I'm N UR Checkbook. Eating up UR moneys.
Nom nom nom nom.

Sorry.

As much as I'd like for everyone to be able to have a cat, the idea of paying scads of money for a genetically engineered pet freaks me out just a little.

I'm thinking of adopting the stray cat who hangs out in my yard. We call him Simon and he looks like Captain Duvel Moneycat with a white streak down his face. No word yet on whether or not he'll eat oatmeal.

@JulesNoctambule: Agreed. I adopted a stray cat who was hanging out my steps.

That was fifteen years ago. Eleanor is still with me.

@JulesNoctambule: I'm allergic to cats. I saved $7,888 by getting a hamster instead of a hypoallergenic cat, I guess.

@JulesNoctambule: Their cats, assuming they do exist, are NOT genetically engineered. They are selectively bred, just like any other cat or dog breed. They just breed for lack of allergy-causing whatever-it-is.

@NewsBunny: We have three already, all shelter cats. We were going to get a fourth from the shelter, and then Simon turned up! He's still an outside cat until we can get him to the vet, but I have a feeling he'll turn into a cuddly little lap-cat pretty fast.

As all good consumerist readers do, I love cats. But paying a ton for a hypoallergenic cat, besides most likely impossible, doesn't really seem like a good idea. It seems like a person allergic to cats would be better off finding a different pet or taking allergy medication. Although I suppose paying 8 grand may be more convenient than taking a pill every morning, I'd imagine it would be less effective.

This probably rises to the level of criminal fraud and I would think the New Jersey AG's office might want to get involved. Does anyone know if Allerca had to obtain any kind of government approval (say, FDA) in order to advertise their cats as allergy safe?

If I pay $5,000 for a cat, it's going to have to be accompanied by a certificate from Siegfried and Roy.

@Laura Northrup: Indeed you did! Plus, you can't get a cat to run around on one of those wheelie things until you ache with laughter.

(. . .but if you can, where do I get one?)

I wonder. I've seen about a dozen articles, including the ones here, about owners who have not received their cats from Allerca. Are there any verified sales and deliveries out there? The whole story about a "hypoallergenic" cat screams scam to me.

i kin has your moneys?

@Alexander Saites: i must be the one consumerist reader who likes dogs... don't really care for cats

@JulesNoctambule: Yeah, they seem to want to strongly suggest that there was genetic engineering outside of the usual engineering by breeding, but it doesn't seem to be the case. So it's just the regular "purebred vs. shelter animal" argument with a side of hypoallergenic PR.

I do have a hard time understanding how somebody chooses this route, though; it seems to me that it's a lot of money for a pretty dicey prospect (on the hypoallergenicity, I mean, before you even get to the scamminess), and that if you wanted a cat that badly you got a Siberian and got shots; if that didn't do it, why would you risk nearly ten grand on something that very well won't work either?

I would be curious to know if anyone actually has received a bonafide hypoallergenic cat from this outfit, ever.

But I agree with the earlier comment that if you're allergic to cats, you would be better off with a different pet than spending $6K for a cat that may or may not actually be hypoallergenic.

Another thing you could do is just wait; I used to be really allergic to cats, but as I've gotten older that seems to have gone away. Our cat can still make me itch if she scratches me or I let her lick me too much in the same spot, but I don't sneeze or tear up the way I used to do years ago (I'm 47).

@Taed: Which, not to split hairs, is a form of genetic engineering. Just not the kind everyone is afraid of...

@gStein: With my allergies to cats, I'm partial to dogs, too, though the Captain does have a special place in my heart...

@ivanthemute: Nope. But there area a bunch of fake reviews and fake testimonials, all written by the seller himself. In fact, last time this came up on Consumerist, the seller posted here under a few fake names himself if I recall correctly.

The one person who did actually get kittens delivered had them genetically tested, and found they were bought from a regular old cat breeder and resold as "hypo-allergenic." They traced them to a specific breeder, who was really pissed that his kittens were being resold under false pretenses.

@sashazur:

I used to be really allergic to cats, too. Not to the point where I couldn't be around them, but if I spent any amount of time in a cat's company, or in the home of someone who had a cat/cats, I would definitely know about it, and it wasn't fun.

Then I got two cats a couple of years ago, and basically chose to ignore/put up with the allergic reaction I was fully expecting. And... it just didn't happen. If one of them scratches me, I'll get a bit itchy and rashy in that spot, but otherwise... nothing. One of them has a habit of sleeping on my pillow at night, wrapped around my head, and if that doesn't bother me, I think I can safely say that either my cat-allergy has faded over time, or we were just really, really lucky in our choice of cats. They're definitely not "hypo-allergenic" cats, they're two domestic shorthaired moggies of uncertain parentage who very definitely chose us when we went to visit a local cat shelter.

As for Allerca... it's not sounding good. Googling "allerca" and "scam" brings up some worrying results. I'm assuming this company didn't allow these enormous charges to be paid by credit card, otherwise it would most definitely be chargeback time.

