The official cat thread.....56k warning Fat format

[Tribble]

My mom's cat - Mushka

[Tribble]

[youtube]56I1m__fnBY&eurl=http://icanhascheezburger.com/[/youtube]

[jee]

Praise Ceiling Cat, who be watchin yu, may him has a cheezburger.
Wut yu want, yu gets, srsly.
In ceiling and on teh flor.
Giv us dis day our dalee cheezburger.
And furgiv us for makin yu a cookie, but eateding it.
An do not let us leed into teh showa, but deliver us from teh wawter.
Ceiling Cat pwns all. He pwns teh ceiling and teh floor and walls too.
Forevur and evuhr. Amen.

[Frozenfireside]

Praise Ceiling Cat, who be watchin yu, may him has a cheezburger.
Wut yu want, yu gets, srsly.
In ceiling and on teh flor.
Giv us dis day our dalee cheezburger.
And furgiv us for makin yu a cookie, but eateding it.
An do not let us leed into teh showa, but deliver us from teh wawter.
Ceiling Cat pwns all. He pwns teh ceiling and teh floor and walls too.
Forevur and evuhr. Amen.

Why does that make more sense when it is written in lolcat?

[jee]

http://www.magtoss.com/2009_02_01_archive.html

[GuntherHanne]

On 28 December 2008 we eventually got our new addition in the form of a beautiful maincoon kitten, Penny. She has made herself very much at home by now and getting on well with the other two, and growing rapidly

I will in due course post some photos of her

[GuntherHanne]

Here some pictures of our new addition, Penny, the maincoon at about 4 months old. She has such a wonderful and gentle personality and at this stage is off course extremely playful as well

[Koko_Lion]

She is really beautiful.

[Tribble]

She is lovely and soft.

[jee]

oh she is beautiful! i hope you don't mind me using some on my blog?

[Screeper]

Cute cat.
I wish I wasn't allergic to their fur

[jee]

Screeper check out various cats - some have a different type of fur than others... and if they keep away from your face you might have a chance...

[Tribble]

And there are hairless ones too - they are really ugly looking but what sweet natures.

[Screeper]

Yes, some cats affect me more than others. Not sure I'd want a hairless one though!
I wish I could have a pet but I'd feel too sad to leave it here all day while I'm at work. Don't think it would be fair on the kitty

[jee]

cats are solitary creatures... and if you give them loads of love when you are home.... better than dogs tho.. and even better - get two

They are now "designing" cats with non-allergic hair....

[GuntherHanne]

It's actually not the cats' hair that people are allergic to, it's their saliva that causes the allergies (and seeing that cats - most at least - constantly lick and clean themselves all day long, most people think that it's the cats' hair that they are allergic to)

[Koko_Lion]

I always thought its was the derm that affected some allergy's

[Tribble]

Yep - the little flakes of skin that the cat drops - dander I have heard it called

[GuntherHanne]

Well, you're both correct in that the allergies are caused by a protein found in the saliva and the dander of a cat. As the saliva dries, these proteins become airborne and due to their small size stay airborne for a long time and are breathed in by allergy sufferers. The same goes for the dander, which are minute flakes of skin. These contain similar proteins (oils (sebum) which are made by the cat's sebaceous glands and which aid in keeping the cats skin and fur in good condition) and become airborne

Just for interest, I read that in the States, to combat these allergies, cats are being bread without this protein in their saliva and probably in their skin, but these are rare and very expensive

One way to try and combat such cat allergies, is to regularly (every second day or so) wash or rub down the cat with distilled water to prevent the buid-up of these proteins

[Tribble]

Thanks - never knew that. I thought people just had to suffer.

[GuntherHanne]

oh she is beautiful! i hope you don't mind me using some on my blog?

By all means, enjoy

[Stuart]

wait ... surely a cat bred without inherent proteins would suffer adversely in some way? or not?

[GuntherHanne]

Sleeping Cats:

I think they definitely have the right idea, and I will be following their example shortly (possibly a bit more comfortable that some of them)

[GuntherHanne]

wait ... surely a cat bred without inherent proteins would suffer adversely in some way? or not?

One should think so, but I'm not sure. With the Americans though I guess anything might be possible

I found the following:

"The real culprit appears to be cat saliva which contains an allergen; this allergen is a protein called Fel d 1. When a cat washes itself, saliva is deposited on its fur (or skin in the case of hairless cats). The saliva dries into dust (dander or dandruff) which is released when a cat scratches or moves and when humans stroke or brush a cat.

