We both have cat allergies and asthma. We won't lie and say that we're not allergic to the Sphynx -- they produce the same enzyme in their saliva as furry cats, so it's almost inevitable that you'll notice some sort of reaction, albeit much milder. However, while neither of us can spend an hour in a home with furry cats without reacting with itchy eyes, stuffy noses, tightness in the chest (even if we're not interracting with the cats), we're able to coexist with these cats as long as we exercise precautionary measures, which may seem burdonsome, but which allow us to share our lives with these wonderful creatures, and have simply become part of life for us.

First and foremost, we keep the cats out of our bedroom. We take our allergy medications, such as antihistamines and decongestants, as we would need to otherwise. The cats have their own bedroom, with toys, boxes to play in, shelving to climb on, a window, and a bed filled with fleece blankets and old sweatshirts, which they know and love as their own. Whenever we are not at home and aware of their activities, and every evening when we go to bed, they are closed off in this room, where we also keep their litterbox and water dish.

If they they want to nap on our couch or chairs, we first toss down a scrap of blanket or old sweatshirt for them to curl up on, so they're not directly on the furniture fabric. We also use throws on our couch and chair, so we can remove them and wash them frequently.  Lupi actually calls for her blanket when she's ready to settle down on their favorite chair.

We purchased two HEPA room air purifiers; one is located in the center of their bedroom and runs constantly, and the other is in our living area. We usually run this one if we're doing a heavy-duty vacuuming and dusting.

We have a carpet and upholstry deep cleaner/extractor, and we clean the rugs, carpets, couch and chairs in areas where they spend a good amount of time every three months or so.

We stick to the weekly bath regimen (see our Care page). We wash our hands and arms after playing with them -- which is A LOT - so keep lotion handy! If we cuddle with them and hold them close, we change our shirts afterwards.We wash their bedding in hot water, separate from our laundry, and keep all of their bedding in their room.

That's about it. We still experience occasional discomfort when we spend a lot of time with them, but they just give so much back, and relish the attention so greatly, that our discomfort is truly secondary. In a perfect world, a sympathetic breeder may offer a guarantee, or allergy ”trial” period, although I'm hearing from visitors to Mickey & Lupi's Site that such opportunities are few and far between.  You should, at the very least, arrange to visit the cattery and spend some time there to see how you react.  However, we bonded so quickly with these beautifully interactive cats that we wouldn't have been able to couldn't bear sending them back once we realized that they did affect our allergies somewhat.