Are Maine Coon cats hypoallergenic? I'm afraid not.

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The certain answer is, No. Sorry. Hypoallergenic means less likely to cause an allergic reaction in a person. There is nothing that supports the idea that Maine Coons are hypoallergenic.

Maine Coons are not hypoallergenic
Maine Coon cats are not hypoallergenic. Photo in public domain.

The truth is that no cat is going to be completely hypoallergenic because the allergen that causes the allergic reaction in some people is a protein called Fel D1 in the cat's saliva. It is deposited on the cat's fur when he or she grooms. It then dries and flies off into the atmosphere as cat dander.

Siberian a better bet for hypoallergenic cat

Cats that are said to be hypoallergenic to a degree are the wildcat hybrid, the Savannah cat (which incidentally is the Allerca cat called the Ashera GD) and the Siberian cat. The Allerca is no longer in existence. And I don't believe that the Siberian is hypoallergenic although breeders would disagree. There is no reason why it should be. Breeders tend to promote cats for whatever reason they can find. However, the chart below indicates that the female Siberian is hypoallergenic compared to the normal, male random bred cat particularly those that are not neutered.

Independent lab in Virginia Indoor Biotechnologies, 1216 Harris St, Charlottesville, VA 22903 performed some tests on hair samples from Siberian cats, an Abyssinian and random bred cat(s).
Breed or type of cat Fel d 1 (µg/g)
A male neutered, random bred cat
62,813
A male neutered, Siberian cat
2001
A female, Abyssinian, neutered cat
385
A female neutered, Siberian cat
206

Assume that all cats are not hypoallergenic but there will be variation from male to female and between the breeds I suspect. And individual cats will be hypoallergenic to a varying degrees. Males that are not neutered are more likely to cause an allergic reaction. I would check out a number of individual rescue cats and see whether they cause a reaction in you.

See also hypoallergenic cat breeds.

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