Cat lovers who suffer from allergies now can get up close and personal with their favorite pets -- assuming they can afford the $4,000 price tag for one of the new, hypoallergenic felines.

There is already a waiting list, according to Stephen May, a spokesperson for San Diego-based Allerca.

Scientists used ordinary breeding methods to develop the animals. They first identified a glycoprotein that causes the allergic reactions, Fel d1, and then initiated the line with cats who did not carry it.

Fel d1 is found in the fur, skin, saliva, serum, urine, mucous, salivary glands, and hair roots of cats. About one in 50,000 do not carry it, however. The company set out to find a sufficient number of these non-carriers to begin a breeding program.

No genetic engineering was involved, it emphasized.

Kittens bred without the protein will not cause the typical sneezing, itching and redness of eyes or asthma in most cases. People with very severe allergies might still experience some problems, however.

The company will spay or neuter the kittens and implant a microchip prior to shipping them, beginning in early 2007.

It described the cats, which are available with coats of several different colors and patterns, as friendly, playful and affectionate.

Because as many as one-third of all people have some degree of cat allergy, it is expected that the demand for the hypoallergenic pets could be very high.