All cats wash, even those which lack guard hairs or which lack hair altogether. The dust forms on all types of cat hair or directly on the cat’s skin if it lacks fur. Hairless Sphynx cats produce dandruff directly on their skin and though they produce less of it than furred cats, they can still produce enough to trigger an allergic reaction. An allergy occurs when the body over-reacts to a substance (allergen) and produces excessive amounts of histamine. Excessive histamine production leads to the irritating symptoms associated with cat-allergy - itchy eyes, sneezing, skin rash etc.

Although Fel d 1 is the protein most often associated with allergies, humans are very variable and there will be some people who develop allergies to other feline proteins. I have met people who are unaffected by Siamese cats, but allergic to other cats and I have a friend whose cat alergy is only triggered by male cats (even if the cats are neutered)

Researchers believe it could soon be possible to "knock out" the gene which causes the allergy-causing protein and to breed allergy-free cats in the future. There is the danger that the gene plays a crucial role in some other part of the cat's metabolism so that removing it could cause disease in the cat e.g. affect its immune system. In some laboratory animals, knocking out genes has had the side effect of promoting cancers. It will be some years before researchers know whether it is safe to produce allergen-free cats. They will also be expensive as demand is likely to outstrip supply. In addition, there are moral and ethical objections to breeding - and destroying - hundreds of undesirable and unwanted allergen-bearing kittens (in a world where hundreds, if not thousands, are already destroyed daily) while trying to perfect an allergen-free strain. It is classed by many cat lovers as animal research because of the risk to the cats. Any cross-breeding of allergen-free cats would be likely to restore the gene, undoing the genetic modification.

In April 2005, scientists at the University of California created a human-cat chimera (i.e. mix of genetic material from both species). They fused the feline Fel d 1 protein (the protein that triggers the allergic reaction in cat allergy sufferers) with a human protein known to suppress allergic reactions. When tested in mice, the chimeric protein stifled cat allergy. The feline part of the protein binds to the specific immune cells that generate the allergic reaction to Fel d 1. Thehuman part of the protein also binds to the immune cells and tells them to stop reacting. Because the human part is more dominant, the allergic reaction is halted. Chimeric proteins could be used to desensitise allergy sufferers by retraining their immune system. This offers an alternative to GM cats.

Felix Pets (part of Transgenic Pets) are attempting to produce genetically modified "knockout cats" in which the gene producing the allergen is removed or switched off. They hope tp have non-allergenic cats in 2008. No-one yet knows what side-effects (possibly adverse) this could have on cats, Duane Kraemer (professor of veterinary physiology and pharmacology, Texas A&M University in College Station) the owner of cloned cat "CC" says the only way to find out is to create knockout cats in the lab and see how they manage without a Fel d1 gene or protein

In September 2006, the world's first selectively bred "hypoallergenic" kittens were born in the USA. American biotechnology firm Allerca claims to have created hypoallergenic kittens by reducing the amount of the Fel d1 glycoprotein (the main allergen for those with cat allergies) they secrete in their saliva. For most cat-allergic people, these cats will not cause red eyes, sneezing or asthma, although people with severe allergies may still react to the reduced amount of Fel d1. An estimated one third of humans suffer from allergies.

Allerca claim to have selectively bred cats that produce a modified Fel d1 protein less likely to cause allergies. Though they charge a high price for supposedly "hypoallergenic cats" (and aim to set up a franchise operation) they have not published any research data for peer review nor permitted independent verification of the claims (Asheras and Allercas). Until the work is independently reviewed and verified, their claims should be treated with suspicion, particularly in the light of the company founder's previous convictions for fraud.

At $3,950 (£2,104) each, the three kittens have already been reserved and there is a waiting list. Allerca started taking orders for hypoallergenic cats in 2004. Unlike some proposals for hypoallergenic cats, Allerca did not use genetic modification. They tested huge numbers of cats looking for those few (approximately 1 in 50,000 cats) that lacked the glycoprotein Fel d1. The cats lacking the allergen were then selectively bred. This method was time consuming but natural and avoided genetic modification. Knocking out the gene(s) that produced Fel d1 could have had damaging side-effects as the gene may be involved in other functions. Using an existing mutation is the same method by which breeds of livestock breeds have been developed by humans.

There could also be a global market for the cats and it is claimed that they will not deprive other cats (e.g. in rescue shelters) of homes since those who will buy them would not have bought or adopted an non-hypoallergnic cat. It is possible that the kittens will be neutered before being released to new homes to prevent the "backyard breeding" of hypoallergenic cats by those wanting to cash in on the development"

[Stuart]

wait ... surely a cat bred without inherent proteins would suffer adversely in some way? or not?

One should think so, but I'm not sure. With the Americans though I guess anything might be possible

lol ... teenage mutant ninja cats ftw!