NEUHERBERG, Germany: You may want to keep your baby away from Mr. Whiskers for now.

A recent study of 2000 children released by German institute The National Research Center for Environment and Health (GSF) suggests that children exposed to higher levels of cat allergens in their first two years of life may be at greater risk of becoming allergic to the animals, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.

The study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, debunked earlier studies claiming that contact with cat allergens during the first few months of a child's life have a protective effect. Instead, the GSF researchers say the opposite is true, and that "even just repeated contact with cat hair within or outside the parental household increases the frequency of allergic sensitization on the basis of the detection of IgE-specific antibodies against cat allergens."

"Cat hair at home poses an allergy risk particularly for young children," GSF scientists said in a recent press release, recommending that "families at risk keep no domestic cat."

But according to the German researchers, by age six no link could be found between infant exposure to cat allergens and the presence of any type of allergic symptoms or disease.

"The most important risk factor for allergies in children, is, however, still the family history," said GSF's Dr Joachim Heinrich. "If the parents suffer from hay fever, asthma or pet allergies, their children are more likely to also show allergic symptoms".

He went on to recommend that these families still avoid contact with cats in general.

Human cat allergies are caused by allergic reactions to secretions from the cat's sebaceous glands (found on its skin) and salivary glands, according to Wikipedia. These allergens cause fits of coughing, wheezing, itching, watery eyes, sneezing, and sometimes even rashes, congestion of the nasal passages and tightening of the chest.

So does a new baby in the house spell goodbye for Mr. Whiskers? No. There are many ways to manage the issue and decrease the risk of allergy in your home.

According to About.com, the most important thing to remember about cat allergens is that they are airborne - which means you have to breathe them in for them to trigger your allergy.

Bathing cats weekly in plain water can also help. In fact, The Auckland Allergy Clinic reports that plain water is actually better than soap and water, significantly removing much of the surface allergens as well as reducing the amount of allergens produced later on.

Also, keep in mind that cat allergens are very small, meaning they stay in the air longer and increasing the chance of entering your system. And with cats being such frisky little things, an area you may have already cleaned can be recontaminated in almost no time.

If that doesn't work, you might consider a 'hypoallergenic cat'. While there is no official scientific evidence supporting these claims, according to Wikipedia certain cat owners say that the Siberian breed is naturally hypoallergenic. Other cat breeds lacking the normal amount of cat fur - like the Sphinx, the Devon Rex and Cornish Rex - are said to be significantly less-likely to trigger allergic reactions than other breeds.

In fact, Wilmington, Delaware-based Allerca Lifestyle Pets, has already produced the world's first scientifically-proven hypoallergenic cat. This, according to their website, now allows people with feline allergies to, "finally enjoy the love and companionship of a household pet without suffering from allergic symptoms."