Sneeze-o-meter: Cat Breeds

Most cat guides label a breed "hypoallergenic" or not. That is wrong, and it is how people end up returning a cat they have fallen in love with. The allergen is Fel d 1, a protein in cat saliva and skin oils, not a property of fur. Every cat makes it. Breeds differ in how much, and individual cats differ more than breeds do. Purrfectmatch is built around saying that clearly, and then helping you act on it. THE SNEEZE-O-METER Every one of the 73 breeds carries a 1 to 5 reading, built from how much Fel d 1 it produces, how widely that gets spread around a home, and how much grooming removes. The app always shows the working, so you can see why a breed scored what it did rather than being asked to trust a number. It will also tell you things you may not want to hear. A Sphynx is not low-allergen: it produces ordinary amounts and, with no coat to hold it, spreads it more readily than most.…