. I think he just gets too hot,

Remember if you're taking him outside to get preventative flea treatment!

Thank you all for sharing your experiences, and most importantly pictures of your gorgeous boys and girls!
My boy is about 4 weeks old so will be a couple months before he comes to his new home but I’m getting very excited.

Wow I'm so excited to come across this thread I was going to start one myself and it's already here!! Those of you who allow your cats outside do they tend to wander far? We're on a waiting list for a Siberian kitten. We had a lovely Balinese but he used to wander a long way and even though our road is super quiet he managed to still get hit by a car on another road :( we are an allergy household so need a low allergy cat that tends to not range far. We did explain all this to the breeder who said he'd be a good fit.

What beautiful cats!

Siberian cats are hypoallergenic if you are allergic to the Fel D1 protein in cats saliva which they lack the gene for.
Mine is judgemental, she has a resting bitch face, I can't keep her in as she burst out the front door when I arrive home, thought she never goes far. Well actually despite the fact that she is designed for very cold winters and very hot summers she only burst out in dry mild weather conditions.
The shedding is bad and the vomiting of hairballs at this time of year.
Mine is a rescue and has skin allergies and IBD, but this is completely controlled by a hydrolysed diet.

When will you be getting your kitten, OP? I have had four Siberians due to allergies and they are a fantastic breed - so affectionate and "chatty" and you can teach them to fetch. The cats can literally sleep on my pillow and I don't react. The only issue I have is if I stroke them and then rub my eyes. I did react a little when I got my first one, because they do still produce the Fel D1 antigen, just in lower quantities. But after a few weeks I was fine and I haven't reacted when introducing the subsequent cats. I've also done three allergy sittings for people interested in the breed and none of them reacted to my cats either.

Hmm this is a stupid and gross (sorry) question but I've never had a long haired cat before. When they're kittens do they get poo stuck in their long fur a lot?

Only really a problem if they have diarrhoea but personally I kept a box of tushy wipes to hand.

yes, that is their actual name!

None of mine ever have but you can have the fur around that area trimmed if it becomes a problem. It takes about six months for Siberian hair to grow out fully so you wouldn't have to do it very often.

My guy loves water and often lies down in the wet shower cubby, curls up in sinks and basins and bidets. He's a rescue so I never had him as a kitten but I've read you can get them used ro water as babies and then bathe them.

Mine is super affectionate to her chosen friends. Plumbers, painters, the landlord, DD1 - not so much.

She's been a happy indoor cat all her life. Plan on getting yours a nice cat tree so she'll have something to climb.

Get her spayed before she starts spraying your house with pee in an effort to attract males.

DCat liked to leap straight up door jambs when she was younger and is a terrific jumper still (she's middle aged now).

She goes through a moulting of fur twice a year. I second the recommendation to get cat brushes. Even still, you may need to trim out the odd matte. I use a nail scissors to do this.

There's nothing she wouldn't eat. Loves doughnuts, cake, Laughing Cow cheese, butter, chicken (raw and cooked)...

Woops - yours is a boy. Get him neutered.

OP did you get your kitten? How did it work out for allergies? People with Siberians already - were any of your allergic family members asthmatic? Did the breeder let you spend time with their cats before you committed?