Cat dander is different from dog dander and both are different from ferret
dander.  All living beings have dander, part of what makes up dander are
the dried proteins from saliva deposited during grooming, as well as other
bodily fluids like as oils and such.  These flake off into microscopic
particals and get into our environment.  Someone may be highly allergic
to cats, and not at all to dogs.
 
Yes, people do develop allergies to ferrets.  They're right up at the top
of my list along with cats and dust mites.  However, fewer people are
allergic to ferrets than they are to cats and dogs.  More importantly,
you can request the same desensitization treatments.  Not all allergists
know that it is possible to both test for ferret allergies (remember that
allergies can develop over time, so especially if you haven't had much
exposure, that doesn't mean that you won't develop an allergy later) and
treat them.
 
If you or your allergist need more information you can go to
http://www.allergyreliefservice.com
and contact them.  Dr. Mohr is my allergist and while she will say that
the best treatment is to get rid of whatever is causing the allergy, she's
also happy to help others find the information they need for treatment.
 
However, since it's your roommate who is saying she's allergic, she would
have to be the one willing to do that if she is allergic to or develops an
allergy to, your ferrets.  Washing ferrets frequently is not a good idea
because for most ferrets it dries out their skin, makes them miserable
because of that and causes an overproduction of oils, which not only can
increase their smell, but could well increase the likelihood of someone
developing an allergy.
 
If she would be willing to go with you to a local shelter (if you have one
in your area) and handle ferrets, and do this several times, then she'll
have a chance to see if she likes them, if they're going to be an immediate
problem for her allergies, etc.  *Definately* don't get *any* pet unless
she's okay with it.  Of course, there's another possibility (and I don't
know her, so I'm not saying this is the case by a long shot) and that is
that I've known my share of people who didn't like a particular kind of
animal, or animals at all, and closed the issue of pets with roomates by
saying they were allergic.  (One of the reasons to always discuss these
sorts of things before hand.)
 
So good luck, but you may just have to wait a while longer for pets :-/
(A HARD wait I know!)
 
Sue M.
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[Posted in FML issue 3469]