PERSONALITY
The Sphynx personality is unique. They are extremely affectionate and sweet-tempered and will thrive in a house filled with people and other pets. Sphynx are one of the friendliest breeds and are very dog like in their temperament. They crave attention from their owners and aren’t aloof like other cats. A Sphynx is likely to follow you around (even on your bathroom visits - you have been warned), rub up against you, meet and greet other pets and people and explore indoors and out (outdoor time should be supervised or contained within a shaded enclosure). A particularly intelligent breed of cat, the Sphynx is also very energetic and loves to seek out adventures around the house and to "help" you with all the household chores. They are always with you, on you or showing off for you. Sphynx delight in making direct eye contact with people and they flirt outrageously. They literally bend over backwards to get human attention. A Sphynx will be under the covers at night and stay tucked up against you until morning. These amazing cats are very loving. Sphynx are also easy to train.
They eat a lot and they eat almost anything. Stealing 'people food' is a Sphynx game in which they excel.
Sphynx prefer the company of people but are great with dogs and other cats. They rarely have a problem slipping into any situation. A Sphynx thrives on human attention and should never be left alone for long. Unless their human companions are home full time, they need at least one constant companion animal. A dog or cat makes a good friend for a Sphynx but they seem to prefer the company of another Sphynx. Two Sphynx interact and play with each other in their own special way. They love children of all ages, grandparents and all visitors to the house.
HUMAN ALLERGIES
The Sphynx can be important for people who are allergic to cats (like myself). While we know that there is no such thing as a non-allergenic cat, some people who suffer from cat allergies can tolerate Sphynx cats. However, each individual's allergic reactions are different and there are those who cannot live with this or any other cat breed because they are allergic to the cat's saliva proteins. It has been proven that frequent bathing does reduce the allergens shed by any type of cat.
GROOMING
The Sphynx is the only cat that has sweat glands and so does not need to pant to keep cool similar to other cats and dogs. Because of these sweat glands they have skin secretions that discolour its skin and so will need to be bathed from time to time to maintain a healthy coat. Every cat is different but generally, a pet Sphynx that is altered (desexed) should need bathing every two weeks or at most weekly. This is not a difficult task with a cat that has been used to a bath from kitten hood and it takes no time at all to dry a Sphynx. A quick wipe over with a fragrance free baby wipe in between is generally all that is needed to keep your Sphynx clean& fresh.
Sphynx ears get dirtier than those of other cats and the fold of skin behind each claw collects oil secretion. These two areas need particular care and cleaning at least once a week and can be done at bathing time or in between. While in the bath use a moist cotton ball or fragrance free baby wipe to clean the ear. Be careful not to drip dirty bath water into the ear canal. We also use a cotton bud dipped in Ilium Oticlean solution to clean out the rest of the ear. Be careful not to push the cotton bud to far into the ear canal as you can damage it, or to push the wax further down. Do not EVER use a cotton bud in the ear canal itself. This can cause serious permanent damage to your Sphynxes hearing. If you believe your Sphynx has impacted wax in the canal visit your vet for professional help. Not all vets are familiar with the Sphynx breed, so you may have to help educate your vet if they are unaware of the Sphynx peculiarities such as extreme ear wax production.
NAIL TRIMMING
It is recommended that you trim your sphynx cats nails weekly to keep them short. This prevents them from accidentally scratching you or another cat during play, or injuring themselves by getting their nails snagged on carpets or drapes.
EYES
Since the Sphynx lacks eyelashes, dirt can more easily get in. Clean the eye gently with cotton wool after putting in a few drops of cooled boiled water or tears solution. Eyes cleaning procedure should be done every 1-2 days to prevent infections.
DEWORMING
We recommend you use Milbemax Allwormer for Cats for the control of all gastrointestinal worms in cats including roundworm, hookworm and tapeworm (including hydatid tapeworm).
Milbemax Allwormer for Cats will also prevent heartworm disease in cats if administered monthly.
Your kitten should be dewormed monthly until 6 months old and then every 3 months thereafter (if deworming for intestinal worms or monthly for heartworm).
FLEA CONTROL
As Sphynx have no hair they do not need flea repellants or medication, though fleas from other cats or dogs might bite them. Do not ever apply any form of flea control to your Sphynx.
VACCINATIONS
We strongly recommend that you do NOT allow your vet to administer a F5 vaccine to your Sphynx. The vaccine should be administered in its inert “dead” virus form F3, rather than live virus type vaccinations. Sphynx kittens and adults cannot tolerate the live virus vaccination and serious illness or death can result. Many Sphynx do have severe reactions to this type of vaccine. There is no need to vaccinate for Feline Leukaemia Virus or Chlamydia if your cat remains indoors and away from outdoors type cats.
BREED HISTORY
In terms of its history, where did the Sphynx come from? The answer is Canada. This is the only natural Canadian breed of cat. In 1966, in Toronto, a domestic cat gave birth to a hairless kitten. It was discovered to be a natural or spontaneous mutation and the Sphynx cat, as we know it today, came into existence. This cat and several others found in other parts of the world have been the foundation for the breed. Cat breeders in Europe and North America have bred the Sphynx to normal-coated cats and then back to hairless for more than thirty years. The purpose of these breedings was to create a genetically sound cat with a large gene pool.
There are differing opinions as to their exact origins. Very little factual documentation is available from the first breeders. We know that the hairless cat was presented to CFA at a Board of Directors meeting in the early 1970's. David Mare, who was on the Board at the time, named them Sphynx and became a Sphynx breeder himself.
At the turn of the Century, there were two hairless cats in Mexico that were known to be the last of their line. No one knows what became of them but they did not breed or contribute to the genetic makeup of the Sphynx of today. Two natural mutation Sphynx from Toronto were sent to the Netherlands to Dr. Hugo Hernandes. Punkie and Paloma were sisters and they were bred primarily to Devon Rex. Many of the Sphynx pedigrees of today go back to these two cats and were extremely influential in the development of the breed. In Europe and in North America, there were Sphynx breeders outcrossing their hairless Sphynx to other pedigreed cats. Most of the time it was because they were already involved in the Cat Fancy with the breed they used for Sphynx outcrosses.
In 1975, a Sphynx named Epidermis was born on a farm in Minnesota and a year later another Sphynx named Dermis was born from the same mother. These two cats were incorporated into the Sphynx gene pool and bred to American Shorthairs and then to Devon Rex. There have been a few other natural mutation Sphynx turn up over the years. They have been test-mated and then became a part of the gene pool once they had been proven to have the same gene.
The Sphynx is one of CFA's newest and one of its most unusual breeds. On February 6, 1998, at the CFA Board meeting in Houston, the Sphynx breed was accepted for registration. The Sphynx was so popular that the breed advanced to Provisional and immediately advanced to Championship status at the same CFA Board meeting in February 2002.
The hairless Sphynx cat is one of the most rare and unusual breeds in the Cat Fancy. They have few health problems due to outcrossing and generally live long trouble-free lives. The temperament of the Sphynx cat is demanding and loving while at the same time, very mischievous. This is the perfect breed of cat for people who spend a lot of time at home and want a cat that is an interactive member of the family. A Sphynx thrives on attention, needs people and animal companionship and loves to be on display at cat shows. Availability of Sphynx kittens is very limited but the pleasures of living with a Sphynx, or two, make them well worth waiting for. Practically everyone who shares their lives with Sphynx cats claim that they are pure enchantment.