Wonder if the delightful Simon Whats-His-Name (the man/scammer behind Allerca) will come and post on here again in response to this thread....

Oh, and... "decreased kitten production"? Jesus.

:(

I have so many clients who would so benefit from this. I run a dog boarding service and have many clients who love cats but can't have them due to a spouse or child's allergies.

@H3ion:
"If I pay $5,000 for a cat, it's going to have to be accompanied by a certificate from Siegfried and Roy."

So you're looking to buy a gay cat?

the delivery scheduled had been affected by "decreased kitten production",

That line is scary as hell.

@JulesNoctambule: Yeah, but does he poop money?

@Taed: Yeah, that's genetic engineering.

@gStein: Cats annoy the hell out me. I like the idea of cats, but not the practice. Maybe we should start a club?

Yet another reason to get a dog.

@I Love New Jersey: cause people aren't allergic to dogs?

@Skankingmike: People are by and large allergic to dander, not the animal itself. Dander is most frequently spread around a home by shedding, and there are plenty of dog breeds who don't shed. The downside is that they have hair, just like a human, that needs to be cut on a regular basis. But no shedding means less dander, which means less allergic reactions.

Miniature poodle is one breed I know because I was allergic to dogs and that's what I got when I was a kid. There are others, but I don't know the breeds off the top of my head. I think we also looked at a boxer and a bichon frise at the time.

If he did a little research he would find that there are several breeds that are hypo-allergenic. One that comes to mind is a Devon Rex. They don't shed.

i need more dollars to send ur geneticly enganeered cat, he in customs nigaria need shots only wire western unon send $50,000 us and keep $20,000 for u trubles

@Alexander Saites: That's exactly what I do -- take allergy medicine every day. I have allergies to other things too, so I'd be taking it anyway. And I have found that I've built up a pretty good tolerance to the cat.

@doctor_cos:

[icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com]

Even if you do get a hypoallergenic animal, you might still be allergic to it. Hypo means "below normal," not "absent."

At least they're not claiming to sell a non-allergenic cat, I guess.

I'm waiting for them to genetically engineer a snake to behave just like a cat. It would be nice to just deal with skin shedding every once and a while instead of all of the fur.

@JulesNoctambule: I'd adopt our local stray, who I call 'Bob' (lack of tail), but I think he'd have none of it. He's pretty tough looking.

@CumaeanSibyl: My grey cat, a random stray who appears to be largely Russian Blue (and has only one eye, I might add, because he's a PIRATE!), is very hypoallergenic. He doesn't set off allergies nearly as bad in allergic people as other cats do for them.

He's not unusual in any physical way (he's fastidious, but not unusually so for a cat) ... he just turned out to be relatively hypoallergenic.

I suspect people might have just as much luck with shelter cats as with this company.

My friend got his cat Nella through this company, but he did have to wait. It's not like you can mass produce kittens in a factory.

@H3ion: It comes in a heated/air conditioned carrier, fwiw.

@ivanthemute: yes, my friend got his. No, it's not a scam. His brother is violently allergic to anything with fur and hyperventillate and break out in hives; with the genetically engineered cat, he can pet it and wuv it and not die.

You're buying your cat from a breeder and it has to be very carefully bred. You're not picking up a soda at walmart.

@HiPwr: But they already do

@Laura Northrup: I paid $600 for my hairless cat. My allergist keeps insisting that I am allergic to him but I have yet to develop any of the typical symptoms I get when I am around furry cats. Yay me and I saved (insert cost difference here), go me!

@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): @BytheSea:

If the company didn't want to seem to sketchy, it should have stopped taking orders (and people's money) while it caught up on the backorders.

@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!):

Sorry, linked Eyebrows McGee's post as well. Meant to say to that: PIRATE cat sounds awesome

@BytheSea: Yeah. Right.

I have been happily living with a "moggie" for 5 years now. I don't let him sleep with me, but otherwise he has the run of the house. If I bury my nose in his fur, I will sneeze for a few minutes. He would be in my lap right now, but he thinks the computer weighs too much.

I will have an instant allergic reaction to some cats, but not others. When I picked my cat out at the pound, I huffed him a couple times and when my reaction was mild I knew I had my kitty. He cost a whopping $60, but I got a 50% off (no pun intended) coupon to get him fixed.

I have found that I have a stronger reaction to cats that are not strictly indoor. The combination of cat dander and pollen is additive.

Bruce could not be any cuter, sweeter, or more adorable. $8k might get you cat that doesn't make you sneeze, but it doesn't guarantee you a cat you want to spend 18 years with.

You paid 7 grand for a cat.
You clearly have more money than you should.
I see no problem here.

@Radi0logy: Sorry, 8 grand.

@doctor_cos: I'm sorry but genetically engineering anything is not natural. Granted it's just a cat, but really...if you're allergic to animals get a friggin fish.

@gStein: Only big dogs(Husky, Akita, Shepherd, Border Collie, Chow)...I consider the "yippy" ones to be cat like in annoyance and retardation.

@formatc: nothing's a 100%

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