Pets

Cat Lovers Lining Up for No-Sneeze Kitties

Posted by Billbar from New York Times

A small California biotech company says it is ready to deliver the Holy Grail of the $35 billion pet industry: a hypoallergenic cat. Since it announced the project in October 2004, the company, Allerca, of San Diego, says it has received inquiries from people in 85 countries seeking to buy a cat bred so that its glands do not produce the protein responsible for most human cat allergies. Cats ordered now will take 12 to 15 months for delivery in the United States, 15 to 18 months in Europe. Cost: $4,000. And owners must pass Allerca’s finicky screening tests.

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Study supports theory that pets cut allergy risk

Posted by Billbar from Reuters

Like many previous studies, the current one found that pet owners had a lower risk of allergies - one third lower than that of their pet-free peers. But "pet avoidance" among allergy sufferers explained only part of this relationship. "Thus," the researchers write, "although selective avoidance is certainly present, it appears to account for only a part of the protective effects of pets presented in the literature." However, even if pets exert a true protective effect, experts don't recommend running out and buying a furry friend to prevent young children from developing allergies. If a child is already sensitive to pet dander, this will worsen the situation.

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Pet Radio?

Posted by Jon from New York Times

Another sign of the apocalypse

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Chickens on the Rise in Suburbia

Posted by Jon from New York Times

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