Prune was crossed with his mother producing another naked kitten. Together with a few bare kittens found later Prune
became the primogenitor of the breed. The first sphynx breeders faced a number of problems not the least of which was
an extremely limited gene pool. This, along with breeders' rather vague ideas about sphynx genetics, kittens often
crumbled away. However, in 1975 a hairless male was born to a short-haired mother providing new genes for future
development and sparking renewed inspiration to sphynx fanciers . In the early stages of the Sphynx breeding program
the crosses to the Devon Rex were used, but later this crossing was discontinued because it caused health problems
and devolution. The Canadian Sphynx is now a healthy breed with a sound genetic pool.
Characteristics
The Sphynx appears to be a hairless cat, although it is not truly hairless. The skin should have the texture of Chamois
leather and it may be covered with very soft hair that is often described as having a soft of peach fuzz feel. Because
sphynx cats have no hair to keep them warm they prefer to cuddle up next to other animals and/or people, especially
enjoying a good snuggle in bed with their owners, often under the covers.
A cat's normal temperature is 102 degrees so the Sphynx' lack of a fur coat makes them quite warm to the touch.
Whiskers and eyebrows may be present, either whole or broken, or may be totally absent. Their skin is the color their
fur would be and include all the usual cat marking patterns (solid, point, van, tabby, tortie, etc.) The Sphynx needs to
be washed because there is no fur to soak up the natural oils in their skin. Bathing frequency depends on the degree
of oiliness in each individual. (See "Care" below)
Sphynx generally have wedge-shaped heads and sturdy, heavy bodies and many, particularly males, develop little pot
bellies. They are known for their extroverted behavior. They display a high level of energy, intelligence, curiosity, and
affection for their owners.
Care
While Sphynx cats lack a coat to shed or groom, they are not maintenance-free. Body oils, which would normally be
absorbed by the hair, tend to build up on the skin. As a result, regular cleaning usually in the form of bathing is
necessary; one bath a week is generally sufficient for oilier individuals and much less for those without oil issues. Again,
frequency is based on each individual cat. Care should be taken to limit this breed's exposure to direct sunlight as they
can develop sunburn and even skin cancer - similar to that of human exposure. In general, Sphynx cats should never be
allowed outdoors unattended, as they have limited means to conserve body heat in colder temperatures, exposure to
direct sunlight is dangerous for them, and their curious nature can take them into dangerous places or situations.
Although Sphynx cats are sometimes thought to be hypoallergenic due to their lack of coat, this is not always the case.
Allergies to cats are triggered by a protein called Fel d1, not cat hair itself. Fel d1 is a tiny and sticky protein primarily
found in cat saliva and sebaceous glands. Those with cat allergies may react worse to direct contact with Sphynx cats
than other breeds. However, conflicting reports of some people successfully tolerating Sphynx cats also exist.
Breeding
Although hairless cats have been reported throughout history, breeders in Europe have been working on the Sphynx
breed since the early 1960s. The current American and European Sphynx breed is descended from two lines of natural
mutations: (1) Dermis and Epidermis (1975) from the Pearsons of Wadena, Minnesota, USA and (2) Bambi, Punkie,
and Paloma (1978) found in Toronto, ON, Canada and raised by Shirley Smith.
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 cat associations such as TICA, FIFE and CFA.
It has been theorized that Sphynx hairlessness might be produced by an allele of the same gene that produces the
Devon Rex (re), with the Sphynx allele being incompletely dominant over the Devon allele and both recessive to the wild
type. However a different genetic symbol (hr) is given to the Sphynx gene and it is more likely that these are different
genes interacting with each other. Sphynx were at one time crossbred with Devon Rex, but unfortunately this led to the
introduction of some genetic diseases and is now forbidden in most breed standards associations. Hereditary spasticity
and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, (HCM) a genetic heart defect, were introduced by the Devon Rex breed. The only
allowable outcross breeds in the CFA are now the American Shorthair and Domestic Shorthair. Other associations may
vary and the Russian Blue is a permitted outcross in the GCCF. In Europe mainly Devon Rex has been used for
outcrosses.
12 week old kitten 1999 SGC Apophis Nordstrom of Classical Cats won the TICA International Alter of the Year. In 2006
SGC Classical Cats Valentino won the TICA International Cat of the year. In the Cat Fancier's Association, GC, RW, NW
Majikmoon Will Silver With Age was Cat of the Year for 2006. The following year, GC, RW, NW Enchantedlair NWA
Cornflake Girl was Kitten of the Year. These awards are handed out for the highest scoring cats, across all breeds
during the current show seasons.
