CAT
BREEDS A-Z
Sphynx
The Sphynx (aka Canadian Hairless) is a rare breed of cat with extremely
little fur, or at most a short fuzz over its body, and no whiskers
(vibrissae). Their skin is the color their fur would be, and all
the usual cat marking patterns (solid, point, van, tabby, tortie,
etc) may be found in Sphynx too. They are sometimes mistaken for
Chihuahuas because of their extremely unusual and, some say, uncatlike
appearance. They are very affectionate and extroverted and like
to cuddle with their humans, other humans, and each other.
Delicate as they may appear,
Sphynx tend to be well-muscled and robustly healthy, with a few
obvious weaknesses. It is essential to keep a sphynx cat warm and
free from drafts, especially during kittenhood, as they have no
more protection from cold than a naked human would. Sphynxes are
also prone to sunburn and sunstroke because they lack the normal
protection of fur. They tend to get dirty and greasy, since their
skin produces the same oils as a fully-furred cat, but the oil is
not spread over fur as usual. As pets they are notably more social
than "normal" cats, and happier to be handled, but also
require more maintenance including weekly bathing and ear-cleaning.
Their natural bathing habits tend to be ineffective on skin, so
the owner must compensate a bit.
Sphynx cats are not hypoallergenic[1], in
fact they can be even worse for severely allergic people than furred
cats. But because they don't deposit hair on furniture or clothing,
they tend to be easier to clean up after, and therefore often less
troublesome to mildly allergic owners. A large number of individuals
allergic to cats can live with Sphynx cats without experiencing
any form of allergy. Some notice symptoms but handle it by bathing
and cleaning them slightly more often than one would otherwise.
Allergic people often bathe and clean their Sphynx cats every 5
- 7 days, while others do it roughly every two weeks or when needed.
Although hairless cats have
been reported throughout history (hairless cats seem to appear naturally
about every 15 years or so), and breeders in Canada have been working
on the Sphynx breed since the early 1960's, the current American
and European Sphynx breed is descended from two lines of natural
mutations:
Dermis and Epidermis (1975)
from the Pearsons of Wadena, MN, USA and
Bambi, Punkie, and Paloma (1978) found in Toronto, ON, Canada and
raised by Shirley Smith. The Sphynx breed is known for a sturdy,
heavy body, a wedge-shaped head, and an alert, friendly temperament.
A cat being hairless is not necessarily a Sphynx! Other
hairless breeds might have different body shapes or temperaments
than those described above. There are, for example, new hairless
breeds, including the Don Sphynx and the Peterbald from Russia,
which arose from their own spontaneous mutations. The standard for
the Sphynx differs between TICA and FIFE.
Sphynx hairlessness is produced
by an allele of the same gene that produces the Devon Rex, which
has only one of the usual two fur coats. The Sphynx allele is incompletely
dominant over the Devon allele; both are recessive to the wild type.
Sphynx were at one time crossbred with Devon Rex in an attempt to
strengthen this gene, but unfortunately this led to serious dental
or nervous-system problems and is now forbidden in most breed standards
associations. The only allowable outcross breeds in the CFA are
now the American Shorthair and Domestic Shorthair. Other associations
have different rules. In Europe mainly Devon Rex has been used for
outcrosses.
A well-known Sphynx is SGC
Belfry Ted Nude-Gent who is in the Austin Powers movies. He plays
the part of Mr. Bigglesworth, Dr. Evil's cat.
A Sphynx was to star in Harry
Potter, but the scene was cut due to time constraints.
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