Sphynx cat breed is a unique cat breed with no coat and yes it is a cat breed. The lack of coat makes the cat warm to touch. The fascinating Sphynx is always a centre of attraction and more and more people are interested in knowing about this strange looking cat breed.
Each person has his own reason to love this cat breed, some might like their bald appearance, some find the hairless coat an interesting feature while others may like their wrinkled look. There are a lot of people who hate this cat breed due to its lack of coat and are not very enthusiastic about this cat breed, but whatever may be the various reasons for people to love or hate this particular cat, the curiosity for this breed is very high.
It is worth spending some time for knowing this cat as you might get to know some fascinating facts about him. The skin is extremely soft just like premium quality leather, it is warm to touch and it is a great boon during the winter months as you can cuddle them for some warmth. Their finger like toes is of great use to these cats as they continuously use them to identify and play with things that garner their attention. Definitely a unique looking cat breed, which most people would love to take home.
Sphynx Cat Breed History
Sphynx is the only hairless cat breed around. Hairlessness in cats is a result of a natural and unplanned mutation that has been affecting cats for the last hundred years. The country of origin for this cat is supposedly Toronto in Canada. The first main attempt to breeding this cat began in the year 1966. It was when a black and white cat gave birth to a bald kitten in Ontario Canada, that this breeding program started gaining momentum.
This strange looking hairless cat was called Prune due to the wrinkled appearance that was very similar to the fruit. Prune was used to create more hairless kitten using other cats. Since the gene responsible for the bald appearance was a recessive gene some kittens that were born had hair on them while other didn’t. These set of hairless cat were called Canadian Hairless, which later on was known as Sphynx. These kittens got the name Sphynx because of their resemblance to the ancient Egyptian cat statue Sphinx.
Between the year 1975 and 1978, several natural mutations of the bald kittens were discovered in Toronto and Minnesota. These kittens were crossbred with the Devon Rex and a different cat breed with little hair was born. The offspring of these kittens are referred to as the ancestors of the present day Sphynx.
At present, the Sphynx ranks seventh in the most recognized cat breeds by the CFA.TICA has recognized this cat breed for more than twenty years and now there are thousands of this cat breed around the world. The standards for this cat are different between cat associations like the TICA, FIFE and the CFA.
Sphynx Traits
The most prominent physical characteristic of this cat is that it doesn’t have any hair on its coat. If you look closely you might feel a fine down hair that entirely covers the skin of the Sphynx giving this cat overall suede like feel. You can feel light hair on the nose, and the backs of the ears if you look very closely. Seasonal changes as well as hormonal changes can sometimes affect their development.
The loose skin gives him a wrinkled look. The wrinkled forehead and large set of eyes gives them an intelligent look. All possible colors and patterns are possible for this cat, which include tabby, tortoiseshell, solid, and particolor. They are a medium sized cats and not delicate.
The Sphynx is a medium boned, muscular and athletic cat breed. The belly of this cat will look as if it has eaten a heavy meal. Due to his Pixie face he is called as the alien cat of the cat world. The ears are very large, the skin is wrinkled and without any hair, and have a huge potbelly.
Some cats don’t even have whiskers and eyebrows. This is a very robust cat breed with very few health issues. Female cats weigh between 7 and 9 pounds, while male cats weigh between 8 to 10 pounds. The breeds life expectancy is anywhere between 13 and 15 years as any average cat.
Sphynx can cost anywhere from $900 to $1200 making it one of the expensive cat breeds.
Sphynx Personality
The personality of this strange looking hairless cats is very different from the regular cats. They are affectionate, and love to be around people. These cats are very friendly, affectionate and love all the loving touch and attention. He hates to stay alone and prefers company always. They are always eager to help you around the house and will happily welcome guests and friends with open hands. They can be mischievous and intelligent too. He has a lot of energy and loves being with dogs and other cats.
Sphynx Health and Care
Sphynx is famous for their high levels of metabolism and hence requires a heavy meal daily, but are at lower risk of developing obesity. They are robust and suffer from very few genetic diseases. Because of the lack of hair there is no need for brushing their coat. Their body tends to ooze skin oils, hence require regular bathing, nail and ear cleaning.
Sphynx Behavior
Sphynx are very friendly and outgoing cats. They are well-known for their extrovert behavior and display high levels of energy, curiosity, intelligence and affection for their owners. They have a very charming temper and wag their tails just like dogs out of affection.
Sphynx with Children and Pets
Sphynx are very friendly with children and guests. They are good family cats. These cats tend to display their mischievous side when they are with children and enjoy these moments thoroughly. The Sphynx gets along well with other pets like dogs and cats.
The warmth, extrovert behavior and their exotic appeal all combined together is one of the prime reasons for their huge fan following.
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