The Sphynx

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The Sphynx, or hairless cat, is a very unique cat all around.  People will either love these cats, or will dislike them.  There don’t seem to be many that will be indifferent to this breed.

Where did the Sphynx come from?  There seems to be some disagreement about this.  I have seen sources that state that there were hairless breeds of cats in Mexico as far back as the Aztecs.  Another conjecture that I have seen state that the Sphynx was a recent natural mutation, discovered in Canada in the nineteen sixties.  Whichever side you take, it does appear that the hairless gene is a recessive, and so it requires both a tom and a dame that carry this gene to produce a Sphynx kitten.  The Sphynx had been bred with several other breeds to broaden the genetic base.

The Sphynx is a strong, medium sized cat with a slightly wedge shaped head rounded muzzle.  The ears of the Sphynx are very large and a distinctive feature of these cats.  Their paws are oval shaped, with long toes and thicker than normal pads.  To compensate for the lack of hair, the skin temperature is actually about four degrees higher than a typical cat.  Also, the coloration of these cats all come from the skin coloring.  It also appears that unlike hairless dogs, UV sunlight does not pose the same threat to the Sphynx.  They do not suffer from sunburn as you might think they would, but their skin pigments may darken, or they may develop freckles.

One thing about these cats is that they do need regular grooming, but not in the usual feline way.  The Sphynx skin produces oils that will build up, along with dander that the skin produces.    The Sphynx needs to be bathed two or three times a month, but at least they seem to enjoy the water, so they won’t be fighting you each time!  You will also notice that I mentioned dander.  This means that people who are allergic to cat dander will still be allergic to this breed of cat, although the bathing can reduce this effect.

The Sphynx is a very, very high energy cat, and can have an appetite to match.  They need companionship, and do not do well if they are left alone too much.  Having other pets as companions can help with this, but they still want to have a lot of attention from the people he lives with, and lots of play time too.  They like the spotlight so much that they even like to star in the movies!  (Mr. Bigglesworth, Austin Powers movies)