IT is not to be sneezed at. Breeders have solved a main drawback to owning a cat by producing a hypoallergenic kitten that saves its owner from sniffles, tears and asthma attacks.

An American company claims its scientists have bred the world’s first cats that cannot trigger human allergies and is now set to sell them in the UK for £7,500 each.

The cat is the latest designer pet to emerge from America and could provide relief for the 2.6m UK asthma sufferers whose attacks are triggered by their animals. Research published last month found that babies may be at 50% greater risk of developing eczema if their family has a cat.

Megan Young, chief executive of Allerca Lifestyle Pets, the company behind the allergyfree cat, said: “For the first time, people who have allergies will be able to keep a cat without suffering. This is a scientific breakthrough.”

Cat allergies are caused by a protein in the cat’s skin flakes and saliva deposited on the fur when the animal grooms itself by licking. It can trigger an allergic reaction in minutes if breathed by an asthma sufferer.

Scientists at Allerca, based in San Diego, analysed the genes of British and American shorthair cats to identify those with proteins that did not provoke a reaction in humans. By breeding the cats over several generations they produced more than 20 allergy-free offspring.

According to Allerca, preliminary tests on human volunteers have proved encouraging. The Scripps Research Institute, a California medical research group, is now carrying out controlled trials.

The company originally planned to genetically modify cats to make them less allergenic but dropped the idea because of the risk that the animals would suffer side effects.

Allerca says it has “several hundred” advance orders from the US, Canada, Sweden, France and Switzerland. The £7,500 price does not cover shipping and quarantine.

One of the first cat lovers to acquire an allergy-free kitten will be Jamie Grooms, chief executive of a Florida medical technology company. His older daughter Maddie, 12, suffers severe allergic reactions to cats and dogs, so neither she nor her six-year-old sister has been able to own pets.

“It’s not cheap,” Grooms said. “But I grew up with pets and I think it’s a good thing for kids. It helps them express themselves.”

Peter Sissons, the BBC television newsreader and cat lover, last week welcomed the new cats as a “huge breakthrough” but said they would be well beyond his budget.

Sissons owns an 18-year-old British silver shorthair despite the fact that his eldest son and youngest daughter suffer from asthma. “We have got one very old cat now who we are very fond of, but I don’t think we’ll be replacing her once she goes to that big cat house in the sky,” he said. “My daughter loves our cat but she is allergic to it and has to be very careful.

“If you could have a generation of animals that don’t set asthmatics off then it would transform their lives.”

In 1997 Humphrey the Downing Street cat was retired to the countryside amid rumours that Cherie Blair was allergic to him. An allergy-free cat could be a welcome replacement.

The novelist Jilly Cooper once lived with about 40 cats in her London home but has now cut back to five. Of the new breed, she said: “If it is not hurting the cats then it is absolutely brilliant.”

In a report, the Companion Animal Welfare Council, an independent British think tank, recommends against selective breeding for particular traits unless there is “a clear and justifiable need” for the health and welfare of future generations of the animals.

James Kirkwood, one of the report’s authors, said such selective breeding had to be necessary for the cats’ wellbeing, not just for their human owners.

With patents pending, Allerca refuses to disclose details of its breeding programme except to say the cats are being kept in quarantine facilities approved by the US Department of Agriculture.

Britain has seen an influx of designer pets in the past decade, including dogs cross-bred to produce exotic animals. A labradoodle (labrador-poodle) puppy changes hands for £700, while a puggle, which combines the cuddly qualities of a pug with the energy of a beagle, goes for a similar amount.

The RSPCA criticised selective breeding. “It undermines the value of animal life. Genetic modification and selective breeding can produce health effects that don’t become apparent until further down the track.”

Additional reporting: Tom Baird

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