Hi. I've just recently subscribed to the list, but have been a ferret owner for 8 years. One of my past roommates was extremely allergic to cats and was also asthematic. It seems that her reactions to ferrets were heightened when she'd been around something else earlier in the day that could set her off. e.g. if she had been on a farm (work related) activity and them (oops, then) came home, she may have to use her medication or have an asthma attack. We found that weekly bathing of the ferrets with a citrus shampoo, e.g. VIP flea shampoo or STOP FLEA shampoo usually kept things under control for both my roommate and kept the munchkins fluffy, soft and smelling wonderful. weekly changing of their ferret clothes also helps keep the smell and other allergic reactions to a minimum. On a related note, it was found in a recent study at Johns Hopkins Allergy Center that it is not the dander in cats that people are allergic to, but their saliva. They suggest that wiping your cat down weekly with a damp cloth to wipe the saliva off the cat's coat will help with allergic reactions. Happy ferretting and good luck with the allergies! [Posted in FML issue 0649]