My children, ever creative, decided that we should get a cat and shave all its hair off.
My husband, seeking a solution that didn't involve the terrorizing of small animals, told them that there are such things in the world as hairless cats.
This is a picture of a hairless cat. Isn't this the freakiest looking thing you've ever seen? Yet, in light of the fact that it "seems" to be the perfect solution to the dilemma, my children have decided they want one. They've even discussed making it clothes to wear so it won't get cold.
I've been willing to make all sorts of compromises with them. I've even told them they could have a pet rat. Is that ideal -- well, of course not, it's a rat. But I'd rather go there than the hairless cat route.
No dice.
Right now a pet really isn't an option anyway. We're in a trailer, plus I just don't have time to add one more thing to our plates. The goal, however, is to buy a house within the next two years and when that time comes, we're going to have to have a serious talk. No, not the birds and bees -- the no hairless cat talk. I think I might even prefer the birds and bees to the dismay I'm sure the no hairless cat talk will bring.
But a mom's got to do what a mom's got to do.
8 comments:
It hardly looks cuddly, does it?
My question is: Do hairless cats still have dander?
I'm commenting from memory here, but there are two breeds of "hairless" cats--Devon Rex and Cornish Rex. No, that is NOT Cornish Pixies, it's Cornish Rex.
(And okay, I'll admit I remembered the name of the first breed but had to look up the other:)
They're actually covered in a soft down, but they DO have dander, so are not totally hypoallergenic.
And both breeds are supposed to be quite loveable.
Even I, a cat lover from birth, will admit they look like something from the Twilight Zone, however. :)
We looked into hairless cats briefly b/c I grew up with cats and DH is very allergic. Unfortunately, they do still have dander. I also read, (and have no idea if its true so don't quote me) that a lot of cat allergies are to the cat's saliva, and if the cat licks itself at all, you can still react even if there's little dander.
Either way, I'm dying at the mental image of trying to shave a cat. Invest in band-aids beforehand.
Hairless cats are not only ugly . . . they cost a fortune. I understand they have the tendency to be cranky as well so I'm not sure they'd be so great for children. You might want to do a little more research and see if what I've heard is true.
Good luck with that one.
I'm glad you ladies were able to answer Heather's question -- I sure didn't know.
Well, I guess if there's dander and saliva, there will still be allergies. I'm soooooooo disappointed. :)
Candace, there's no way we're actually getting one -- this is all such a pipe dream on my daughter's part.
I'm such a mean mom.
okay...that just looks wrong!!
you know... some types of birds have been known to be an excellent alternative for people with fur/mammal allergies and are a lot more interactive than you may first think. And i don't just mean your 10 dollar killer, can make a hurricane-mess in moments, parakeet from pet's-mart! (also known as a parana-keet in MY books) besdies, those types are from australia and are also high in dander! If you get the right type, it can be really cool. But, with any type of pet, research needs to be done to fit the needs of the family. especially with parrots, cuz they'll outlive any dog or cat 10-fold. it's just a thought perhaps for the future...
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