READ FULL ARTICLE
became the primogenitor of the breed. The first sphynx breeders faced a number of problems not the least of which was
an extremely limited gene pool. This, along with breeders' rather vague ideas about sphynx genetics, kittens often
crumbled away. However, in 1975 a hairless male was born to a short-haired mother providing new genes for future
development and sparking renewed inspiration to sphynx fanciers . In the early stages of the Sphynx breeding program
the crosses to the Devon Rex were used, but later this crossing was discontinued because it caused health problems
and devolution. The Canadian Sphynx is now a healthy breed with a sound genetic pool.
Characteristics
The Sphynx appears to be a hairless cat, although it is not truly hairless. The skin should have the texture of Chamois
leather and it may be covered with very soft hair that is often described as having a soft of peach fuzz feel. Because
sphynx cats have no hair to keep them warm they prefer to cuddle up next to other animals and/or people, especially
enjoying a good snuggle in bed with their owners, often under the covers.
A cat's normal temperature is 102 degrees so the Sphynx' lack of a fur coat makes them quite warm to the touch.
Whiskers and eyebrows may be present, either whole or broken, or may be totally absent. Their skin is the color their
fur would be and include all the usual cat marking patterns (solid, point, van, tabby, tortie, etc.) The Sphynx needs to
be washed because there is no fur to soak up the natural oils in their skin. Bathing frequency depends on the degree
of oiliness in each individual. (See "Care" below)
Sphynx generally have wedge-shaped heads and sturdy, heavy bodies and many, particularly males, develop little pot
bellies. They are known for their extroverted behavior. They display a high level of energy, intelligence, curiosity, and
affection for their owners.
Care
While Sphynx cats lack a coat to shed or groom, they are not maintenance-free. Body oils, which would normally be
absorbed by the hair, tend to build up on the skin. As a result, regular cleaning usually in the form of bathing is
necessary; one bath a week is generally sufficient for oilier individuals and much less for those without oil issues. Again,
frequency is based on each individual cat. Care should be taken to limit this breed's exposure to direct sunlight as they
can develop sunburn and even skin cancer - similar to that of human exposure. In general, Sphynx cats should never be
allowed outdoors unattended, as they have limited means to conserve body heat in colder temperatures, exposure to
direct sunlight is dangerous for them, and their curious nature can take them into dangerous places or situations.
Although Sphynx cats are sometimes thought to be hypoallergenic due to their lack of coat, this is not always the case.
Allergies to cats are triggered by a protein called Fel d1, not cat hair itself. Fel d1 is a tiny and sticky protein primarily
found in cat saliva and sebaceous glands. Those with cat allergies may react worse to direct contact with Sphynx cats
than other breeds. However, conflicting reports of some people successfully tolerating Sphynx cats also exist.
Breeding
Although hairless cats have been reported throughout history, breeders in Europe have been working on the Sphynx
breed since the early 1960s. The current American and European Sphynx breed is descended from two lines of natural
mutations: (1) Dermis and Epidermis (1975) from the Pearsons of Wadena, Minnesota, USA and (2) Bambi, Punkie,
and Paloma (1978) found in Toronto, ON, Canada and raised by Shirley Smith.
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 cat associations such as TICA, FIFE and CFA.
It has been theorized that Sphynx hairlessness might be produced by an allele of the same gene that produces the
Devon Rex (re), with the Sphynx allele being incompletely dominant over the Devon allele and both recessive to the wild
type. However a different genetic symbol (hr) is given to the Sphynx gene and it is more likely that these are different
genes interacting with each other. Sphynx were at one time crossbred with Devon Rex, but unfortunately this led to the
introduction of some genetic diseases and is now forbidden in most breed standards associations. Hereditary spasticity
and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, (HCM) a genetic heart defect, were introduced by the Devon Rex breed. The only
allowable outcross breeds in the CFA are now the American Shorthair and Domestic Shorthair. Other associations may
vary and the Russian Blue is a permitted outcross in the GCCF. In Europe mainly Devon Rex has been used for
outcrosses.
12 week old kitten 1999 SGC Apophis Nordstrom of Classical Cats won the TICA International Alter of the Year. In 2006
SGC Classical Cats Valentino won the TICA International Cat of the year. In the Cat Fancier's Association, GC, RW, NW
Majikmoon Will Silver With Age was Cat of the Year for 2006. The following year, GC, RW, NW Enchantedlair NWA
Cornflake Girl was Kitten of the Year. These awards are handed out for the highest scoring cats, across all breeds
during the current show seasons.
READ FULL ARTICLE
