Twelve of the 57 cat breeds in this catalogue carry a hypoallergenic flag. The obvious assumption is that these are the cats that shed least. Half of them are not, and the half that is not is the more useful thing on this page.
The label does not track the coat
Six of the twelve — the LaPerm, Russian Blue, Chartreux, Burmese, Ocicat and Siberian — sit at the middle of the shedding scale, exactly where most catalogued breeds sit. The other six, among them the Sphynx, Devon Rex and Cornish Rex, shed at the lowest rating there is.
So the flag splits evenly across coats that behave completely differently. Whatever the source is marking, it is not how much hair ends up on the sofa — and a breed recommended to you on the strength of this label may shed as much as any other cat.
What the flag is, precisely
It is a claim from the breed source, not a measurement made here. Nothing in this catalogue tested a cat against an allergy sufferer, and no dataset can. The honest reading is that these twelve breeds are the ones a reference work is willing to describe that way, which is a statement about reputation as much as biology.
It is also worth saying plainly: no cat is allergen-free. A label like this describes a tendency somebody recorded, and the only reliable test is spending time with the animal you are considering before you commit to it.
If low shedding is what you actually want
Then ask for that instead — it is a separate column and a different list. Ten breeds carry the lowest shedding rating in this catalogue, and only four of them also carry the hypoallergenic flag. The breeds page filters on either, and choosing the right one matters more than the label suggests.
Which cat breeds are hypoallergenic?
Twelve in this catalogue, among them the Siamese, Sphynx, Devon Rex, Cornish Rex, Russian Blue and Siberian. The flag comes from the breed source rather than from any test performed here.
Do hypoallergenic cats shed less?
Half of them do not. Six of the twelve sit at the middle of the shedding scale, alongside most other breeds. The two properties are recorded separately and they do not agree.
Is any cat truly hypoallergenic?
No. The flag records a tendency a reference work was willing to state; it is not a guarantee, and the only reliable test is time spent with the individual animal.